Italy’s city of Romeo and Juliet is much more appealing once you branch away from the Shakespeare tourist traps.
What’s Verona all about?
One look at a map, and Verona’s romantic reputation makes instant sense. The city walls and the looping River Adige surround the old part of the town in a rough heart shape.
Shakespeare probably never visited, but that didn’t stop him from setting three of his plays there. And the most famous of the trio – Romeo and Juliet – is arguably what started Verona’s image as a city of love
Neither of these factors explain the city’s true appeal, though. It’s a very, very atmospheric place, where buildings all seem to adhere to a warm colour scheme, and remarkable set pieces emerge when narrow streets spread into open squares. And strong heritage from Roman and Medieval times proves to have a much longer-lasting impact than fruitlessly chasing down clichés.
A walk through Verona’s highlights
Kick off with a proper view out over the city from the Torre dei Lamberti, the 84m tall tower of the Palazzo della Ragione. There are 368 steps, but you can cheat by getting a lift most of the way. From the top, the views out over the orange-tiled rooftops, squares, other towers and the river bends are fabulous.
Then head south to the Arena, a staggering ancient Roman amphitheatre that’s still in remarkable condition. There’s not much information inside, but there doesn’t need to be. The stone arches and passages underneath provide the dark atmospherics, and wandering out into the centre to see the 30,000 capacity venue is breathtaking.
In peak season, it’s worth buying skip-the-line tour tickets in advance.
During the summer months, the Arena is turned into a giant open air opera venue, with the performances becoming a major social event. Just be prepared to huddle up on the stone seats.
Keep on going into the newer part of town to Juliet’s Tomb – which looks like a water trough, partly because that’s what it was used as for quite some time. The tomb itself isn’t much to get excited about, but the attached Frescoes Museum has some great pieces rescued from old churches and palaces.
The worst attraction in Verona
The Casa di Giulietta is an unadulterated waste of money, with chewing gum and graffiti covering the courtyard outside and a pitifully half-hearted attempt at a museum inside. But lovers of Romeo and Juliet still come to see the balcony immortalised by Shakespeare – even though it was only added as a tourist trap in 1920.
Verona’s best secret
If the romantic vibe is what you’re after, forget the Shakespearean connections and head to the Giardino Giusti. This beautifully terraced private garden has a maze, a glorious cypress-lined central path and plenty of little grottoes and hidey-holes which seem specifically designed for proposals.
Verona tours and experiences
Great activities around Verona include Valpolicella and Amarone wine-tasting tours, a pasta and tiramisu cooking class and small group walking tours.
Where to eat in Verona
The city’s new in-the-know hotspot is Casa Perbellini, which hoovered up two Michelin stars within a year of opening. It’s a small, open kitchen joint on Piazza San Zeno – about a kilometre west of the city’s centuries-old heart, and the focus is on degustation menus.
Locanda 4 Cuochi has an open kitchen and a modern vibe for an old town location. It also puts a few twists into the menu, such as the marinated chicken leg with curry and spinach.
Shopping in Verona
The pedestrianised Via Manzini has a nice mix of the high street and the designer, with Fratelli Rossetti’s high end shoe shop being the highlight for fashion lovers.
Corso Sant’Anastasia, meanwhile, has a wonderful array of antiques shops and galleries. The likes of Valbusa do glorious old maps, tables, chests and vases, while Saccomani Antichita is a weird jumble of porcelain-animals, Roman-style busts and dazzlingly intricate precious metal clocks.
Verona hotel recommendations
The Palazzo Victoria is a staggeringly impressive conversion of an old palace. Walls are decorated with stones from the river, there’s an unexpected billiard room, and glass flooring reveals the remains of an ancient Roman villa underneath. Wooden floors, padded fabric walls and TVs in showy golden frames help make the rooms memorable too.
The Opera Relais de Charme is hard to find on a little alleyway in the heart of the old town, but the modern, feminine-looking and design-conscious apartments are spacious and come with kitchenettes.
The Gallery Room has a whiff of chlorine as you walk in – it’s coming from the spa downstairs – but delightfully calming, cream and white tones in the rooms. Proper superking mattresses (rare in Italy) on rather glam-looking beds help make it a steal.
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