Travel Guide To Verona, Italy

If you love someone, bring him to Verona!

This is perhaps one of the most romantic cities in Italy, poetized by the great Shakespeare. Each year it attracts millions of tourists from all over the world. Someone comes to Verona inspired by its romantic atmosphere, someone to enjoy its beautiful architecture and historical monuments, and someone to escape from everyday worries and relax in a quiet and peaceful city.

This was the last stop during our recent Italian trip (after Bologna, Venice, Lake Iseo, and Monte Isola).

Photography mine and by Philippe Reifenrath

Located on the banks of the river Adige, the city of Verona has always been an attractive spot. The Romans constantly tried to conquer it, and they succeeded in 89 BC. To this day there are places in Verona where traces of this powerful civilization are clearly visible.

What to do

Piazza delle Erbe

This is the main square of Verona. If during the day Piazza delle Erbe reminds the market place (with numerous souvenir sellers), in the evening it is filled with locals and tourists who enjoy Aperol Spritz and other aperitifs in nearby bars and cafes.

The river Adige is an attraction itself and a long leisure walk along its bank in the shadows of trees was very enjoyable.

Verona looks very cozy and inviting, probably because of colors used to paint the buildings: the sunny yellow and orange in combination with green shutters look warm and delightful:

Castelvecchio built in the 14th century is perhaps the largest building in Verona. Today, in four towers and four buildings that Castelvecchio occupies, there are museums of art, sculpture, coins and other exhibitions, as well as a collection of paintings by famous Italian artists, including Bellini and Pisanello.

Apart from the exhibitions, the building itself is very interesting and you can enjoy its truly medieval mysterious atmosphere:

Arena Di Verona is a huge amphitheater, built in the first century AD. It is a kind of response to the Roman Coliseum (which, by the way, is almost 50 years younger than the one in Verona!). Surprisingly, the Arena di Verona has remained almost untouched by the inevitable pace of time. Every summer one of the most famous opera festivals in the world takes place here. We wanted to attend the ice show “Romeo and Julieta” but had to cancel this plan because of heavy rain.

Balcone Nella Casa di Giulietta (the house of Capuletti) – this is perhaps the most romantic place in Verona. It is the Mecca for couples in love from all over the world. The courtyard is tiny to accommodate this amount of people and you need to really squeeze in to see it. Here for 6 euro you can buy a marker to write on the walls your names in a heart. The most challenging thing is to find a clean spot for it:

On Saturday there was a flea market on its main square and we spotted many interesting and quirky objects including vintage maps, clocks, botanical prints, suitcases, and dolls:

Also, we were lucky to see the show on the main square with soldiers in traditional military uniforms and replicas of antique rifles:

Where to eat

There are so many good places to eat in Verona and Italy in general, but I want to highlight two that I especially liked:

La Pizzeria Paolo and Rosetta – here you can enjoy the pizza “al taglio” – and you will be really surprised by how many pieces you can actually eat.

I like the concept of pizza “al taglio” where instead of one big pizza you can order several pieces with different toppings:

One more memorable gastronomic experience was in Brest – if you like oysters and champagne, this is a place to go in Verona.

They have variety of fresh oysters from Scotland and France, as well as delicious champagne and sparkling wine.

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