Verona – a city of romance and history
The beautiful city of Verona lies on the Adige River in the Veneto area of northern Italy. Verona is known to many as the home of star crossed lovers from the feuding Montague and Capulet families, Romeo and Juliet, from the famous Shakespeare play. But Verona’s history stretches much further back than that. Verona was such an important city during the time of the Roman Empire that it was known as ‘little Rome’. Later, Verona was chosen by King Theodoric to be his seat of power and to this day it retains a lovely medieval old town which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
‘Never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo…’
To see the sights that Shakespeare had in mind when he decided to set his story of Romeo and Juliet in Verona in Italy, first pay a visit to ‘Juliet’s House’ on Via Cappello. With its small balcony overlooking a courtyard, this fourteenth century building houses a range of historic furniture, art relating to the Romeo and Juliet story, and some costumes from Franco Zeffirelli’s famous film from the 1960s. Located nearby is a medieval building known as the House of Romeo. Moving on to Piazza delle Erbe, you will find the Volto Barbaro, where in the play the deadly duel between Tybalt and Mercutio took place. You will be able to see the bronze bust of Shakespeare at Piazza Bra, then you can end your makeshift Romeo and Juliet tour at the monastery of San Francesco al Corso. Here, in the crypt, you will find the marble tomb where Juliet is said to be buried. To really feel like you are living in Romeo and Juliet’s time, choose one of the hotels in Verona inside the historic town centre.
Rich in history
Much of Verona’s Roman and medieval history survives today for visitors to enjoy. The Verona Arena, the third largest Roman amphitheatre, was built back in the first century AD and is so well preserved that it remains in use today, typically playing host to opera and music concerts for up to 15,000 people during the summer months. Similarly impressive is the Castelvecchio castle which retains its original keep and seven towers. This fourteenth century castle is now a museum housing paintings by Italian artists, sculptures, and other treasures. The pretty Piazza delle Erbe is surrounded by buildings from the Renaissance era and has a large central fountain. By day you will find a souvenir market, while at night it is a popular place to enjoy a drink at one of the pavement cafes or simply for a passeggio as they say in Italy, which translates roughly as ‘walking’. You will find a choice of hotels around the Piazza area, although if you have an early start heading home, you may want to book into one of the hotels near Verona airport.
Tasty Italian treats
Many of the hotels in Verona offer breakfast, but after that you may find that eating out in Verona around the most popular tourist sites can be a busy and expensive experience. That said, Verona has a wide and varied choice of delicious local food if you are happy to take a step back into a side street or take a short stroll away from the very busy tourist areas. Look out for any eating places called osteria. These are restaurants which have a traditional menu to choose from, and they include the best local wines to accompany the food served up. You can try down by the river where you will find Sottoriva, which are medieval archways that each have a different bar and café inside. As for what to try, you won’t go wrong with a good risotto, with risotto being among the most popular dishes here. For the less sensitive, horse meat is a favourite meat in this part of the world, and the most traditional way to eat gnocchi, which is a pasta and potato dumpling, is with a horse meat stew. However if you are not feeling quite so adventurous, be careful what you order. For something sweet to finish off your meal you will find pandorso, the traditional Christmas cake eaten in Italy and which is a popular desert in Verona.