Verona Travel Guide: Romeo & Juliet, the Arena & the Veneto

Verona is one of northern Italy’s most beautiful cities — a compact medieval and Roman city on the Adige River with an exceptional concentration of well-preserved architecture spanning two millennia. It’s internationally known as the setting for Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare’s invention, not a true story, but the city has embraced it commercially) and operationally as a gateway to Lake Garda and the Veneto wine region.

The Arena

The Arena di Verona is a Roman amphitheatre completed in 30 AD, one of the best-preserved in the world, and the third-largest Roman amphitheatre that survives. It seats 15,000 and has hosted the Verona Opera Festival every summer since 1913. The opera experience — with an audience of thousands, the old stone, candlelight, and open air — is one of the most atmospheric in the world. Performances run June through August.

The historic centre

Piazza delle Erbe — The market square built over the old Roman forum. Frescos on the surrounding palaces, a column with the Lion of St. Mark (Venice ruled Verona from 1405 to 1797), and a daily produce market. Adjacent Piazza dei Signori has the Scaligeri tombs (elaborate Gothic canopied tombs of Verona’s medieval ruling family).

Castel Vecchio — A 14th-century Scaligeri fortress on the Adige River, now a museum of Venetian and Veronese art. Carlo Scarpa’s 1960s renovation is architecturally significant.

Juliet’s Balcony — Via Cappello 23. The medieval house has no connection to Shakespeare’s play; the balcony was added in the 1930s. The courtyard is perpetually crowded and the bronze statue’s right breast is polished by tourists for luck. It is a tourist trap, but an enthusiastic one.

Wine country

Verona is surrounded by the wine appellations of the Veneto — Soave, Valpolicella, and Amarone all begin within 20 minutes of the city. Wine tours are well-organised from the city.