Verona, Italy

The 16th and 17th post in my trip report describe our visit to Verona. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/amsterdam-and-italy-finally-in-november-2021

We loved Verona. I think that, if I were to live in Italy, I would choose Verona.

Our daughter and her fiancé were just there in January. They have both been to Italy before (he many times, since he went to school in Switzerland), and they loved it, too.

Hello dalet49,

Verona is a very pretty, genteel city with pedestrian friendly city core wrapped by the bridges across the big bend in the river. I has shopping, outdoor cafe culture, a Roman arena and theater (which still host shows and opera), and beautiful buildings in state elegant decay that they do so well in the Veneto.

I think that Verona is overlooked because it doesn't have a ton of blockbuster sites but it feels much more intimate than the population of the city would suggest since all the areas a tourist is interested in are centered within the loop of the river and immediately adjacent.

If you go stay in the old town area - or adjacent - and take a cab or a bus from the train station the short ride into the city and enjoy.

Hope that helps,
=Tod

Verona is worth a visit. I visited the town in 1994 -- 30 years ago -- and still remember it.

Verona is mostly about the atmosphere. It feels untrammeled by the modern world. I felt like I had stepped back to the Medieval period. Shakespeare called it "fair Verona".

I learned some bit of intriguing real or pseudo history: I don't know which.

Not surprisingly, Verona will forever be associated with Shakespeare's masterpiece Romeo and Juliet. To capitalize on this, Verona has a site called Juliet's House, which houses a museum on Medieval Verona. It's in an authentic Medieval palace in the center of town.

According to what I learned, the palace was the home of wealthy merchants whose family name is Capello. Juliet's family name was Capulet.

Is there an authentic story of star-crossed lovers buried in history? Or did the Verona tourist board fabricate this to send the hearts of lovers worldwide all a-swoon?

There's also a site called Romeo's House.

Verona has a drop-dead fascinating Roman forum, the site of operas and other performances. The town also has a great open-air market.

My favorite place in Verona was the Giardino Giusti. I also enjoyed touring a couple of particularly beautiful churches- San Zeno and Sant’Anastasia.

A friend suggested that we stay in Verona, and day-trip to Venice - he knew that I was on the fence about Venice. Well, we never made it to Venice. Verona is one of those Italian towns where it is a great place just "to be". I love it when you can step off a train and walk to your hotel in the middle of the town.

In April 2015, we stayed at the Hotel Giulietta E Romeo. It's currently the top-ranked hotel in Verona on TripAdvisor. So I guess it's still as good as I remember. I regret the day we spent taking the train to Lake Garda. It was too early for the ferries to be running.

https://www.giuliettaeromeo.it/en/

Verona is a wonderful destination for 3-4 days. I have done that twice, including just last year. Make sure you walk over the Ponte Pietra and go up to the Castel San Pietro. Excellent scenic views of the city from up there and nearby you have the Roman theater ruins and its archeological museum. If there is a concert at the Roman ampitheater you can hang out in Piazza Bra and hear it if you can't get tickets. The historic center is great for strolling around and exploring. We also caught a public bus and did a daytrip to gorgeous Sirmione on Lake Garda. If you have not yet been to Lake Garda I suggest you go. Sirmione is very compact and very pretty. Other possible easy daytrips from there could be to Vicenza or Mantova.

Another vote for spending time in Verona. We absolutely loved it. Although a city, it feels like a village of sorts. Easy to walk around, and loads to do, as mentioned above.