Verona - City of Love

If Venice is the city of romance then Verona is the city of love. The fabled home of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Verona has taken this tragic story of love to heart and there are a number of wonderful landmarks dotted throughout the city. Verona is ideally designed for walking and the main historical sites are located in the old town on a flat plain surrounded by the River Adige on three sides. 

Our walk commences in the Piazza Erbe, the central Piazza in Verona filled with restaurants and markets, and is a hive of activity. The 84 meter high Torre dei Lamberti is a must, the tower offers a 360 ° view to those who choose to climb up it, that is unmatched and unmissable. There is a lift for those with children or unprepared to face the 400 steps to the top. The entrance to the tower is off the Piazza dei Signori through the Arco della Costa in the centre of the northern side of the Piazza. 

From the Tower and the Piazza dei Signori we take the short work to the Romeo's house. This  is a small castle-looking building is a private home in the heart of Verona. The building date back to the 14th century, with crenelated walls, Gothic door and a Shakespeare inscription, and adds to the romance of Verona.

After visiting the house of Romeo we head to Juliet's house or Giulietta's House. As testified by the coat of arms on the internal arch-way of the court-yard, this house belonged to the “Dal Cappello” or “Cappelletti”. The building, dates back to the 13th century, features the balcony where Romeo promised his beloved Juliet eternal love in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. Young couples are still very moved by the right of this house and unmarried people touch Juliet’s statue (a kind of good-luck ritual) in the hope of finding the love of their life.  The interior of the house can be visited and you can stand on Juliet’s balcony as well as admire the furniture and the beautiful velvet costumes worn by the actors in the Metro Goldwyn Meyer’s colossal “ Romeo and Juliet”.

After the house of Juliet we head off to Juliet's tomb on the way passing by the interesting Chiesa San Fermo or church of San Fermo. Situated at river end of Via Leoni, the chapel is actually two churches in one: Franciscan monks built the 13th-century Gothic church above the original 8th-century Romanesque building. Inside the newer Gothic church, the magnificent timber ceiling and 14th-century frescoes, including some fragments depicting episodes in the life of St Francis are highlights. Stairs from the cloister lead underground to the main chambers of the wonderful Romanesque church below.

Juliet's Tomb  is a small, dark crypt beneath the convent of San Francesco al Corso. The tomb includes a red sarcophagus in which Juliet is said to have been buried. In addition to the tomb the museum hosts wonderful frescos of Verona, from the 16th century when Verona was known as the “Urbs Picta” or “Painted city”.

Leaving the romance of Romeo and Juliet behind we head off to enjoy some of Verona's true history with a visit to the magnificent Verona Arena. The amphitheatre is situated in Piazza Bra and was built in the first half of the 1st century A.D. After the colosseum and the Capuan amphitheatre, the Arena is the third largest of its kind in Italy. The Arena is still used today for opera performances as its elliptical shape enhances the acoustic quality and allows seating-space for thousand of spectators. Make sure you take in an opera if you have the chance. 

Also in Piazza Bra standing behind the town walls, is the magnificent Palace of the Gran Guardia, with its elegant steps and intimidating facade. The palaces baroque style is a wonderful counterbalance the arena.

Not far from the Palace is the great and most spectacular medieval edifice in Verona the Castelvecchio. Constructed on the banks of the Adige by Cangrande II della Scala in 1354 to defend Verona’s people and also provide an escape-route northwards where his Austrian relatives lived.The museum inside the Castelvecchio includes 29 rooms filled with paintings, sculptures, weapons from 1300 to 1700.

Across the bridge and along the river is the Roman Theatre and Archaeological Museum. The theatre lying in splendid setting (built against the hill-side) was erected towards the end of the 1st century B.C (before the Arena was built) would have been a breathtaking site for people coming into Verona. The archaeological museum of the Roman Theatre houses important artefacts from Verona’s Roman past. As you wander up the hill to the Castel San Pietro you are offered splendid views of the city. On walk up you’ll encounter altars, inscriptions dedicated to the gods, marble decorations and beautiful mosaics from the Roman “Domus” in Verona and its province.  During the summer the theatre is a beautiful open space for music shows.

Walking back into the city you cross the Ponte Pietro originally built in the 1st century B.C. Built over a natural ford in the river, the bridge was originally constructed in wood, that was later replaced by white and pink stone bridge. The original roman arches can still be seen from the left bank of the Adige, as can the remnants of the Roman wall which contained the river. The bridge collapsed several times over the ages and was rebuilt in the style of the times: the section on the Adige’s right bank dates back to the Middle Ages, including the additions of towers, the remaining of which was recently restored.