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The setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Verona is an incredibly romantic city with a rich architectural heritage. It is strategically set at the crossing of two vital trade routes and has been an important cultural and commercial hub since the 3rd century. Today, its streets reveal their rich, multi-layered history at every turn, the enchanting medieval core a labyrinth of cobbled laneways and grand squares peppered with ancient Roman structures. The most complete of these is the wonderful Roman amphitheatre which serves as the venue for the city’s world renowned summer opera festival.
Italy specialist KimberlyWhile Verona is still very much a city, it never feels overwhelming. There’s no frantic checklist of sights to tick off: just meander around, eating well, exploring its independent shops, and seeing what you find.
Things to see and do in Verona
Opera in Verona
Constructed in the 1st century AD, Verona’s legendary Roman Arena is the magical setting for the city’s summer opera festival. Between the months of June and September the magnificent structure, once home to gladiatorial battles, becomes the world’s largest outdoor opera venue. The epic productions, often with over 1,000 cast members, attract some of the biggest names in opera and draw visitors from around the world. The arena is famous for its excellent acoustics and as the sun sets, audience members light candles and settle in to enjoy a spine-tingling performance in this most atmospheric of settings.
Romeo and Juliet
While it appears that Shakespeare never actually visited Verona, it is easy to picture his fictional star-crossed lovers as you wander around the city's medieval heart. The winding cobbled streets and narrow laneways lined with grand houses, Gothic churches and Renaissance palazzi are undeniably romantic and there are plenty of stories of dramatic local family feuds in times past. The city has made much of its association with the famous lovers and the house reputed to have inspired Juliet’s balcony scene attracts many visitors, but if you suspend your disbelief and simply soak up the atmosphere, there's nowhere better to pay homage to the epic love story.
Piazza dei Signori & Piazza delle Erbe
Two adjoining squares in the heart of Verona act as the focal point of the medieval city. The larger, Piazza delle Erbe, was once the site of the city’s Roman marketplace and forum but is now surrounded by bustling caf茅s and palatial medieval townhouses adorned with Renaissance frescoes. Walk under an archway and you'll enter adjoining Piazza dei Signori, a stately square known to locals as Piazza Dante due to its imposing statue of the famed poet. The square is surrounded by ancient civic buildings and is a beautiful place to explore with the impressive Scaligeri family tombs located through the archway on the far side.
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Suggested itineraries featuring Verona
Our itineraries will give you suggestions for what is possible when you travel in Verona, and they showcase routes we know work particularly well. Treat them as inspiration, because your trip will be created uniquely by one of our specialists.
Places near Verona
- Sirmione 19 miles away
- Lake Garda 21 miles away
- Gardone Riviera 25 miles away
- Parma 55 miles away
- Modena 55 miles away
- Madonna di Campiglio 56 miles away
- Venice 66 miles away
- Bologna 68 miles away
- Dolomites 79 miles away
- Milan 88 miles away
- Alta Badia 91 miles away
- Bellagio 92 miles away
- Ravenna 93 miles away
- Lake Como 93 miles away
- Lezzeno 94 miles away
- Laglio 95 miles away
- Torno 96 miles away
- Tremezzo 96 miles away
- Blevio 96 miles away
- Como 96 miles away
- Forte dei Marmi 110 miles away
- Cinque Terre 111 miles away
- Porto Venere 112 miles away
- Florence 117 miles away
- Lake Maggiore 118 miles away
- Portofino and Santa Margherita 118 miles away
- Pisa 123 miles away
- Verbania 123 miles away
- Stresa 123 miles away
- Genoa 124 miles away
- San Gimignano 137 miles away
- Siena 148 miles away
- Barbaresco 151 miles away
- Alba 154 miles away
- Barolo 160 miles away
- Piedmont 162 miles away
- Turin 163 miles away
- Perugia 176 miles away
- Assisi 183 miles away
- Umbria 188 miles away
- Orvieto 197 miles away
- Rome 257 miles away
Photos of Verona
Accommodation choices for Verona
We've selected a range of accommodation options for when you visit Verona. Our choices usually come recommended for their character, facilities and service or location. Our specialists always aim to suggest properties that match your preferences.
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Due Torri Hotel
Verona -
Hotel Accademia
Verona
Ideas for experiencing Verona
Our specialists seek out authentic ways to get to know the places that could feature in your trip. These activities reflect some of the experiences they've most enjoyed while visiting Verona, and which use the best local guides.
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Verona opera performance Verona opera performance
Verona opera performance
Enjoy an opera performance at Verona's historic Roman Arena. The open-air performances benefit from this impressive setting, a circular amphitheatre with the stage in the centre of stone steps that rise up around it.
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