Verona – The City of Lovers

Verona is a city in the north-east of Italy in the region of Veneto. The capital of the province of the same name lies at the Adige river as well as in the Po Plain and is only about 30 kilometres away from Lake Garda. The climate in Verona is warm to temperate with hot summers and cold, rainy winters.

Verona is most of all known for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare. Numerous travellers visit the famous balcony at the House of Juliet (Casa di Giulietta) every year. Although it is said that Shakespeare's characters never existed and the balcony was built for the tourists in the 1930s, many people in love leave a message to Juliet on the walls which lead to the patio. The Club di Giulietta is responsible for responding to these letters. 15 secretaries work for the city of Verona five days a week and make sure that every call for advice in love matters is answered. However, Verona is much more than the setting of one of the world's best-known love stories. Its old town accommodates several cultural testimonies from different eras of European history and was declared a Cultural Heritage site of the UNESCO in 2000. With the Roman Arena, Verona has the third biggest preserved amphitheatre in the country after the Colosseum in Rome and the arena in Capua. Other sights are the Piazza delle Erbe with the Palazzo Maffei, the Torre del Gardello and the fountain Madonna di Verona, the Piazza dei Signori, the Porta dei Borsari, the Castelvecchio Museum as well as the Basilica of San Zeno and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Matricolare.

The local cuisine is very diverse but several delicacies such as gnocchi, polenta or bigoli are on every menu. In addition, you can order a variety of meat and fish dishes. One well-known example is the Pastissada de Caval, made of horse meat, wine, vegetables and local herbs. Travellers can taste such dishes in one of the restaurants at the Piazza delle Erbe. Special festivities in the city are the world-famous Opera Festival in the Verona Arena (Arena di Verona) and the Verona in Love Festival on the 12th of February. The latter is celebrated for three days and, as the name suggests, its theme is love. During this time, the streets and squares are decorated with posters, garlands and balloons, there is a market on the Piazza dei Signori and visitors can enjoy a number of performances, concerts, lectures and exhibitions.

Apart from going on a sightseeing tour on a bus, by bike or on foot, visitors can hike in the smooth plains surrounding Verona. Holidaymakers should not forget to leave a message for Juliet when they visit the famous balcony. A reply may already be waiting for you on your return.

The peak season in the city lasts from the beginning of May to the end of October. Verona is also worth visiting in winter. The streets are less crowded at this time because most tourists prefer visiting the city in summer.