Quick guide to Verona
We’d always thought of Verona as a place for young lovers and opera aficionados, but it turned out to have plenty of attractions for everyone regardless of age and interests. Here’s our quick guide to Verona.
A very brief visit to Verona in Veneto many years ago had turned on our tourist trap alert, so we neglected to go back and check it out for real. What a shame. Verona is a real charmer with lots of space and attractions. Here’s a quick guide to the main sights.
Castelvecchio, San Zeno and the Arena at night.
Verona for culture collectors
The entire city of Verona is classified as Unesco World Heritage as “an outstanding example of a town that has developed progressively and uninterruptedly over two thousand years, incorporating artistic elements of the highest quality from each succeeding period”. You can hardly walk 100 metres within the walled city without seeing something that calls for a camera. Culture collectors can easily spend a week in Verona without getting bored. With less time at your disposal we’d recommend the opera, the churches and the castle.
All summer outdoor operas are staged in the Roman Arena. An iconic amphitheater built to entertain the masses sometime around the 1st century. Even for people with no interest in opera, an evening in the Arena under a velvety, starlit sky with old, Italian drama and pop songs on the repertoire makes an unforgettable holiday experience. And you can almost always buy unnumbered seat tickets for the evening’s performance at the ticket office in the morning.
Another iconic Verona sight is Castelvecchio. A massive and militant looking fortress that now holds a museum of sculpture, paintings and various other artifacts. The fortress links to a three arched bridge over the Adige river, so that the noble Scaligera family could escape to the countryside if the people of the city started to riot.
The main churches in Verona are Cattedrale di Santa Maria Matricolare with its beautiful cloister and a stylistic patchwork façade. And the Romanesque San Zeno Church containing relics of the saint, who according to legend saved believers that sought refuge in the church from flooding during the Adige inundation in 589.
There is Shakespeare, love and death in the heart of Verona.
The city of lovers
Verona markets itself as the ‘city of lovers’ and there are numerous references to Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet and tragic love affairs throughout the city. For a day of gothic romance, look for love locks along the Adige river. Visit Giulietta’s grave in the Capuchin convent. Line up in front of the Scaliger Tombs to see Gothic funerary monuments like no others. And end the tour below Juliet’s balcony where Shakespeare’s fictional character was wooed by her Romeo. La Casa di Giulietta is a monster attraction where lovers from all over the world go to have their pictures taken, fondle the right breast of the bronze statue of Juliet for good luck, and leave their mark on the walls through graffiti, love locks, love letters or chewing gum. Customs, the more blasé might see as confirmation of the link between love and temporary insanity.
A restaurant and cafe crawl in Verona will take you through the main sights.
Two steps and a bar
For those who just want to enjoy the beauty of a historic city by walking from one outdoor café to the next, Verona offers a string of charming, lively piazzas. Start the day with a cup of cappuccino and a view of Castelvecchio in Via Roma. Queue up at the Gelateria Savoia for the best ice cream in town. Then sit down for lunch and people watching in one of the elegant porticoed restaurants in front of the Arena on Piazza Bra.
Continue to the stunning beauty of Piazza delle Erbe lined with bars and cafes not to mention the historic buildings and monuments. In the centre of the square, the weekend vegetable market gives way to souvenir stalls and there’s a very old fountain called ‘Madonna Verona’. Walk through the Arco della Costa and wait for the whalebone to fall on the first innocent person to pass underneath (Popes and Kings have failed this test miserably). Take a deep breath and a(nother) pre-dinner drink with Dante at Piazza dei Signori, and remember to look into the courtyard of Palazzo del Capitanio to see the nice tower, before you continue straight out to the river and Via Sottoriva, where many of the best restaurants are located. After a day like that you will really need the exercise of an evening stroll through the quiet cobbled streets back to the hotel.
Italian Notes
Beautiful city…
It is. Very.
I loved Verona, it’s such a beautiful city. The open air Opera, La case di Guilietta, great ice-cream, … a beautiful and romantic city.
Me too. Though the affection came as a bit of a surprise to me.
Verona looks so beautiful – I’ve never been there and that night view of the arena looks especially enchanting :)
Yes, the atmosphere in the evening is outstanding. Especially after the opera, when there are so many people about.
Verona does look beautiful! I have always wanted to visit because of the Shakespearean connection – hopefully I will get there one day!!
I think the the Shakespeare connection is overdone, but the city in itself certainly merits a visit.
I admit I’ve always wanted to visit Verona for the a Casa di Giulietta. It’s great to know it offers so much for visitors. Tose cafes and piazzas look so inviting.
The cafes and piazzas are really among the main attractions, if you ask me. Especially as there is so much great architecture all around.
Looks like a great walking around in sort of city. I’m all about the cafes.
Yes, it’s a fab place for city hikes. I guess we walked at least 15 kilometres a day (with lots of breaks in-between)
I really liked the separate night and day pictures of the outside of the Verona Arena. Ice cream and romance? Sounds good to me! I would like to hear more about the tourist trap part thought. We hope you guys are having a great week, Mette! :)
Thank you Mike. Verona is very famous – and very touristy – which means there are lots of enterprising souls trying to make a quick buck from the visitors. But all in all I think the places we visited delivered a decent quality and service, and in spite of going there around the 25. April which is the Italian Liberation Day, when all the world and his wife and grandmother are out and about, we didn’t experience any trappings.
I love the plazas and how much energy I can read in the photos of them. I can feel the light, smell the food and hear all the conversations – perfect!
Thanks Maria. You’ve always been gifted with a special perceptiveness:)
I stayed in Verona for only one full day. Wish I could have stayed longer, I loved people watching outside the arena.
Yes, that’s a nice place. And there’s a proper park so that you can people watch for free.
I could easily spend a few days soaking up the atmosphere in Verona. I was surprised by the spaciousness your photos show. Love the bridge shot.
You’re right. Even the oldest parts of town don’t seem particularly claustrophobic.
Verona looks so pretty – it’s funny how the other Italian towns get hyped but the smaller ones get sidetracked . Would love to visit Verona :)
I wouldn’t call Verona sidetracked, but competition in this area is incredibly strong.
Sounds like a lovely way to spend time in Verona with these tips! Hope you can go back soon and see it all! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve been there already, but wouldn’t mind going back and doing the same tour all over again:)
A great refresher for my upcoming trip in days. I haven’t been since 2009 and its always nice to hear recommendations.
I’m getting slightly envious. Verona is such a great city and there’s so much to see.