The northern Italian city of Verona is another of Europe’s cities that proclaims to be a ‘city of love’. And rightly so, for it is the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the city in which the star-crossed lovers meet, fall in love and tragically end their lives. However if the lovey-dovey stuff just ain’t your kinda thing, Verona is also well worth a visit for its history and host of beautiful sights.
With just 24 hours in Verona, I was not only able to explore where the world’s most renowned love story was based but I also had plenty of time to tick off a number of the necessary sight-worthy locations and, in doing so, get gloriously lost in the city’s maze of side streets. Without further ado, here is how I spent 24 hours in Verona.
We arrived into Verona by train from Padua – less than a forty-five minute journey. On arrival at the station we were able to establish our whereabouts, point ourselves in the right direction, and in no time at all we were off in the direction of the hotel, which was conveniently located on Corso Porta Nuova, one of the city’s main boulevards. The hotel was ideally located for reaching both the station (5 mins) and city centre (10 mins) by foot.
Although this was not my first visit to Verona, I was keen to re-explore the sights and swiftly set off towards the ancient Arena di Verona at the heart of the city. The open piazza was already alive and buzzing, despite the fact it was only mid-morning, and plenty of people were sat sunning themselves in sunshine, enjoying a morning cup of coffee in the many cafés bordering the square.
A short walk from the Amphitheatre brought us into the beautiful, Piazza delle Erbe where we decided to stop for a (real Italian) cup of coffee. From inside the café I watched the traders selling their wares out in the morning market; all sorts of things from fruit and vegetables, little souvenirs for the visitors and of course, technology accessories. I must say that everyone seemed to be enjoying the weather and doing good business, with flocks of tourists huddled around the stalls and plenty ‘persuaded’ to leave such tempting bargains with (if nothing else?) cups of fruit drizzled in copious amounts of chocolate sauce and/or whipped cream. It may not have been so healthy, but at least they were getting their five-a-day, right?!
Just a few steps from the square was the next stop, Juliet’s house. The famous balcony was empty but the crowd of onlookers seemed more than satisfied to soak up the atmosphere and read some of the many hundreds of scribbled declarations of love on the walls of the entrance, not to mention taking in the wall of coloured chewing gum (classy!).
Of course, there was also a gate decorated with colourful love locks which provided much entertainment and by the looks of it, plenty of photo opportunities – one which I also took up. I just can’t resist the lure of romance!
With no Romeo to be found, we left the love-struck madness behind and enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the less frequented streets of the quarter which I’m glad to say also provided us with a number of window-shopping opportunities.
As lunchtime was approaching, we wandered away from the town centre and across the Ponte Nuovo to the other side of the river. As luck would have it, we quickly found a small restaurant offering a two-course menu plus water for a reasonable price (€11). Once again it was a welcome relief to sit down and rest our legs which were still complaining about the many kilometres walked around Venice the day before.
Once lunch had been consumed, we were on the move again, strolling along the river as far as the Ponte Pietra. Above us stood the Castel S. Pietro and although tired, we could not resist the challenge of climbing the steps to the top to see what views were available and to investigate the castle. After many short pauses ‘to admire the view’ we made it to the top and enjoyed the panorama over the town. The vista in front of us was that of terracotta roof-tiles hiding whatever lay beneath, with the occasional tower punctuating the skyline.
Back down at street level, we crossed back over the Ponte Pietro and re-entered the winding streets of the town. A walk along the Via Achille Forti and the Via Francesco Emilei brought us to the Ponte della Vittoria and from there we took the Via Guglielmo Oberdan back to the Arena.
For anyone intending to visit, Verona can easily be visited in one day but if you plan to take things at a slower place I would recommend setting aside two nights to thoroughly explore what the city has to offer. If you are staying for longer, why not take a day trip to neighbouring towns including Venice and Padua, or head up to the beautiful Lake Garda, just 45 minutes from Verona.
