A lot more than Romeo and Juliet (Verona)

Member Name: louiseypees

Product:	Verona
Date:	27/09/08 (215 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful

Disadvantages: None

It could be said that in the past year I've gone to Verona a little too often, especially considering I don't live in Italy. That said, I'd go back tomorrow. This beautiful city has got so much to offer a visitor and even after three visits I don't think I've scratched the surface of it, but I'm going to try and talk you through some of my highlights of this great place.

Perhaps most famous to Brits as the city where Romeo and Juliet is set, Verona lies in Northern Italy, in the Veneto region. Verona is the capital of one of the seven Veneto provinces. The Verona province includes a number of gorgeous little surrounding towns, including Soave, which is my pick of the bunch - a little walled city, complete with castle on the top of a hill, a 1000 year old church, plenty of places to go of an evening for food and drink, and home to the Soave wine region - and trust me, the Soave wine you'll get there is very different to the rubbish you'll see in tescos!

On a "holiday geography" front, Verona lies about an hour's drive from Venice and an hour and a half from Milan - both of which have big international airports that are served by budget airlines and BA, who will generally sell you a return from Heathrow for about £100. Verona also has its own airport, which is served by BA, but will cost a little bit more. Beware Ryanair flights to Verona though, as these are actually to Brescia, which is a very small airport which is effectively a shed in a field about 40 miles out of Verona. If you're not hiring a car you may find getting anywhere pretty difficult from here.

Probably the most famous attraction in Verona is the Arena. The Arena is the last remaining complete roman Arena in the world, and it is breathtaking. This is the venue for the Verona Opera Festival, which is held throughout August. I've been to the Opera Festival twice now and it is a spectacular way to see the Arena - at night, for a performance, and when it's doing what it was built for all those years ago - entertaining the masses. Tickets for the Opera range from about Euro15 to Euro250, so there's an option whatever your budget. Even if you can't make it to Verona for the opera, it is still worth braving the queues and going around the Arena in the daytime - it's a spectacular piece of history.

The Arena sits in Piazza Bra, which is the largest Piazza in Verona. It is, unsurprisingly, home to a number of overpriced tourist restaurants, some men dressed as Romans and some stalls with people trying to sell rubbish souvenirs. I'm glad to say there is no high-pressure selling going on here, but it's still something to avoid if possible. There's some spectacular architecture in Piazza Bra, and every time I go to Verona I just can't help sitting with an overpriced drink in one of the tourist cafes just to drink in the atmosphere of the Piazza.

Moving on from Piazza Bra, take the Via Mazzini to see the best shopping in Verona. As you'll find with most Italian cities, there are opportunities to buy all sorts of Designer goods up this street. There are also some more reasonably priced shops. Spending too long shopping, though, is a bit of a waste of Verona time!

At the end of Via Mazzini, you will arrive in Piazza Delle Erbe - the old market square. Most of the time there are a number of market stalls here, selling food, souvenirs and the usual tourist stuff. Marginally better priced than the Piazza Bra stalls, I'd recommend looking around. Piazza Delle Erbe is dominated by a huge white column which is topped with a Venetian lion, which is the symbol of the Veneto region.

From here, a short walk down the Via Cappello will bring you to Juliet's house. The most overrated attraction in Verona, you will probably still want to peer around the door just so that when people ask whether you saw it you can say yes. As Juliet was fictional, however, this doesn't seem particularly worthwhile. Definitely don't pay the entrance fee to go up on the balcony - it's just always busy.

Just off Piazza Delle Erbe is my favourite part of Verona: the beautiful Piazza Dei Signori. This Piazza seems almost unknown and radiates calm and beauty in a way that nowhere else I've seen manages. Dominated by a statue of Dante, each building in this Piazza brings a different flavour and architechtural style. The resulting Piazza is as bizarre as it is breathtakingly beautiful. There is a Pizzeria called Impero on this Piazza, which is one of the most popular spots with the locals I've seen - reasonably priced, great food and good service mean this place is always bustling - expect queues on summer evenings. But somehow the Piazza manages to retain its relaxing and serene aura. It's something else.

Just off the Piazza Dei Signori are the Scaliger tombs. The Scaligeri family ruled Verona during the 13th and 14th centuries. Scaligeri is a name you will see repeatedly around Verona because of the influence this family had over the city. The tombs are beautiful and worth a quick stop off. No entrance fee is applicable as you can see it all from the road.

Still on the subject of the Scaligeri family, they are the namesakes of another of Verona's great landmarks - the Ponte Scaligeri, or Castelvecchio bridge. This spectacular bridge, which is attached to the Castelvecchio, is built in the same style as the Castle and other castles in the Veneto region. The bridge was bombed by German troops in 1945, but because of Verona's love for the landmark, it was carefully reconstructed using as much of the debris that could be recovered as possible.

The Castelvecchio has its entrance where Via Roma meets the Ponte Scaligeri and is well worth a visit. There is a museum within the Castle which is interesting and contains a lot of regional art, but the main attraction is the spectacular views of Verona and the Adige river from the walls.

Eating and drinking in Verona are very difficult things to get wrong. Even the tourist restaurants will put on a good spread, and being in the heart of the Veneto wine region means that you'll never have to venture beyond the vino della casa to find a very drinkable wine to go with your food. Choose restaurants that aren't on the main two Piazzas (Bra and Delle Erbe) and you will pay a lot less for your meal.

I feel like I haven't gone into everything that Verona has to offer, but hopefully I've gone through my highlights. If you're planning a fairly cheap, independant holiday then you could do a lot worse in europe.

Summary: Why I love Verona.