Verona, the second largest city of the Veneto Region after Venice, has one of the nicest medieval centers in Italy. It's centered around the Piazza delle Erbe, once the city's Roman forum and still sporting nicely preserved frescoes on the facades of the surrounding houses.
Verona is the setting of three Shakespeare works: Romeo and Juliet; The Two Gentlemen of Verona; and The Taming of the Shrew. The Roman arena is a place where you can see these plays and other events.
Tourists especially like to visit Juliet's balcony (rubbing the right breast) of Juliet's statue, located in the foliage below the balcony, is a popular activity, especially for those wishing to get married). The popularity of this activity causes palpitations among Verona's leadership; they're frantically looking for ways to make money from all the gawkers and may come up with a way to separate you from a few Euros for a gander at yonder balcony.
The Piazza delle Erbe has an 84 meter high tower built in 1172 called the Torre di Lamberti which you can climb to get great views down into the piazza and spreading out to include all of medieval Verona. There is also an elevator you can take for a small charge.
Verona is especially romantic and welcoming at night.
Below is the map showing the main attractions in this part of Verona.
Hold your mouse over the markers to identify them on the map. Zoom the map using the controls on the left to see the attractions in more detail.
Verona's historic center is located inside a sharp bend in the Adige river, as you can see from our map. A Plaque inside the Arena commemorates the high water mark in a time of flooding.
Verona has a train station called Verona Porta Nuova which is about a 20 minute walk from walls of the historic center (the area around Piazza Bra and the Roman Arena). Verona is on the Torino to Trieste Line.
Verona is less than three hours from Rome, and less then an hour from Venice. See a Rail Map of Italy.
To check the weather and historic climate for Verona, see our Verona Weather and Climate Charts.
You can do what everyone does and take pictures of people rubbing Juliet's right breast and gaze at the balcony while letting out a gentle sigh.
See the Lamberti tower? You can go up in it to get an overall view of Verona. There's even an elevator that takes you most of the way. See the view in our video below.
Try to make delicious sense of the Romanesque carvings when you visit this Cathedral built over two Paleo-Christian churches in 1187.
Verona Arena - Roman era Arena in which modern performances are still held. See below for how to get tickets to performances. You can also visit inside the arena, best done with a Verona Card, since €10 is a bit steep for what you'll see. You can get your Verona Card at the Arena ticket office and start from there.
Roman Theater and Archaeological Museum on the "other" side of the Adige river teaches you about the history of the city and the The 1st-century Roman theater found here hosts outdoor performances in the summer.
Verona Castle - Very interesting place to walk around in. Museum has a ton of religious art, which can get tedious after a while, but entrance allows you to walk the ramparts and even over the Castel Vecchio bridge, which is a magnet for buskers, just the ticket for that romantic interlude you crave in Verona.
Close to Verona, a wine region called Valpolicella makes some pretty interesting wines. Besides the namesake Valpolicella, there are the Amarone and Ripasso wines made with partially dried grapes, a technique which adds a dramatic wollop of flavor. A tour of a traditional winery gives will show you how these wines are made, and you'll have a tasting of Veronese cuisine.
Discover Valpolicella: Winery Tour
Best Western Hotel Armando - Quiet location, recently remodeled, near the Arena. Modern decor and free internet. Adjacent restaurant, Al Bersagliere is excellent.
Relais De Charme Il Sogno Di Giulietta - Great user ratings make this one the Lux choice for romantics wanting to be near the vibes of Casa Giulietta.
Another highly-rated luxury establishment is the Hotel Gabbia d'Oro in the old town.
If you'd like to choose a place to stay based on location or price, the map below will show you current prices and location.
Booking.comFor those who may want to stay longer in Verona or nearby in the Veneto countryside, renting a large villa or an apartment in town might just fit the bill. VRBO lists over 350 user-rated Verona Vacation Rentals in its catalog.
Remember, if you take a hotel or are in an apartment and simply don't want to cook but wish to eat well, perhaps meeting some locals who are home chefs might fit the ticket. Find an experiencial eating experience in Verona via BonAppetour.
Take a look around Verona. It's Romantic. Especially when you add music: Romantic Verona Video
Take a look at where Verona fits inside the Italian region of the Veneto with our Veneto map and guide.
Find out what the weather might be with our month to month climate charts for major tourism cities.
We have a huge collection of Maps for every region and many historic territories and sub regions.