Piazza dei signori, a small square known as 'Verona's drawing room' known for the iconic statue of a meditative Dante Alghieri, who found refuge here thanks to the Lord of Verona.
The largest square in Verona, piazza bra, home to a 2,000 year old Roman amphitheater, the town hall and numerous colorful cafes and shops
Capitoline Wolf or 'Lupa Capitolina' inspired by the founding of Rome spotted on a street in Verona. The city became a Roman colony in the year 89 BC
Bigoli is a type of thicker pasta (traditionally made with buckwheat flower) that is indigenous to Verona, popular local ragu include donkey, horse-meat and duck. Photo credit: http://www.giallozafferano.it/
View of the Roman landmark Ponte di Pietra 'stone bridge' once known as the Pons Marmoreus crossing the Adige river
Risotto is native to the Veneto region with the top rice variety Vialone Nano grown in the area. One of our favorite dishes is 'Risotto all’Amarone' made with the bold red wine produced in the Valpolicella area.
Known for its pretty medieval pink-hued architecture, walking around the city is a visual pleasure.
Verona is home to numerous beautiful churches, this being Sant'Anastasia, nicely preserved in the epitome of Italian gothic style (and featuring the city's red marble) built from 1290–1481 by the Dominicans
The most romantic spot in Verona (my opinion) is this panoramic point on Castel San Pietro, which can easily be visited in conjunction to the Roman theater.
Another important site is the Roman-era theater built in the 1st century BC
There are plenty of accommodation options in the historical center, we chose Corte Realdi which has apartments located near piazza erbe, site of the old Roman Forum.
Built in 30 AD, Verona's Roman amphitheater is the third largest in Italy after Rome's Colosseum and the arena at Capua. During the summer months operas and concerts are held here, an amazing experience for any visitor.
As you can see, Verona is indeed a city for romantics.
Verona, UNESCO-rcognized for the architecture and urban structure, is often referred to Italy’s city of love. No doubt this has something to do with being the set of three Shakespeare plays, including the famous Romeo and Juliet, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and The Taming of the Shrew. Though you can find Juliet’s balcony in the old palazzo claimed to be of the Capulet family, however it’s actually ironically the most unromantic spot in this town full of architectural treasures. Many monuments date back to the illustrious Roman empire, with the Roman amphiteater the most important monument in the city. Despite a devestating earthquake in 1117 that destroyed the outer gates, the interior remains intact and the site is used for stupendous opera concerts during the summer months.
After a weekend visit recently to celebrate the birthday of my fiance, we saw first-hand the joys of this beautiful Italian city of the north. The region of Veneto itself is home to so many colorful and historical towns. Verona, with a population of less than 300,000 is as charming as they come, a true human-sized town with great local shops that is easy to see on foot -- and would make the perfect place to study Italian. Its close proximity of towns like Milan and the newly-named capital of culture of 2016, Mantova, make it an attractive place to base while discovering Veneto and nearby Lombardy.
The best panoramic points of the city can be seen from Torre dei Lamberti and Castel San Pietro, while walking along the river Adige, its source in the Italian alps, is as scenic as rivers in Italy get. I also recommend visiting the incredibly ornate Scaliger Tombs, a group of five Gothic funerary monuments in Verona, Italy dedicated to the powerful Scaliger family who ruled Verona from the 13-14th centuries.
To get inspired, here are 13 photos of my recent trip to this beautiful and underrated Italian city.
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