Feb 12

Feb 12 The Romantic City of Verona

Tucked away on the outskirts of the Veneto region, Verona is the perfect place to wind down and take it slow while strolling along the River Adige.

Initially, what brought us to Verona was the fact that the entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But its romantic charm, quaint streets, friendly people and delicious food made us stay longer than we had intended to. If you ever visit this picturesque city, you will be living the quintessential Italian experience.

Places of Interest

Roman Arena

This arena was built 2,000 years ago and it’s still in use today as a venue for concerts and operas. Our visit just happened to coincide with a rock concert by Zucchero, an Italian rock star and we couldn’t resist attending. It was awesome to be able to party at an ancient Roman arena exactly as people did thousands of years ago. Make sure to check the schedule of events at: https://www.arena.it/arena/en

Castelvecchio

Dating back to the 14th century CE, this castle was built by the Scaliger dynasty that ruled the city in the medieval period. The castle is now home to a museum which showcases Veronese art and sculptures from the middle ages as well as ancient weapons. It only costs 7 Euro ($8 USD) to enter.

Castelvecchio Bridge - For us, this was the most romantic bridge in Verona. The imposing tower of Castelvecchio nearby, the river below and the beautiful view of the downtown area while being serenaded by an accordion player made this an unforgettable experience.

Piazza Bra

Piazza Bra is the largest plaza in the city, lined with restaurants and cafes that look out at the Roman arena and park. It’s also where the main bus stop is located for daytrips to the surrounding areas. Interestingly, the park at Piazza Bra is where UNESCO World Heritage plaque is located.

Ponte Pietra

Built by the Romans over 2,000 years ago, this bridge is still in use today and makes for some social media worthy photo opportunities.

Porta Borsari

This is an ancient Roman gate that was incorporated into the surrounding buildings and is quite a site, especially at night when it is all lit up.

Piazza delle Erbe

This is a beautiful plaza tucked inside the city’s historic area which hosts local markets as well as several cafes, shops and restaurants. This place was so charming that we actually sat down for lunch and by the time we were done, it was already dinner time! You can easily spend an entire day just people watching and looking at all of the fine architecture while slow sipping some spritz.

Scaliger Tombs

Close to Piazza delle Erbe lies the Scaliger tombs, a historic landmark and final resting place of several Scaliger family members. Decorated with equestrian statues, sarcophagi and the finest gothic architecture, this is a curious stop while browsing the city.

Basilica of San Zeno

There are so many pretty churches in the city but one that is worth visiting is the Basilica of San Zeno. The crypt of the church houses a sarcophagus which contains the body of Saint Zeno, the patron saint of Verona.

Things to do

Attend a concert at the Roman Arena - I promise you this will be one of the best experiences that you have on your trip. Being able to sit in the exact same seats as people thousands of years ago (the seats do not have covers and you sit on the original stone) and feel the energy of a concert with those ancient acoustics is something that cannot be replicated anywhere else.
Take a Trolly - In Piazza Bra, you can purchase tickets to board a trolley which will take you on a route around the city and its famous landmarks. This is a really nice way to spend an afternoon getting acquainted with the city.
Daytrips - From Verona’s train station or the bus stop in Piazza Bra, you can easily take a daytrip to Venice, the Dolomites, Lake Garda, Bologna, Florence and Milan.
Piada/Piadina - Piadas/Piadinas are very similar to flatbreads. They are typical of Italy’s northern region and frankly, are some of the best fast casual dining that we’ve ever had. There are several piada/piadina shops throughout the city and we highly recommend that you try them.
Restaurants - For traditional Veronese cuisine, we suggest dining at Ristorante Greppia. For the adventurous types, they even offer a plate that is made from offal.
Shopping - In the alleys between Piazza Bra and Piazza delle Erbe are a variety of mid range shopping stores, bars, restaurants, cafes and gelaterias.
Take it slow - Verona is such a laid back town and has beautiful scenery so the best thing that we did while visiting was really take it slow and unwind. We would wake up every day, hang out at one of the bridges while appreciating the view of the river and topiaries, have a coffee and then just pick a direction and explore. Sometimes lunches turned into dinners and while strolling we’d have the occasional serendipitous travel moment (i.e. stumbling into a rock concert at an ancient Roman arena, being serenaded by accordions while walking along the bridge next to a beautiful castle). As we said in the opening paragraph, we loved it so much that we ended up staying longer than we had intended to and are looking forward to returning someday soon.

Things You Should Know

Information Center - In downtown, just across from the Roman arena you will find the tourist information office where they will give you maps and direct you to all of the main points of interest in the city.
Location - Verona’s location on a map makes it the perfect base for taking daytrips. For example, Verona is only a 1 hour train/bus ride from Venice, Milan, Trento (Dolomites region), Lake Garda, Bologna, 1.50 hour train ride from Florence.
Tourism - Verona is not very crowded with tourists as compared to other cities in Italy. As such, pricing is generally more favorable for hotels and food. If you are on a budget, then you can stay in Verona and use it as a base for taking daytrips to the more famous places previously mentioned.
Roman Ruins - The downtown part of the city is full of ancient Roman buildings which remain in use today (bridges, arenas, amphitheaters, walls, archways, etc.)
Cleanliness - The streets of Verona are incredibly clean and have topiary everywhere. No having to worry about where you step for the most part.
Safety - Verona is incredibly safe and throughout our stay we never noticed any kind of shady activity or vagrants in the streets. In fact, we stayed in the neighborhood of Veronetta, which several locals told us was the “bad” part of town. But from what we observed, Veronetta only gets that reputation because it is home to the local university and not because of any crime or uncleanliness. It was no more dangerous than staying in Davie, FL. Which goes to show you that if Veronetta is their worst neighborhood, then you will be fine.