Verona: Italy’s Town for Lovers

Verona, Italy, the setting Shakespeare chose for his play Romeo and Juliet, forever links this city to this timeless, romantic tragedy. While family travelers can find plenty of things to do here, Verona is a particular favorite of couples traveling in Italy.

Any mention of romance in Verona inevitably leads to Casa di Giulietta, Juliet’s House. Forgetting for a moment Juliet is entirely fictional and the famous balcony was added to this medieval house in the 1930s to satisfy tourists, the courtyard with its statue of Juliet is usually the first stop for couples in Verona. And, as you’ll see by the crowds, for everyone else, too.

With or without Juliet, Verona is a romantic city. Set astride Adige River, its historic heart — the Centro Storica — lies inside a deep curve, surrounded by river on three sides. Ten bridges cross the Adige, the most romantic of which is Ponte Scaligero.

Beginning at Castelvecchio, a grand riverside castle, this long brick and stone bridge copies its battlements along each side, making it a perfect place to pose for photos. For walkers only, the bridge is a favorite place for locals to stroll on summer evenings.

You can’t miss the immense Arena di Verona, one of the largest and best-preserved Roman amphitheaters. The space’s interior is still in regular use for concerts and the summer Verona Opera Festival. You can visit the inside and climb to the top rim for views of the city. Easier still, stroll down Via Mazzini, past smart shops, to Piazza Erbe and take the elevator to the top of the high Torre dei Lamberti for views of the city and the peaks of the Dolomite mountains.

Don’t leave Verona without ambling down paths through Giardino Giusti, beautiful gardens behind the 16th-century Palazzo Giusti. Each formal bed is planted in a different pattern, and its statues, fountains and tall cypresses make it perhaps the most romantic place in Verona.