Destination Verona

Verona, 22nd April 2020

Due to the Coronavirus emergency, Italy and most of the World is still lockdown.

It’a crazy time for everyone and all our lives seem locked. We are here in our tiny cozy houses, waiting for a kind of miracle!

Better days will soon come again, but right now we need to stay safe and positive!

Sitting in fair Verona – my city- with an inoperable tour planning business😔, I’ve been marinating on how to connect with my clients and readers in the right way.

So, as a Veronese lady DOC, today I will tell you a bit about my beautiful Verona city.

Verona is the second most important city of Veneto Region, located in the North-East of Italy.

Known as “Piccola Roma” (Little Rome) for its historical richness, and famous for being the stage for Romeo and Juliet’s forbidden love and Dante’s exile, Verona is a city that combines romanticism and culture

It’s a perfect mix of history, culinary traditions and excellent wines and thanks to its favourable weather conditions, make every season a good one to visit it!

Verona is most well known for Shakespeare’s romantic play: Romeo and Juliet. Whether Shakespeare actually visited Verona or not in his lifetime is a mystery. Regardless, the famous balcony of the star-crossed lovers and the nude statue of Juliet is not the only reason you should visit. Verona’s historic, artistic, gastronomic and cultural charm will leave anyone who claims not to be a “romantic”, still leaving hopeless.

Through its stunning canals that run on the Adige River under the beautiful bridges, to its culinary delights, Verona is not to be missed while visiting northern Italy. Compared to its neighbor, Venice, the old-town charm remains despite the influx of tourists.

Why visit Verona:

• Arena Opera Festival: take part of a unique opera tradition in Italy and enjoy great performances in the oldest Roman amphitheater of the world;
• The world-famous love story of Romeo & Juliet and their landmarks in Verona;
• Valpolicella Region: one of the most important wine regions of Italy, well- know for the fine Amarone red wine;
• Verona famous food: Verona is also known for its famous rice dishes, such as the “Amarone risotto”, Tortellini, Bigoli Pasta and many other delicatessen
• Lake Garda: the biggest lake of Italy, a mix of history, old Castles and gorgeous landscapes;
• Soave region: only 20 minutes away, fine still white wines area with an ancient Medieval Castle

Verona and its surroundings have something that you can’t describe in word, you simply have to experience.

This is why Romeo and Juliet Guide began..as a dream to share our love for Verona with the world, connecting people with places and facts that only a local can show you.

We are two young women with a strong commitment to our land and a true passion for what we do.

Our tours introduce history, world-class wines, and magic culinary traditions.

Thanks to our Verona tours guests gain the opportunity to visit old Wine cellars, taste organic Olive oils and enjoy recipes from multi-generational families that have been making it in Verona. In between filling up bellies, tourists can also learn about Sant’Anastasia and San Zeno Abbey, some highlights to see.

Learn about all the Verona tours we offer here!

In addition to fun, informative tours, during the coronavirus period, due to the lockdown situation, we also start to sell awesome Wine and Food Baskets. These are great for souvenirs and gifts to bring home! And a goo way to support our local community! Download our wine list we created with some killer wines belonging just to local producers!

How many days do I suggest to spend in Verona?

If you’re planning a visit only of the city centre and maybe join a concert or an Opera at the Arena, one night (2 days) is enough.

But If you want to discover Amarone unique drying process “Appassimento” and see more about the charming surroundings, you need at least 3 nights to deeply smell the Italian life style! I usually suggest at least one day to Lake Garda, one day to visit some boutique wineries of Valpolicella and one day to spend on my walking tour of Verona;)

But as Americans love to say ” take your time to smell the roses“. So, you can always add more days and more things to do; as joining a cooking class about tortelli, fresh pasta, pizza and tiramisù; book a ticket for the Opera; Take a trip to Soave borgo and its Medieval Castle belonged to the Scala family.

How to get to Verona

Once we will be able to travel again ( we hope very soon) it’s important to know how to reach Verona.

• By Plane: Fly into Verona Villafranca (VRN) or Venice Marcopolo “Venezia” (VCE) International Airport.
• By Train or Car: Verona is less than 1.5 hours away from other main cities in Italy: Venice, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Parma, Modena, Padova, Vicenza. And it’s less than 2 hours from the Dolomites. Just 30 minutes from Lake Garda, the largest Italian lake.
• Train Companies: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html https://www.italotreno.it/en

Day trips from/ to Verona

Thanks to its strategic position Verona is well connected with a lot of wonderful cities and in less then 1,5 hours by train you can easily reach:

• Venice, romantic and unique
• Treviso, well-know for the famous Prosecco wine
• Dolomiti Mountains
• Milano, the Italian fashion capital
• Bologna, and its culinary traditions
• Piedmont, its world class wines and fine truffle
• Florence, history and stunning wineries

Verona is an excellent compromise to stay at while in North-East Italy, as it’s less crowded and less expensive. It’s also less hot than Milan in the summertime.

Almost forgot: Verona is a very safe city, too! Suitable for friends, families, and of course for a honeymoon 5 stars!

Dear friends, I really hope to meet you in person very soon!

We can’t wait to welcome you to Verona!

Virginia

“Romeo and Juliet Guide”