114km (71 miles) W of Venice, 80km (50 miles) W of Padua, 61km (38 miles) W of Vicenza, 157km (97 miles) E of Milan
Suspend all disbelief regarding the real-life existence of Romeo and Juliet, and your stay in Verona can be magical. After Venice, this is the Veneto's most-visited city. Verona reached a cultural and artistic peak during the 13th and 14th centuries under the puissant and often cruel and sometimes quirky della Scala, or Scaligeri, dynasty that took up rule in the late 1200s. In 1405 it surrendered to Venice, which remained in charge until the invasion of Napoléon in 1797.
During the time of Venetian rule, Verona became a prestigious urban capital and controlled much of the Veneto and as far south as Tuscany. You'll see the emblem of the scala (ladder) around town, heraldic symbol of the Scaligeri dynasty. The city has a locked-in-time character that recalls its medieval and Renaissance heyday, and the magnificent medieval palazzi, towers, churches, and stagelike piazzas you see today are picture-perfect testimony to its centuries-old influence and wealth.
For some reason, visitors spend remarkably little time in this beautiful medieval city. While it has a short list of attractions, it is a handsome town to stay in and visit at a leisurely pace. Statistics clock most tourists stopping for a mere overnight stay (or less) -- I'd say try for at least 2 nights.
Festivals & Markets -- The Teatro Romano is known for its Festival Shakespeariano (Shakespeare Festival) June through August, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1998 with a week of English-language performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company, successful enough to have been repeated every year since. Festival performances begin in late May and June with jazz concerts. In July and August there are a number of ballets (such as Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet) and modern-dance performances. Check the schedule (tel. 045-807-7500 or 045-806-6485 or with the tourist office: www.estateteatraleveronese.it). Last-minute tickets go on sale at the Teatro Romano box office at 8:15pm (most performances start at 9pm). Tickets range from 13€ to 26€ ($15-$30) plus booking charges.
During Verona's summer-long festival of the arts, see what's happening in the Piazza dei Signori, where frequent free concerts (jazz, tango, classical) keep everyone out until the wee hours. And for something truly unique, check out Sognando Shakespeare (Dreaming Shakespeare): Follow this teatro itinerante (traveling theater) of young, talented actors in costume as they wander about the medieval corners of Verona from site to site, reciting Romeo e Giulietta (in Italian only) in situ, as Shakespeare would have loved it to be. For information, contact the tourist office. For information about performances July through September, call tel. 045-800-0065.
Other important events are the famous 4-day horse fair, Fieracavalli, in early November, and the important 5-day VinItaly wine fair (that overlaps with the equally important Olive Oil Fair) in mid-April. (Verona's schedule of fairs is long and varied; while few may be of interest to those outside the trades involved, their frequency can create problems for tourists in regard to hotel availability.) The Piazza San Zeno hosts a traveling antiques market the third Saturday of every month; come early.
