Why Verona Is My Favorite City In The World | Verona, Italy | Lovely Travel

My love for Verona started ten years ago with the film “Letters To Juliet” starring Amanda Seyfried. I loved the film (it truly is spectacular) and I fell in love with the places in the film. When I first started planning our honeymoon I noticed that Verona was very close to Venice, one of the stops during our adventures through Italy, and that our train would be passing it along the way. I told Matthew about it (who knows my obsession with the film very well) and he said we should stop for a day. Verona is known as the “city of love” because it is where Shakespeare’s famous play, “Romeo and Juliet,” took place. We spent twenty four hours in Verona, and during that time it became my favorite city in the world. More than Paris, more than Annapolis, or Washington DC, or even Venice. Verona is it for me, and surprisingly, it is not because of the film! Verona is now my favorite city in the world for so many incredible reasons and I am going to tell you all bout it. We hit a few roadblocks on the journey to Verona. Traveling by train in Italy is a lovely travel experience. The trains were very nice and they spent plenty of time at each stop to allow for guests to exit and enter the train, checking the platforms before taking off ten minutes later. Not this time. The stop was super quick and no one bothered looking to make sure everyone had exited safely. I walked off the train, Matthew right behind me with all of our luggage when I felt the door close right behind me. I spun around and saw Matthew on the other side of the glass door. An Italian gentleman tried to open the door with the button and wave down the conductor, but seconds later the engine started and the train was making its way down the track with my new husband on board!

All I could do was wave and shout, hoping he could read my lips as I pointed to the platform, “I’ll be right here!” I moved to the platform I knew his train would be arriving and waited for an hour for his return. Because his SIM card was not working, he had no way of contacting me so I waited patiently with a book and some chocolates that Matthew had stashed in my purse earlier in the day. 

When his train finally arrived, I saw a man dressed like Matthew with a straw fedora, but he raced down the steps so quickly that I was convinced I was mistaken. There were quite a few men dressed the same way and wearing identical hats. He also moved too quickly for a man carrying all of our luggage with him. A half our later I got a message form Matthew, “I’m at a cafe down the road using the wifi. Where are you?”

“Waiting for you on the platform!” I replied. 

Once we were reunited we tried to hail an Uber, but it would not work in the area. We later learned that the city had a very large pedestrian-only area where we were staying so we had to talk the entire way in the heat with all of our suitcases on cobblestone walkways. Thankfully, it was no more than a twelve minute walk and were were at our Airbnb in no time. This was the lovely view form our bedroom window!

I adore this city! Although it is very old, it is very clean and well maintained. Everywhere you look there is a lovely site to see. There are also rivers and bridges that connect the city. Outdoor dining! I cannot get enough of it. I love eating outside on a beautiful day, which is why I was so happy we moved back to New England a couple years ago. But Verona take this to a whole new level. Fine dining, casual dining, buffet dining, and it is all outside. 

This is a city designed for people and living well. The Arena is smaller than the Coliseum in Rome, but older and in near perfect shape. It is so well maintained that it is even used today for shows all year long and a summer concert and opera series! As we walked to our Airbnb I took a look and knew we had to return for dinner overlooking the area. Dining in Italy is a wonderful experience. Dinner typically starts later in the day around seven or eight at night and meals usually last at least a few hours, which was perfect for me because I am a slow eater and I like to enjoy my food! The appetizers are incredible. This one was a plate of cold cuts and they tasted like nothing I have had in the United States. Just thinking about it makes me hungry. This view! Props for the next opera show were waiting outside the Arena. Verona is just as magical in the moonlight. This is the view of the restaurant where we ate. And of course, the night is not complete without Italian gelato. We woke up early the next morning and took the two minute walk (we chose an Airbnb that was super close) to Juliet’s house! We arrived when they opened at eight and there was already a small crowd by the door. I managed to get a few pictures in without anyone else before the crowd grew. If you have seen “Letters to Juliet” then you will recognize this famous place. 

If you didn’t already know, this is fabled to be the home of Juliet from Shakespeare’s famous play “Romeo and Juliet.” For decades now, women from all over the world have come here to pen letters to Juliet asking for her romantic advice. If you leave a return address the secretaries of Juliet will write you back! Welcome to Casa di Giulietta! As a newlywed, I wrote a letter. But here is the secret: if you actually want a response, you have to leave it in the mailbox, not attached to the wall outside. The famous balcony! 
At this point there was a large crowd waiting in line to touch Juliet’s boob (legends say it brings people good luck in love). I skipped that tradition (I figured I’m already lucky in love being on my honeymoon and all) and took this photo instead. The crowd all “awed” me. We discovered this amazing view from another traveller’s Instagram post. They also shared directions on where to find it. So up, up, up we climbed. We stopped into one of my favorite natural beauty stores and I walked out with a mini sampling of perfumes to remember our visit. Verona is my favorite city because it is beautiful, tranquil, the people are kind, the sites are stunning, and there is so much to see, do, and eat. This city is a city designed for people, not cars, and they keep it that way. The art, the culture, the scenery is all amazing. But most of all, it truly is the city of love. 

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