View from above: Verona

“In fair Verona, where we lay our scene…" Romeo & Juliet

Verona from Piazzale Castel San Pietro, Verona, Italy

A kaleidoscope of Italian history, Verona’s flourished during the Roman period, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance too. But far from being an overrun museum city, Verona maintains its joie de vivre; its winding streets are full of lively bars, intimate restaurants and buzzing piazzas.

Come in the summer and join the spectators lining up the Arena, an impressive Roman amphitheatre that now hosts the foremost Opera festival in the world. You’ll certainly make the obligatory stop at Via Cappello where, according to legend, Juliet’s house stands at no.23, complete with the most famous balcony in the world.

But after walking the lovelorn streets of Shakespeare’s Verona, don’t miss out on the city’s best vista. To reach the Piazzale Castel San Pietro, walk over the Ponte Pietra and then either take the funicular or walk your way up the hill. There you’ll appreciate just why the playwright chose this city as the location for his most famous of tales.