01A Roman arena, a tower with the city at its feet, and sunset from Castel San Pietro: how to spend two near-perfect days in Italy's most romantic small city.
Verona is compact, walkable and almost absurdly photogenic: pink-tinged marble, a Roman arena older than the Colosseum's fame, and a river that bends around the old town like a moat. Two days is the sweet spot. Here is how to spend them.
Key facts
Start at the Arena di Verona in Piazza Bra, a first-century Roman amphitheater that still seats thousands for summer opera. Walk the tiers early, before tour groups arrive, and imagine the same stone hosting spectacles for nearly two thousand years.
Follow the marble-paved shopping street to Piazza delle Erbe, Verona's ancient forum, ringed by frescoed facades and market umbrellas. Coffee here is obligatory.
The medieval tower above the square rises to a view of terracotta roofs and hills. A lift covers most of the climb if the stairs do not appeal.
Eat near Piazza dei Signori, the elegant civic square next door. Afterwards, join the crowds briefly at the Casa di Giulietta courtyard with its famous balcony; the Romeo and Juliet connection is literary invention, but the medieval house is real and the ritual is fun.
The brick castle on the Adige holds a fine museum of medieval and Renaissance art, but its fortified bridge, the Ponte Scaligero, is the showstopper. Walk it both ways.
In season, an opera night at the Arena is unforgettable; book official tickets well ahead. Otherwise, aperitivo in Piazza delle Erbe as the facades light up is a worthy substitute.
Cross the Roman-era stone bridge at the river's most beautiful bend, rebuilt after the war using its original stones.
Climb the steps, or take the funicular that typically runs from near the bridge, up to the terrace of Castel San Pietro. This is the classic postcard view over the river and the whole rosy city.
Wander the Renaissance gardens of Palazzo Giusti, all cypress avenues and quiet terraces, a short walk east.
The Valpolicella wine country begins just outside town. Either book a winery visit for the afternoon or simply order its wines with lunch: ripasso with pasta, and Amarone, the region's great dried-grape red, if the occasion deserves it. Risotto all'Amarone is the local signature.
End with a slow loop of the marble lanes between Piazza Bra and the river as the evening passeggiata fills them.
Tip: If your dates fall in opera season, decide on tickets before booking your hotel; performance nights fill the city, but the mornings after are blissfully quiet.
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