The following post was written by Amandine Dowle, a 26 year old French photographer. She loves traveling and is a serial expat. She lived in Canada for 2 years, New York for several months, in Greece for a year as an Erasmus student and as well as different cities in France.

Now that she is in Italy, she is discovering a new way of living, a new culture and language!

I am a French woman currently living in Milan. I am really looking to forward to discovering Italy and read many trip planners to get as much information as I can before visiting a city in this enchanting country.

I needed to go away over the weekend, so I went to Verona where the famous love story of Romeo and Juliet took place.  Let me share with you my impressions and pictures of this beautiful city!

Photo credit: Jakub Halun

Verona is located in Veneto, in North-Eastern Italy, between Milan and Venice. This area is just ideal for day trips and renting a car in Italy is one of the best ways to explore at your own pace.

Verona is a touristic city but remarkably less than la serenissima.  Walking through the city is fairly easy.

As a Roman city, many ruins still stand and they have been well-preserved.

The first monument that you see upon entering is the impressive arena which is the third largest amphitheatre built in antiquity.

Originally it could host around 25 000 spectators. Nowadays it is possible to visit the interior and or even watch an Opera, a ballet performance or hear a symphony orchestra play under the stars.

To discover the old city I recommend walking through the narrow streets and simply get lost in them!

The architecture of the houses and monuments seem to come directly from an old play: little windows, colorful façades, and antique moldings. Everywhere you look there are balconies!

As in Rome, you will find many spectacular squares with old monuments as the Piazza delle Erbe for instance located in the heart of Verona where the fountain “Britney Verona” and the Gardello Tower were built in the 14^th century.

Not far from there you can walk under the arch called Arco della Costa

Apparently it’s where a whale rib was hung up. Strange! Now straight ahead is a smaller square where status of Dante and other important people of his time are found in the center.

Surrounded by monumental buildings, the square was once the place of the city’s public institutions with il Palazzo del Capitanio and its tower, the Palazzo del Governo, the town hall, and the Palazzo della Prefettura.

Along the river Adige, you will find several Roman churches and the Old Castle (Castelvecchio) one of the most important constructions in the Middle Ages.

Photo credit: Lo Scaligero

There is also the famous house of Juliet, where the Capuleti family lived and where the balcony that inspired Shakespeare to write the classic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, is found.

However I find that it is tourist trap and you will be disappointed to find out that the balcony attached to the house in the 1930’s!

To get a nice view of Verona, I recommend going to the top of the Lamberti Tower which is 84 meters high by climbing the stairs or if you prefer, you can take the elevator for extra Euros.  The panorama from above will leave you speechless and will certainly take your breath away 🙂

Photo credit: Fabio Verona

If you want to go for some retail therapy after all the sightseeing, then you can head to via Mazzini which is the best and also the busiest streets in town.  You will find all the best Italian designers.

If shopping is not what you are after, then go explore a bit more the surrounding area. I suggest visiting Peschiera del Garda and enjoy the peaceful sights and sounds of Lake Garda.  Recharge your batteries by eating fresh fish in one of the many good restaurants!

I hope you enjoyed this photography tour of The Romantic City of Verona, Italy.

It truly is a beauty! Don’t miss it next time you go to Italy 🙂

Now over to you!

Have you been to Verona? What did you like most about it?

If you haven’t, do you want to visit it now that you know more?

Tell us all about it!

Until next time, all the best

Kay 😉