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Verona
The ancient city of Verona in the Veneto region of north-east Italy is famous as the legendary city of Shakespeare’s most tragic romance between the young couple Romeo and Juliet.
It is of no surprise then that a statue of Juliet commemorates the bard’s story of ill-fated love, housed in a small piazza where Juliet's House (Casa di Giulietta) has a balcony which overlooks the square.
Its location on the Adige river has made it the intersection of various land and water transport routes, especially in the ancient Roman era. In fact it was in Verona that ancient travellers were pointed along the consular roads of the Gaulish way, the way Augusta, the Vicum Veronesium and the way Postumia.
A famed world heritage site as recognized by UNESCO, Verona’s rich heritage can still be seen and felt in modern-day life in the city.
One of its most famous monuments is the arena. The ancient Roman arena is a vast amphitheatre that can still seat an audience in its impressive well-preserved interiors during opera season in the present day. The arena was completed around 30 AD and stands as the third largest in Italy, after Rome's Colosseum and the arena at Capua. In its time, the arena could seat some 25,000 guests on marble seats who had come far and wide to witness its games and shows.
A variety of other Roman monuments can be found in Verona, such as the Roman theatre from the 1st Century BC, the Arco dei Gavi (Gavi Arch) built in dedication to the Roman family of the Gavii.
Other places of interest for guest are the breathtaking Castle Scaligeri, the Castelvecchio and its bridge over the river and the Piazza delle Erbe at the center of the city once home of the ancient Roman Forum.
