Usually, when one plans a trip to Verona, one soon thinks about the dramatic love story of Romeo and Juliet, celebrated by Shakespeare: so, the first thing one would like to see is the House of Juliet with its well-known balcony and the Juliet statue in its courtyard. However, it is probable that House wouldn't be so famous if people knew it was fancifully restored in the Thirties and its balcony itself was added to attract the tourists' attraction. Nevertheless, Verona is really a lovely place, crossed by the River Adige, the second town in Veneto region as for tourism, after Venice. Actually, it shows plenty of interesting sites that are worth seeing.

In Piazza Bra ("Broad Square"), quite in the middle of the town, you can admire the Roman Arena, that dates back to the first century A.D. and is very well preserved. Nowadays, many operas and concerts of pop music takes place there. At Christmas time, a huge shining Star of Bethlehem is set next to it, so that you can look at it while you're walking along the stone paving of the square (the so-called Listone, "Big List"), or having a drink in one of the nearby restaurants. Then, from Piazza Bra you can easily reach on foot Castelvecchio ("Old Castle"), that seignior Cangrande Della Scala built around 1375 A.D. It now houses noteworthy medieval and Renaissance paintings, as well as rich collections of jewellery and arms. When you go there, have a walk on the nearby Ponte Scaligero, a medieval bridge crossing the River Adige.

Half-way between the Castle and the House of Juliet, you cannot miss two more nice squares in town, that are interestingly linked up by a big arch. The first one is Piazza delle Erbe ("Spices Square"), the old market of Verona, everyday filled with booths and bookstalls, and surrounded by baroque palaces. The second one is Piazza dei Signori ("Seigniors' Square"), with its statue of Dante (who lived in Verona in its long exile from Florence) the elegant Renaissance Loggia del Consiglio ("Loggia of the Counsel") and the Lamberti Tower (72-metre high) from the top of which you can enjoy a panorama of Verona.

As for churches, there are many of them in Verona that are interesting and easy to reach on foot from the middle of the town. Here, we suggest you two of the most representative. First of all, the medieval Duomo (dedicated to Santa Maria Matricolare), showing an impressive Romanic portal and, in its interior, a painting by Tiziano, "The Assunta" (c. 1540). Even more important and renowned is San Zeno's, the most ornate Romanic church in Northern Italy, dedicated to Zeno, the patron saint of the town. Its medieval façade shows a huge rose window and its portal is enriched with precious bronze panels; inside, at the end of the nave, you can appreciate an extraordinary altar-piece by Andrea Mantegna (c. 1459).

Last but not least, apart from these wonderful places and monuments, Verona also houses well-known fairs and expos. So, if you're interested, don't miss 'Vinitaly" (international wine exposition), in June, and "Fieracavalli' (dedicated to horses and horse riding), in November.

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