“Letters to Juliet” is one of the movies I can watch over and over again. Despite of its main story it shows the beauty of Italian towns and countryside, and gives one more reason to fall in love with this amazing country, its culture and people. Part of the stories from this movie take in place in the most romantic city, well known mainly because of the heartbreaking story of “Romeo and Juliet” by Shakespeare. I doubt if there is anyone who haven’t read it or saw the movie or at least heard about it. In my humble opinion, this is one of the most underrated cities in Italy, as most of the people think that there is nothing to see except famous Juliet’s balcony. But that’s not true. Today I suggest you to join me in the daytrip to Verona and discover it together, as it has so much to show and amaze.
If you’re not flying directly to Verona, but stay in one of the nearby cities, you still can easily reach this place via train or bus. It will take you around 1-1,5h to reach Verona from Milan or Venice via direct trains, which are very comfortable and cheap option to take. When you arrive to the Verona Porta Nuova train station, you’ll need to follow the direction via Corso Porta Nuova and in about 15-20 minutes walk you’ll be at Piazza Brà, from which your walking tour will start. 
And the first thing that you will have in front of your eyes with be the Arena of Verona, one of the most visited sites in this city. It looks like very similar to the Colosseum of Rome, but is a smaller version of it. This is a Roman amphitheater that was built in 30 AD and used to be a stage for different shows and games in ancient times. At a time it could host more than 30,000 spectators, but today only 22.000 people can enjoy concerts and opera performances that are being organized in the stage of this arena. And actually this is the only thing you can see if you get inside – the huge steps and a stage. Ah yes, and a nice view to the piazza from the top level of these steps. The entrance ticket costs around 16-17 eur. But if you’re planning to visited few more places in Verona, I would suggest you to get a Verona Card and you can enter the Arena for free, with skip the line priority access (more details on this will be at the end of this post).
And of course, who comes to Verona and doesn’t go to see our famous Juliet’s house? With Verona card the entrance is free, while standard ticket is 12€․ If you don’t have Verona Card, and need to buy a regular ticket, make sure to do it online, as there is no ticket office on site. However, even if you use your free entrance option, it is always necessary to book admission online. Please check all the details and options to use free entrance here.
Once you enter courtyard, you will see a crowdy place, where everyone is on a queue to touch Juliet’s statue’s breast and take pictures. On the left side of the courtyard there are some souvenir shops, where you can order different items with your names (or any other writings) on them sewed. And on the right side is the entrance to the house museum. This is a 3 floor house where, according to the poem, the family of Capulet used to live. In reality, this 14th century gothic style house was once the home of the Cappello family which have inspired Shakespeare. In this house museum you can see how heroes used to live, their living room and bedrooms, dresses, famous stone balcony, and even will be able to leave some notes or letters to Juliet (digital versions).
Not very far from here there is a place that will give you a chance to see the city from the top. And for this you should go up to the top of the tower called Torre dei Lamberti. There was a queue for the entrance, separated into 2 parts: for the ones who was going to buy a ticket on place and pay 6€ for it, and for the ones, who owned a Verona Card. So we entered the elevator and got to the roof with no fee again. If you do not have time to go to the left bank of the river and go up the hill of San Pietro, this could be a good alternative to enjoy the city from the top. But I will tell you more about San Pietro a bit later 😉
But the city is worth a visit to see some more gems except Juliet’s house. One of the main important places in this city is of course the Duomo of Verona. Why is this place so important? This Roman Catholic cathedral is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and is the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Verona. This is not only one Cathedral but is a complex of four architectural buildings which include S. Giovanni in Fonte, small chapel of St. Elena, the Canons’ cloister, the Capitular library, the square in front of the church and the bishop’s residence. You should visit this most sacred place in Verona to get inspired by the massive renaissance mural of Assumption of the Virgin by Titian and Roman mosaic floors in St. Elena’s chapel (and this is not the only things to see there). The entrance fee is 8€, but if you have Verona Card, you can enter the cathedral without any additional charges.
Once you’re done with admiring the beauty of Duomo, you can walk towards the bridge Ponte Pietra. From here you can have a wonderful view with two sides of the river Adige. On the left side you will see the Castel San Pietro, where we will take a walk from here. This is probably one of the best places to get the perfect panoramic view over the city. You can take a funicular (2€ one way or 3€ roundtrip) to reach the top or walk up the hill by taking steps. Even if you do so, believe me, you will not be disappointed. The view from the top is marvelous, especially if you catch the sunset from here. Seems the whole city is seen from here. And it is marvelous.
My visit to this city would not be complete without visiting the Archaeological Roman Theater. If you are following my blog posts, you may already have noticed that I love archaeology and try to visit as much archaeological museums as I can, if there are such. And here we are, in the Teatro Romano. This museum is located on the hills of St. Peter. It consists of the museum and the theater which has the seating area for spectators and the stage for the actors. During the summer the theater hosts numerous theatrical and musical events. The museum was full of sacred inscriptions and tombs, mosaics, sculptures and everyday utensils found from Verona and its province. Note that the admission fee for the museum entrance is 9€ but you are free to enter the museum free of charge if you are a Verona Card holder 😉
Okay, what can be done in one day in Verona? Let’s see which museum we can see next. On the same left bank of the river Adige there is Natural History Museum, which we reached by almost running, as it was going to close very soon. We were probably the last ones the personnel allowed to enter, and after us the doors had been closed. We had very short time (like 15 min or about that) to run over the museum and see what it can show us. But this was definitely and incredible museum, with a lovely collection of all kind of fossils, butterflies, animals and skeletons, crystals and minerals. It surely deserved more time to visit all halls and enjoy the exhibition. With Verona Card the entrance is free, otherwise be ready to pay 8.30€ for the admission.
As you see, all places that we’ve visited in one day were entered using Verona Card and no any penny was payed more. Let’s see what benefits and savings else you can have with this card.
First of all, it is available in two versions: 24 hours, at the price of 27 euros, and 48 hours, at the price of 32 euros. With this card you will have free entry to 15 attractions and reduced price for several museums. You can use Skip the line option to enter Arena di Verona. That’s not all: with Verona Card you can also use city buses for free! In our case using Verona Card we’ve saved more than 35 euros on admissions 😉
What you need to know in advance: you can buy your Verona Card online or in Tourist information centers (we bought our tickets directly from the train station, once arrived). However, even if you buy your ticket online, you’ll have to pick it up on arrival at the Tourist Office on Palazzo Barbieri (address: Via Leoncino, 61). And once you get it, you’ll have to validate your Verona Card at each site you visit and each time you catch the bus (just like you show any ticket at the entrance).
If you think you’re ready to use this great option, you can buy your ticket online here.
The day came to an end and it’s time to go back to the train station. But as you see, Verona is pure magic and if you’ll have more time, I would recommend to spend more time here to discover its streets and squares, museums and gardens, as it truly deserves your attention.
My Life in Travel 