Verona is a magical city, a city that charmed the likes of Shakespeare and inspired him to set his most famous play Romeo and Juliet in Verona. Juliet’s balcony is for obvious reasons the biggest draw to tourists visiting Verona. There are many more things to explore in Verona and we thoroughly enjoyed every bit of our short stay here. If you are looking for offbeat things to do in Verona here are our suggestions and hope you would have an equally memorable experience.
Juliet guarding the hoards of love post its on the wall
Standing in the feet of Juliet
Take a midnight stroll in the old town
The squares, plazzas have a charm of their own anytime of the day, but the charisma of the old town bathed in moon light is unparalleled by the hustle bustle of tourists and locals alike during the day. Take a stroll along the shores of river, walk the many bridges to admire the beauty that is Verona. Ponte Pietra is a stunning bridge and a short walk from the Piazza Molinari.
Ponte Pietra at midnight
Climb to a viewpoint
A quick foray to the top of any bell tower guarantees lot for little effort. The views stretch over the red roofs, the swaying Adige river, the many bridges to the cragged dolomites in the distance. Another good view point is to either climb or drive to the Castel San Pietro. It has the great advantage of being built on a hill top and provides unobstructed views of the town.
The rolling red roofed houses and the piazza below
View from the castel San Pietro dominated by the swaying Adige river
Eat fettuccine served in a Parmesan bowl
We got to sample the local cuisine of Verona at the La Vecia Mescola. Tucked away in a small street, this place is all things traditional from the rustic interiors to the elegant ambiance. We enjoyed the culinary treats from the chef, especially the fettuccine that arrived in a edible bowl of Parmesan cheese. We couldn’t decide what was tastier, the fettuccine or the laced Parmesan bowl. The tiramisu was the perfect finish to our finest dinner in Verona.
Fehttuchini in a laced parmesan bowl, slurp!
No meal in Italy is complete without a tiramisu
Pizza and Flambe
After our idyllic mid morning stroll through the maze of cobblestone lanes in the old town of Verona we stumbled upon a restaurant, Ostregheteria Sottoriva for a quick coffee. We were so captivated by the vibes at this place that we ended up staying back for an elaborate lunch. The Pizza and flambe on the menu allured us further and we tried this fantastic combination. The best part is when the server sets up the blast of flames on a pizza just out of the oven right in front of you. One bite into the crunchy and we wondered why we never tried this before. One surely has to try the Caffe de la peppina, a dessert that is just the right balance between hazelnut cream and coffee flavor.
Did someone mention dessert..
Want to see what Pizza and flambe is all about? Check this.
Enjoy the sunset from arena
Arena Di Verona is a brilliantly preserved roman amphitheater. It gets even more spectacular in the evenings and watching the sun go down sitting on the top row is a must do. Walking the arena gives a great view of the city and the Piazza Bra. We will let the pictures do the talking.
Verona’s amphitheater is one of the most well preserved
The orange hues of a stunning sunset in Verona
Day trip to Lake Garda
This is what the locals do to take a break from their hustle bustle of city life. Partying till dawn in the dozens of towns that line the shores of lake Garda is a favorite thing, more so when you can choose to go to a different town each weekend. Yes, Lake Garda is huge, infact the largest in Italy and is situated between Milan and Venice.
The shores of Lake Garda, as you can see we didn’t have the clearest of the day
Sirmione is a pretty little town sticking out from the southern shore of lake Garda that should not be missed. The fortified castle built by the Scaliger family who were lords of Verona is magnificent and accessible by a wooden draw bridge. Enjoy a dip in the hot water springs at the far end of the town and dry it out sipping cappuccino from one of the cafes in Piazza Flaminia Sirmione.
Castle Sirmione and the tiny draw bridge that connects the gate to mainalnd
Also check our foray into the city of Brussels in a day.
If you instead enjoy being away from the hustle bustle of a city life, take a escape to this picturesque town in Alps.
So cool. I wish we had gone to the arena at sunset, looks splendid.