Well, our first stop of the day is pretty self explanatory. The Verona Arena is a Roman Amphitheater in Piazza Bra. Built in the 1st century AD, it was used for gladiator fights that entertained masses with bloody carnage. It’s still in use today and is famous for the opera performances given there. It’s one of the best preserved structures of its kind (yup, in better condition than the Colosseum).

Apart from being home to the Arena, Bra is the biggest square in Verona. With many cafes and souvenir shops, it’s pretty much the Centre of the old city and a 3 minute walk away from Casteleviccio.

A prominent example of Gothic architecture, this castle is the most important military construction of the Scaliger dynasty that ruled the city in the Middle Ages. Completed in red stone, the castle and it’s bridge offer breathtaking views over the Adige! We went up there on a particularly windy afternoon and actually dreaded flying away (not exaggerating!!!) . The bridge with its segmental arches, featured the world‘s largest spanning arches at the time of its construction.

Yeah this is where Juliet ( of Romeo and Juliet fame :p ) is supposed to have lived. In the house some of her clothes ( some of Romeo‘s as well ), her bed and even some kitchen utensils are still preserved. You can even walk on to the balcony where the ever famous scene from Shakespeare‘s classic is supposed to have enacted itself.
*Dreamy AF*

Ofcourse I went onto the balcony and sent down (with embarrassing delight) flying kisses to my unsuspecting husband – I would totally not be me otherwise :p

There is also a custom to touch the right breast of Juliet‘s bronze statue in the courtyard of the house, which is supposed to bring good luck. ( Highly debatable, and pretty impolite, if you ask me ) .

This is private property, but you can walk across the gate and read the board ‘Casa di Romeo’ and let out a dreamy sigh (like I did :p)

This Romanesque church from 967 AD is the one ,in the crypt of which, Romeo and his teenage bride Juliet allegedly got married.

Well after this Vishi had enough of Romeo and Juliet for the day, and hence for a change of scenery, we went in the direction of the oldest bridge in Verona.

The oldest bridge in Verona spans the Adige and offers some really amazing views. With some really yummmm gelato ice cream cafe options nearby, this is a stop for all those cool Instagram photos and of course, ice creeeaaaam!
I mean when in Italy, you gotta have gelato!

2 mins on foot from the Pietra bridge is the remains of what was once a temple connected to an open air Roman theater built in 1st century AD. The hill also housed the Romanesque church of San Pietro, which gave the hill its name.The building is not open to the public, however from the esplanade in front overlooking the Roman theatre and Stone bridge, you can enjoy a breath taking view of the city.

While you can climb the 249 steps to get to the top( a good way to burn all those gelato-acquired calories), a quick way to save your breath is to take the Funicolare ride for a 2€ two-way ticket.

Fairly tired and hungry, we wandered looking for the next square to get our tummies something to fill themselves with. And this connection between the Piazza Bra and Piazza delle Erbe, is not only the largest pedestrian area in Verona, but is also one of its busiest streets and a major shopping hub.

Happy to find a square lined with cute cafes with outside seating ( always happy to people watch ) we settled ourselves under a huge umbrella equipped with a heater ( yeah we visited in February ) .

This square is occupied by the Torre dei Lamberti ( a red stone tower that stands 84m tall and offers a 360 degree view of the city that’s supposedly unmatched. Much to our dismay, it was undergoing reconstruction when we visited and hence closed to visitors) and the Madonna Verona fountain – a symbol of Verona.

Once we paid the bill for a tummy full of delicious pasta, we had exactly 18 mins to get to the railway station. We caught a bus there and rushed to pick up our luggage ( the luggage deposit was pretty expensive I must say ).

As we waited on the platform for the train, I couldn’t help but squeeze in a tight hug and plant a huge kiss on Vishi, because hey! He was afterall the Romeo to my Juliet and yeah I was really tired after hours of walking and climbing and wanted to show affection before I passed out in the train !!!

There’s honestly lots more to see and do in Verona, well this is all we could manage in 5 hours…