Verona Italy: Is It Worth Visiting?

You’ve heard Verona is a charming city, but that’s not enough to make you buy the next ticket. This post aims to help you decide whether Verona, Italy is worth visiting.

Location

This city in northern Italy’s Veneto region is merely 105 km from Venice and 140 km from Milan. This fact alone makes it a good place to explore if you also intend to visit the neighboring popular Italian cities. Whether by car or by train, the trip would only take roughly an hour and a half.

Home of Romeo and Juliet

Verona is known for both great love and tragedy. Being the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, it’s a must-see for people who love both literature and romance. If you want to see where the story of this famed pair of star-crossed lovers transpired, visit the Casa di Guilietta. On its balcony was where Romeo supposedly declared his love for Juliet.

Antiquity

Back in college, I stumbled upon a photography book of historical structures in Europe. I was not yet into photography at that time. When I found this rustic and vintage-looking hardcover in the college library, I somehow felt there were treasures in it for me. As I flipped through the pages, I knew I was not mistaken. In my favorite nook in the library, that book transported me into various archaic towns across Europe including this metropolis in northern Italy. That was the beginning of my obsession with ancient cities and architecture.

History

While already inhabited in the prehistoric era, no one knows exactly who the first settlers of Verona were. The Romans, however, undeniably left a huge impact when they colonized the town in 89 BC. To this day, traces of Roman period, Romanesque, Middle Ages, and Renaissance are evidenced around the city.

Arena di Verona

My top reason for visiting this city is this great example of the Roman legacy. The Arena di Verona is an amphitheater built in the middle of the first century AD. That is even decades prior to the existence of the Coliseum in Rome. It is still in use today making it one of the best-preserved ancient structures the world over.

Its age-old stones have seen a myriad of activities from horrifying gladiator games to dramatic operas. Combats against wild or exotic beasts, festivals and tournaments, dances, plays, military parades, and now contemporary international concerts have been held inside the walls of this grand masterpiece. The closing ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics is reportedly happening here as well.

In the pictures I have here inside the Arena, you can see a red carpet laid on the floors. There was a symphony concert happening that evening.

Piazza Bra

The arena is strategically located in Piazza Bra. It is one of the largest squares not only in Italy but all of Europe. This extensive piazza is situated in front of the city gates making it appear like an arrival hall as you enter the city. Around the Arena are numerous shops, restaurants, magnificent palaces, and impressive buildings that are over 2000 years old. It’s a great place to relish the impressions of this romantic and historic place.