Like Romeo and Juliet, it’s hard not to fall in love in Verona

I went to Verona thinking about love, about the nature of attraction, romantic elation and disappointments too. It’s hard not to think along those lines in the city that backdrops Shakespeare’s most famous couple. But beyond that, Verona provides wider drama and offers intimate moments alongside. While visitor numbers are increasing, it still isn’t quite as overrun as Rome, Venice or Florence – yet, so as those delicious cities sigh under the weight of millions of touristic feet, Verona gets off more lightly. This means that except for the high summer season, it is a pleasure to wander its gorgeous streets, sip a riverside coffee, explore the boutiques and city market, or gaze in wonder at some inspiring art.
Devotees of the operas held at Verona’s Arena, built a staggering two thousand years ago, will know all this already. The festival has been running for 100 years, hosting stars such as Luciano Pavarotti, and Maria Callas too, back in the 1940s. For the Verona newcomer, however, the first thing to get out of the way is the Romeo and Juliet thing. It is, frankly, strange. Like most of Shakespeare’s stories, their tale wasn’t exactly new, but by truncating his source material to have the star-crossed pair meeting, falling in love, getting married and then reaching their tragic ends in just four days; Shakespeare put a pep in the narrative step and ensured the play’s success, then and now.
A little more faith might well have kept the lovers safe, and so the sight of the lovelorn posting letters to Juliet in a little red postbox, seeking romantic advice from a fictional character who didn’t have the greatest love luck herself is, to put it mildly, weird. Beside the postbox, the wall is covered with message-covered chewing gum, apparently because when space ran out, people improvised and the idea took hold.
La Casa di Giulietta, set in a little courtyard off Via Cappello, was once the home of the Cappello family who it is said inspired the idea of the Capulets. The Montague house, a few streets away, is in private ownership, so I can only imagine the chat-up lines that may or may not have emerged from its occupants. Juliet’s courtyard is free to look into and is one of those places that is fascinating for being real, and not real at the same time. Look up to see picturesque couples posing for social media moments on the balcony, a 20th-century addition that is reportedly a bit of an old sarcophagus, stuck on for effect. There’s also the rather unedifying sight of parents holding children up to rub the right breast of a bronze Juliet statue for luck, and other people, who should know better, doing the same.
Skip the museum itself, unless you want to see the bed from Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film of the play, and some random Renaissance-era things cobbled together. There are so many more truly wonderful things to see in Verona. Instead, walk on down Via Cappello to Piazza Delle Erbe, a gorgeous elongated square with a central market, surrounded by cafes and restaurants. Back in the 1800s, Verona was known as the wine bar of Europe, and while those of a squeamish nature may wish to overlook the presence of the occasional horse or donkey on the menu, the food and drink are excellent.
At the end of Piazza Delle Erbe, Palazzo Maffei, palazzomaffeiverona.com, is a recently-restored mansion originally dating to the 15th century. Now a museum, it houses the collection of industrialist Luigi Carlon and is filled with treasures, from ancient works to contemporary masters of art and design, hung so that the pieces speak to one another across the centuries, rather than in the more usual (and often less interesting) chronological order.
Carlon’s daughter, Vanessa, is director of the museum. “When I was little, my favourite was the Veronese,” she says of the glowing work by the Renaissance artist whose given name was Paolo Caliari. It used to hang in her parents’ bedroom. “It is a painting that can help you to dream.” We climb to the rooftop and stand among the statues to look out over the market place. Piazza Delle Erbe is at the crossroads of what were once two of the most important Roman roads. Under one of the arched entrances hangs a huge wishbone (actually a whalebone), where tradition has it, you pause and hold on to a moment of hope. It does feel like a better place to ask for luck than by rubbing the metal breast of an imaginary woman.
The heart of Verona is easily walkable, and the shops are beguiling. From design emporia to chichi boutiques, you are utterly spoiled for choice. The bakeries are so stylish they even have macaroons in this year’s Pantone colour of the year. Many of the older buildings have labyrinthine basements, so whether you’re looking at funky homewares in Seletti on Via Rosa, or older bric-a-brac in Averhoff on Via Sottoriva, make sure to head downstairs for a glimpse of the old city architecture. Explore more architecture, this time brilliantly updated, in Carlo Scarpa’s reinterpretation of Castelvecchio, now a fascinating museum, museodicastelvecchio.comune.verona.it.
We are staying at the centre of things at Small Luxury Hotels Vista Palazzo Verona, which is a bit of a mouthful, but well worth saying, as the place is an absolute gem. It’s pricey, but with just a handful of suites, a spa and pool, and a roof terrace restaurant with panoramic views, it’s a splash-out-and-spoil-yourself kind of spot for those once-in-a-lifetime bucket list trips. Unless your life is one long splash-out bucket list of course. Housed in a small former palace, it manages the feat of being super luxurious without being stuck up. The rooms are jewel boxes of loveliness, and watching the moon rise over Verona while sipping at a delicious prosecco is a moment that I hope will never leave me. Falling in love would be easy, I imagine, in a place such as this.
From Verona, it’s under an hour to the village of Torri del Benaco on Lake Garda, at the eastern edge of Italy’s Veneto region. Here you swap ersatz romance for a different kind of sensual experience at Cape of Senses, dedicated to putting you back in touch with your feelings. Perched above the lake, on the sunset side, everything about the place is designed to soothe, and tickle the taste buds. Stylishly designed with a pared-back contemporary edge, all the rooms are suites, and all have lake views. I can’t resist instantly shaking the city dust off with a dip in the infinity pool, before repairing to the terrace for some highly inventive cocktails. Who knew a pisco sour with thyme and sweet potato could be such a hit? Marco at the bar is a genius, and so I am easily persuadable when he suggests a vodka he has infused with black garlic and rye bread, served with an apple crisp. Again, I’m sold. Such is the transformative nature of travel.
Torri del Benaco itself is a charming lakeside village, and the hotel has e-bikes, Vespas and a summer shuttle service to bring you down and, critically, back up the hill. Daily ferries on the shore will take you exploring the likes of Bardolino, Limone and Malcesine, or just stay where you are, surrounded by citrus and olive trees, and contemplate the nature of relaxation.
The Veneto area is famous for its prosecco, amarone, Valpolicella and bardolino, so we take a trip to a winery. “Amarone is a wine of meditation,” says Radovan of Zeni, zeni.it, “on account of its high alcohol content. Our wines are bright, fresh and ready to drink, morning to night”, he adds, smiling. Down in the capacious basement, rows and rows of barrels lie maturing their miraculous contents. Next door, an alcove with an intriguing series of steps is punctuated by little lacquered boxes with perfume puffers attached. It turns out to be a test, and I try, and fail, to identify the scents that will conspire to add to the savour of the wines to come. It’s all great fun. Later, at the olive groves of La Prandine, leprandine.com, we will get a magical tour of the alchemy of olive oil creation, and another tasting, which this time leads me to realise the complexities of flavour and vow not to just chuck any old olive oil into my culinary creations in future.
Back at Cape of Senses, I spot a sign in the spa saying there’s a free Aufguss session coming up in the sauna. Ever curious, 5pm finds me sitting among a group of naked strangers, with towels addressing wildly divergent ideas of modesty, as a remarkable man wearing a sarong and matching bandanna wafts the aromas from perfumed rock salt. These he melts, one by one, on the hot coals, to the unexpected soundtrack of The Lion Sleeps Tonight. I decide to lean into the whole thing, and it seems hugely fitting: on this trip, I have experienced the senses of sight, smell, sound, touch and taste, and to conclude, have wonderfully rediscovered my sense of humour. The follow-up suggestion, that we roll about on the grass outside, suddenly seems entirely reasonable. It turns out to be wonderful. Later, back in my clothes, and the elegant surrounds of the terrace restaurant, eating something seasonal to do with asparagus and truffles, I realise I couldn’t be happier.
[ Five days in Italy’s Cinque Terre turn out to be among the most enjoyable of our livesOpens in new window ]
Gemma Tipton was a guest of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Overnight rates at SLH Cape of Senses from £363 B&B per room, and at SLH Vista Palazzo Verona from £710 B&B per room, booking at slh.com. We flew Dublin to Milan Bergamo with Ryanair, with transfers arranged by the hotels. Journey time approximately one hour and 20 minutes. Alternatively, as part of a multicity visit, Verona is 90 minutes from Florence and Venice with frequent excellent trains and under an hour from Bologna.