A Stroll Through the City of Romeo and Juliet

Verona's streets have been telling love stories long before Shakespeare put pen to paper. On this walking tour, you'll trace the city's layered history through its Roman ruins, medieval towers, and Renaissance palaces. You'll also hear about the local food and wine that have shaped Veronese life for centuries.

The tour starts at the Portoni della Bra, the monumental twin arches that once marked the city's edge. From there, you'll walk past the Roman amphitheatre – still hosting opera every summer – and into the medieval lanes where recycled stones from collapsed arches turn up in church walls, house facades, and a balcony that Shakespeare never saw but made immortal. Along the way, you'll pass through Piazza Erbe, once a Roman forum and still a bustling market square ringed by fresco-painted palaces and three medieval towers.

The tour continues through Piazza dei Signori, where Dante spent nearly eight years in exile, and along Via Sottoriva's arcaded street beside the river Adige. You'll cross Ponte Pietra, a Roman bridge dating to 89 BC, before winding back through the oldest streets in the city. The tour ends at the amphitheatre on Piazza Bra, just in time for an aperitivo.

On this two-hour tour, you'll have a chance to:

• Stand in Juliet's courtyard and hear why the balcony is more archaeological puzzle than romantic fiction
• Learn how the Lamberti Tower, Verona's tallest medieval tower, grew taller in the 1300s
• Visit the Scaligeri family tombs at Santa Maria Antica, including the poisoned ruler Cangrande della Scala
• Explore Santa Anastasia, the city's finest Gothic church, whose unfinished facade carries a deliberate political message
• Pass through Porta dei Borsari, a Roman gate where medieval tax collectors once charged merchants entering the city
• Discover how Domenico Melegatti patented the pandoro Christmas cake in 1895, placing two golden loaves on his rooftop to celebrate

Verona rewards curious visitors, and this tour gives you the stories behind the stones. Grab a glass of Valpolicella Ripasso and raise it to 2,000 years of history.