Verona, Italy

After Ferrari driving we drove an hour north to Verona. Verona lies in northern Italy in the Veneto region and is best known as the setting of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Verona was on our "bonus list" and we're glad we took the slight detour to visit this beautiful city.

We walked to Verona's amphitheater, built in 30 AD, which is famous for the large-scale operas and concerts that take place, and where over 500,000 people see the productions each year. The arena has hosted bands such as Pink Floyd, Duran Duran, Dire Straits, Rod Stewart, Sting, Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Muse, and Paul McCartney. We found it pretty cool that this 2,000 year old former gladiator arena is still being used to entertain people.

Next, we walked to the house of Juliet. We didn't go inside, but we entered the gardens just to see the balcony where Shakespeare envisioned Romeo and Juliet's famous love scene. Nearby there is a wall where people inscribe messages of love to each other (although it looks like terrible graffiti that has been written on every free space imaginable) and a gate where people secure a love lock symbolizing their love.

We made our way to Piazza delle Erbe, which is the center of Verona's historic center. The square is full of market stalls selling everything from local goodies to souvenirs.

In the piazza is Lamberti Tower. We climbed the stairs to the top and were welcomed with fantastic views of the city.

Lamberti Tower

While in the region we wanted to go to a few wineries and taste the wine that's well-known to the Veneto region, Amarone. The area didn't boast the rolling hills of Tuscany or Piedmont, but is still one of the largest producers of wine in the country. We went to a couple of wineries, toured their vineyards and cellars, and tasted their wines and local products.

Some vineyards for Tommasi. 

The world's largest oak cask, registered in the Guinness Book of World Records. 

Of course, we can't forget about the food that we devoured from the area. The gnocchi was so different than any other gnocchi we have tried. It was creamy, velvety, and melted in your mouth as soon as you took a bite. In this region they are typically in a cream sauce with truffles. Delicious!

We had a great time here and are happy that we were able to fit it in before we leave Italy. The food, the wine, and the scenery, make this a must-see city for anyone in the area!