Verona

Verona was once chosen by the Romans to rest their shields and spears, leaving behind an impressive cultural and architectural footprint from medieval palaces and fresco-festooned churches.

Today Verona is a bustling centre that shapes up as one of northern Italy's most attractive and well visited cities. Attracting hordes of tourists each year, it is home to a remarkably well-preserved ancient 1st century amphitheatre, also used as a long-standing venue for the city's annual summer opera festival. 

As described beautifully by Lonely Planet, Verona is best known for its Shakespeare associations, where the playwright chose as the setting for one of the world's most famous plays, Romeo & Juliet, set against a backdrop of beautiful Renaissance architecture; Verona is a city you'll be sure to fall in love with!

The city attracts large numbers of multinational tourists to its pretty piazzas and knot of lanes, most in search of Romeo, Juliet and all that. But beyond all of the the Renaissance romance, Verona is the heart of a bustling centre, dominated by an impressive and remarkably well-preserved 1st-century amphitheatre, which transforms into the venue for the city's annual summer opera festival.

Add that to countless ancient churches, a couple of architecturally fascinating bridges over the Adige, regional wine and food from the Veneto hinterland and some impressive art and short hop away from the shores of stunning Lake Garda.