Oh, bella Verona! So beautiful, clean and romantic! Yes, romantic! And I am not talking Romeo and Juliette, but the city itself! Every street corner and every building with its authentic used-look facades and pretty balconies tells a story and lets the imagination draw pictures of love, mystery and romance! Every Italian cypress tree calms you with its majestic dark green and makes you wish you could stay forever.

Verona is a wonderful mixture of old and new and the fact that our hotel was located outside of the old city center, but still within a walking distance of it, gave us the opportunity to see every riverside and get a good impression of the history and how the people of Verona are living today. Verona may not be a big city but it is full of surprises and so many things to see and do! So far one of my favorite spots in Europe!

Day1: We started this road trip late in the afternoon on the 1^st of April in Munich and arrived pretty late in the evening in Verona after having gazed at the most beautiful view at the Austrian and Italian Alps from the Highway! So we only had time and energy for a quick bite and a cocktail at Piazza delle Erbe, followed by a cosy walk through the city!

That’s why I will begin the story about this journey on the actual Day 2 and just call it Day 1 instead!

I really do love exploring new places and just wandering around streets and city squares! Naturally this was exactly our purpose and so, with just a several looks in the city map, we walked through a flea market at the Piazza San Zeno, in front of the Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore, and by the riverside to the Castelvecchio castle and bridge!

Occasionally we saw the House and Balcony of Juliette (it was on our way), but we didn’t stay there too long. Despite my huge appreciation for Shakespeare and the tragic beauty of this love story, the House of Juliette itself and everything about it has unfortunately gotten not that beautifully commercial and quite corny. Verona has so much more to offer and I am glad to have found so many amazing, less crowded and breathtaking hidden spots! Seeing all the old window shutters, olive trees on the street corners and hidden cafés and Osterias with cute small decorative tables provided such a wonderful feeling of calmness and happiness!

But my happiness was entire after getting my first Gelato of this trip at the Piazza delle Erbe!

Our walk continued through the shopping area of Verona to the Arena di Verona, which I personally find to be the prettiest Colosseum ever built! To really enjoy the view and the moment we took time to have refreshing Spritz drinks on the opposite side of the Piazza Brà.

Afterwards we took a nice walk to the riverside again, passing by beautiful churches among which the Verona Cathedral, enjoying the sunset on our way back to the hotel to change and get some rest!

We ended this mesmerizing and full of impressions day in a cozy restaurant at the Corso Milano. Everybody was so nice and friendly and we had some amazing pizza and pasta with the most delicious cheese and red wine from the region!

Day 2: On the next morning we packed and got everything in the car, because we knew there was a long way ahead of us to the Eternal city – the capital of Italy! Maybe this would be a good time to say how much I enjoyed our hotel in Verona! It combined perfectly the modern design and the Italian vintage décor, the breakfast was really good, the staff very polite and, last but not least, there was a free parking, which by the way is not a self-evident thing in Italy and yet it’s one of the most important things on a road trip!

So after breakfast we took a “quick” stop at the San Pietro Castle on the top of a hill with the most perfect view over Verona and the Adige River! Of course we made some wrong turns on our way up but I truly love when that happens! You get to see so much and surprise yourself! And the air at the top of the hill! OMG the air! I guess one really starts to appreciate a fresh breath of clear air when living in a big city!