We sauntered through the narrow streets, with their time-honoured Patrician houses, where exclusive  fashion shops and restaurants have established themselves, and enjoyed the unmistakable charm of the city.  Especially worth seeing is the Piazza delle Erbe, the centre of the medieval city republic – market place, shopping centre and forum.It is one of the most beautiful places in Italy, surrounded by splendid palaces, middle class houses, towers and the city’s landmark in its centre – the fountain with Madonna Verona who is still today watching over the lively hustle and bustle of the market. 

The most famous sight in Verona is the amphitheatre, the Arena, completed around 30 AD.  With a total length of 139 meters and a width of 110 meters it is one of the largest amphitheatres in the world and, after the one in Rome, the best preserved in Italy.  It can seat some 25,000 spectators in its 44 tiers of marble seats.  Originally used in a traditional way, it is today the setting for monumental opera performances produced for the famous opera festivals which take place every year.  We were able to realise a cherished dream and attend a performance of Verdi’s ‘Nabucco’.  This was a grandiose production and an inconceivably beautiful   experience.  The ‘chorus of the prisoners’ was so overwhelming that the endless applause of the audience forced an encore.   After the performance, 14,000 spectators showed their appreciation of the excellent artists by loud ovations, which ceased when, suddenly, a piano was brought onto the stage and the ‘Nabucco’ singer gave various encores in which the audience joined in – what a choir! It was an incomparable atmosphere and an unforgettable experience.

In the immediate neighbourhood of the Piazza delle Erbe, one can see the house of Juliet (‘Casa di Giulietta’).  The famous balcony in the small inner court, where Romeo and Juliet promised each other eternal love, is a magic attraction every year for countless visitors.  It is moving to enter the place where the tragic story began, which Shakespeare made immortal.   Beside the entrance to the house is a bronze statue of Juliet and on the walls lovers from all over the world have left their messages on small strips of paper.