by Jade Hernandez
“In fair Verona, where we lay our scene”
The timeless introduction to the famed tragedy of Romeo and Juliet also happens to be where this piece begins. Italy, a country steeped in history, memory, and legend, has many famous cities to include in its name. If you want fashion, you can visit Milan; for copious amounts of history, visit Rome; but nestled in the quaint Veneto region, the UNESCO World Heritage site of Verona lies quietly as one of Italy’s hidden treasures.
There are many ways to arrive at Verona: plane, train, or car, depending on where you are. I had been studying abroad in Rome at the time, so I took the gorgeous scenic route from Roma Termini, Rome’s largest train station, to Verona Porta Nuova. Reading a work of fiction inspired or set in a specific place is one thing, but visiting somewhere that was quite literally built around a work of fiction is an entirely different experience.
The city of Verona proudly boasts its heritage as the home of Romeo and Juliet and embraces its identity as “The City of Love”. The train station itself is nothing extraordinary, but just a short 20-minute drive to Verona’s historic city center and you’re transported to a world that feels right out of a storybook. From luscious green parks to quaint crumbling structures, it feels like a sanctuary away from the typical rush of Italy’s bigger cities.
I spent three nights at a hotel only a stone’s throw from the city’s center, and it was a beautiful walk to get there. It’s a walk through narrow cobblestone alleyways, with long stretches of shops and restaurants. The first thing you might notice upon entering the city center is Verona’s largest monument: its amphitheater. When we think of amphitheaters, we often think of the Colosseum in Rome. However, the one in Verona was actually built before the Colosseum. Though not related to Romeo and Juliet, it’s still worth the visit. Verona is large enough that you’ll need more than a day to take in all the sites, but small enough that you can comfortably see most things in a three-night stay.
Now, of course, first on the list, one would be remiss not to visit the abode of Juliet herself. Even though a Juliet might have lived there at one point in time, it was chosen because the family that once lived there was known as the Dal Cappello family, bearing a striking resemblance to the Capuleti or Capulet family. The Municipality of Verona bought the house in 1905, and through a mix of architectural work and interior design, it became the house of Juliet we know today.
It truly felt like walking into a scene from Shakespeare, crossing through the stone wall into the courtyard of the ivy-covered walls. I traveled to Verona in early October; though not one of Italy’s heavy tourist months, there were still quite a few people present at the attraction. There are many things to do even before entering the house itself. You can, of course, visit the gift shop tucked away on the left edge of the courtyard, or you can wait your turn to rub the right breast of Juliet’s bronze statue standing tall off to the right of the courtyard. The legend goes that rubbing her right breast will bring good luck, happiness, and long-lasting fortune in love. Who wouldn’t want that?
Now for this next part, you have to buy a ticket and reserve a time slot to enter Juliet’s house. I opted for buying a Verona City Card pass for $35, which gives you free or reduced pricing for nearly all major attractions in the city. Walking into Juliet’s house, you’re transported into the World of Shakespeare, from period furniture and 14th-century frescoes to the wooden bed frame that featured in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.
And once inside, you can’t miss standing upon Juliet’s balcony, where she uttered the famous words. “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” And if you feel like putting pen to paper you can bring a letter addressed to Juliet, and drop it in the mailbox in her house. You can write to her about relationships, love, or any advice you might want. The actual Juliet won’t write back, but one of the members from the Juliet club will.
And only a few minutes’ walk from Juliet’s house lies the house of Romeo, though you cannot step inside the house due to it being private property. It was labeled as Romeo’s house both because of its proximity to Juliet’s house and local tradition links a real historical family, known as the Montecchi (Montague) family, to having once inhabited the property. You can also find a plaque pinned outside the brick walls that reads “Oh! Dov’è Romeo? … Taci; ho perduto me stesso; io non son qui e non son Romeo; Romeo è altrove.” translated to (“O, where is Romeo? … Tut, I have lost myself; I am not here; This is not Romeo, he’s some other where.”) These words are spoken by Romeo over his unrequited love in Act one Scene one, not over Juliet but rather Rosalind.
Though one could spend hours at Juliet’s house, I personally spent just over an hour taking in the sight and a moment to read part of the first act of Romeo and Juliet, which I had picked up from a bookstore not too far from my hotel. After all, what better place to read Romeo and Juliet than where it happened.
Now of course, the story of Romeo and Juliet doesn’t stop once you’ve seen their houses. I visited Juliet’s House around midday, which allowed for the perfect food break at Piazza delle Erbe, only a few minutes’ walk from Juliet’s house. Not only is the piazza a fun place to stop for food, with its bustling courtyard markets and amazing food scene, it also happens to be the site believed to be where Mercutio was tragically killed in a duel. Maybe not the first thing you want to think about while you’re looking for food, but still an interesting fact.
And while in the Piazza, I certainly wouldn’t overlook the statue entitled Madonna Verona. It was a repurposed statue dating back to 380 AD, named the personification and protector of the city of Verona. Another hidden gem no more than a 2-minute walk from the Piazza is the Well of Love. You’ll find it down the dead-end alley of Pozzo San Marco. It might be overlooked—certainly nothing grand, just a simple well at the end of the street. However, the story it tells is anything but.
It’s tied to the tragic 16th-century legend of a young soldier named Corrado di San Bonifazio and a noblewoman named Isabella. Corrado was madly in love with Isabella, but even after continued courtship and pledges of love, Isabella remained indifferent. indifference from
One day the two met next to the small Church of San Marco, not far from Piazza Erbe. Corrado expressed that her love was as cold as the water in the well. Isabella then challenged Corrado to jump into the well, which he did. It was only then that Isabella realized her love for him, so she too jumped down the well to her death. That is the story that the Well of Love receives its name from.
Now, only a slightly longer walk—maybe a 15-20 minute walk—you will stumble across a fairly normal church; considering old, historic churches are a dime a dozen in Europe. However, the former church of San Francesco al Corso, now housing the G.B. Cavalcaselle museum, is where you’ll find the grave of Juliet. Down in the former church’s crypt, the traveler will find an empty sarcophagus, which would have been the last resting place of Shakespeare’s heroine, Juliet.
If you’re really ambitious, perhaps you could do all this in a day, but in Verona there is always more to see. And of course you can always think to break your day up with a trip to the opera house, or an afternoon walking down Via Giuseppe Mazzini, a long alley shopping strip, marked by a metal heart-shaped statue just outside the strip. And if you have a bit of a sweet tooth, I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to try Juliet’s kiss (Baci di Giulietta), a dessert that originated in Verona, Italy.
Jade Hernandez is an intern at Literary Traveler. She graduated in 2026 with a BA in Media Communication from Wheaton College. She caught the travel bug when she first moved abroad at the age of nine to Ecuador, and hasn’t stopped since, from studying abroad in Rome to trying to cross as many countries as possible on her list. Aside from traveling, she enjoys reading and writing, and she is pursuing a career in publishing or exploring ways to make travel a full-time job. You can find out more about her on her blog.
