News from Italy
The Secrets of Cities – Verona
Immortalised by the pen of William Shakespeare, Verona is far more than the setting of a love story. It is a unique cultural destination where literature, art and urban memory intertwine with romance. In February, the city turns into a fairy tale thanks to the Verona in Love festival.
“Love is like a child, longing for everything that might happen to it…”
(The Two Gentlemen of Verona – Act III, Scene I)
Whether or not one chooses to quote Shakespeare when speaking of love, the romantic aura of Romeo and Juliet occupies the same place in our collective memory. The resonance of this story has echoed for centuries not only through literature, but also through city streets. Verona, the stage of this love, has long earned the title of “the city of star-crossed lovers”.
As February arrives, Verona reveals the romance hidden behind its stone walls. With Valentine’s Day approaching, streets are illuminated, squares are dressed in red, and the city transforms from a geographic location into a narrative. Cupid, who enjoys hiding in the narrow alleys of the old town, listens to Juliet in the courtyard of her house on Via Cappello, searching for new hearts to strike.
Stories Rising from the Heart of Verona
Verona’s beauty inspired Shakespeare himself, who set two of his plays here: The Two Gentlemen of Verona and, of course, Romeo and Juliet. Drawing on earlier Italian tales and poems, he wrote the tragedy of a love trapped between two rival families, the Capulets and the Montagues. Love, separation, death and conflict—universal emotions that have retained their power for over four centuries.
Reading this story is one experience; standing in the places where it unfolds is another entirely. Walking through Verona, fiction approaches reality, transcends the boundaries of narrative and draws the visitor in.
During Valentine’s season, the city’s romantic atmosphere intensifies. Through Verona in Love, the entire city celebrates love with romantic dinners, theatrical performances, book presentations and concerts. Film lovers should not miss Schermi d’Amore, the romantic film festival held at Teatro Ristori. Follow the lights to Piazza dei Signori and the courtyard of Mercato Vecchio, where musicians and performers transform the square into the beating heart of the festival. For sports enthusiasts, the Romeo and Juliet Marathon offers a breathtaking running experience.
A Gift of Love in Verona
With its blend of poetry, entertainment and romantic magic, Verona in Love feels like a perfect Valentine’s Day gift. Streets and squares glow in red light, neighbourhoods compete for the most beautiful decorations, and shop windows are adorned with romantic treats.
The heart of the celebrations beats in Piazza dei Signori, where illuminated market stalls, handcrafted gifts and a large heart-shaped red carpet complete the living fairy tale. Juliet’s House welcomes visitors with its legendary balcony and courtyard statue. Those seeking everlasting love leave a note on the wall before touching the statue. The day ends with a sunset walk across the Castelvecchio Bridge.Yet to see Verona only as Shakespeare’s romantic backdrop would be incomplete. The city carries a far older cultural memory and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000. With its architectural continuity from Roman times through the Middle Ages, Verona stands as a living archive of European urban history.
Verona appeared in literature even before Shakespeare. Dante, in The Divine Comedy, refers to noble Veronese families, reminding readers of the city’s importance in medieval Italy. Verona is therefore not merely the setting of a love story, but a cultural landscape where literature, history and architecture converge.
Equally striking is the city’s relationship with music. The Arena di Verona, a vast Roman amphitheatre built in the 1st century AD, still hosts one of the world’s most prestigious open-air opera festivals. Watching Verdi’s Aida here is not simply a concert—it is an experience resonating through time. Verona thus becomes not only the city of love, but also a stage for the arts.
The Juliet Club: A Literary Society of the Modern Age
Perhaps nothing illustrates Verona’s romantic reach better than the letters sent to Juliet. Hundreds of letters, written in every language and sent from all over the world, arrive at the Juliet Club in Verona. Broken hearts, hopeful souls and lovers eager to tell their stories all write to Juliet. The association replies to every letter with an address, keeping Shakespeare’s legend alive. Writing real letters to a fictional character—one of the most fascinating cultural phenomena of the modern age.
This enduring fascination inspired the 2010 film Letters to Juliet and continues to influence artists and writers who reinterpret this timeless love.
A City That Stages Itself
Verona in Love is not merely a tourist event, but a cultural performance in which the city stages itself. Usually held between 10 and 14 February, the festival fills the streets with light installations, red decorations, romantic dinners, literary readings and concerts. Once again, Schermi d’Amore at Teatro Ristori remains a must for cinema enthusiasts.
The Aesthetic of Verona: Stone, Light and Renaissance Spirit
What makes Verona special is not only that stories take place here, but that the city itself is constructed like a narrative. Along the curves of the Adige River, Roman heritage and Renaissance aesthetics coexist. Walking through Verona feels like moving through an open-air museum: every arch, every stone wall bears traces of the past.
Piazza delle Erbe, a continuation of the ancient Roman forum, remains one of the city’s liveliest centres. By day it is filled with market stalls; by night it becomes an elegant open-air lounge. In Verona, urban life flows within a historical setting, making the city not only romantic, but culturally exceptional.
Verona’s magic is not confined to a love story. It is a living synthesis of history, art, literature and collective imagination. And every February, through Verona in Love, this synthesis becomes a celebration. For those in love with culture, art and history, there is no better time to visit.
Because in Verona, love is not merely an emotion—it is an urban identity shaped for centuries by literature, cultural heritage and shared dreams.
