Italy

Romeo and Juliet

Ah, fair Verona! Where the most famous love affair of all time was set. Did Shakespeare ever travel here or was it just a strong impression made by a postcard from a friend on holiday? Either way, the least of your reasons to travel to Verona should be to visit the tourist trap of the fictional house of Romeo and Juliet.

You are more likely to see posh couples on vespas than one soliloquizing the other from balcony tops (http://www.flickr.com/photos/andreaparaggio/)

Verona is a modern city with a strong flowing river running in a horse shoe around the centre. You can feel the historical influence of the Austrians in the palace on the hills that overlook the town holding the Roman theatre and there’s good walking to be had around the centre – at least during the alternate two hour periods when no traffic is allowed.

Things are still pretty chic and detached here and it’s normal to see affluent youths posing by their Vespas or walking down the main shopping drags with their shades on hours after nightfall. But whether it’s down to the influence of Romeo and Juliet or not, you won’t see so many young lovers romancing in the shadows in many other Italian cities.

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