About two hours from bustling Milan and touristy Venice is Verona—a welcome sip of pure, easygoing Italy. Made famous by Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, Verona is one of Italy’s most-visited cities—second in the Veneto region only to Venice in population and artistic importance. If you don’t need world-class sights, this town is a joy.
Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” made Verona a household word. The House of Juliet, where the real-life Cappello family once lived, is a crass and throbbing mob scene. The tiny, admittedly romantic courtyard is a spectacle in itself, with visitors from all over the world posing on the almost believable balcony and taking snapshots of each other rubbing Juliet’s bronze breast, hoping to get lucky in love….