A Walk in Verona

Uniqlo blouse
Mavi jeans (c/o)
J. Crew flats
ASOS beret
Louis Vuitton handbag
RayBan sunglasses
Daniel Wellington watch (c/o)
Wolf Circus necklace (similar)
Madewell rings
Delphine Pariente ring (similar)
& Other Stories earrings (similar)
Location: Piazza dei Signori – Verona, Italy

I confess: despite my love of literature, I am far from romantic. Romeo and Juliet would never have been enough to convince me that I needed to visit Verona. After all, the two only ever really lived in Shakespeare’s imagination and on the stage. The Italian town is a character in the play as much as any played by actors, and Juliet’s house, with its fabled balcony, just a tourist attraction.

After all, if you build it, they will come…

It was, predictably, a hotel that convinced me to bump Verona several hundred places up on my travel list. The Corte Realdi Suites proved quirky and full of the kind of surprises we have come to expect from small hotels in Italy, including an air conditioner that actually gave off heat. But it was also just as beautiful as in the photos, full of irreplaceable antique furniture and with an unbeatable balconey looking down out on Piazza dei Signori. We spent most of our day and evening sitting out there, sipping prosecco, after just a brief wander around town. We came for the hotel, and I wanted to enjoy it.

But Verona, too, proved just as I had imagined – perfectly charming and stunningly beautiful. My deepest regret is that we took one walk without any cameras, not even a cell phone, so we have nothing but memories of the breathtaking bridge over the river and the hill on the other side, dotted with perfectly manicured trees.

We did not stay long in Verona. It is still crowded in September, and like all tourists destinations, offers a Disney Store and Sephora for every tourist attraction, which somewhat detracts from its charm. I would love to visit near Christmas, when it is cooler and quieter. Even a one-day stay was enough to make me fall in love, but if we visit again, I’d like to do it a bit differently. And choose a different hotel room with a different balconey view, because that really was the best part.