Verona

On the banks of the fast-flowing River Adige, enchanting Verona has timeless monuments, a picturesque town center, and a romantic reputation as the setting (in fiction only) of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. With its lively Venetian air and proximity to Lake Garda, it attracts hordes of tourists, especially Germans and Austrian, and tourism peaks during summer's renowned season of open-air opera in the arena.