Trust Charles Dickens to come up with the perfect description of Verona. In 1844, after the great novelist had spent a couple of nights here on his Italian journey, he wrote enthusiastically, ‘Pleasant Verona!...with its Roman gates, still spanning the fair street, and casting, on the sunlight of today, the shade of fifteen hundred years ago … with its fast-rushing river, picturesque old bridge, waving cypresses and prospect so delightful! Pleasant Verona!’
Nearly 200 years later and truly little has changed. With its pink-hued medieval streets flanked by houses with beautiful flower-laden balconies, its churches decorated with the finest Renaissance art, and its magnificent amphitheatre with spectacular night-time opera, Verona can lay claim to the title of Italy’s loveliest city.
We journeyed there in early autumn, a little late for the opera season but as good a time as any with the crowds thinning, a wine festival to enjoy, and the temperature still warm. Our visit to this pearl of the Veneto was greatly enhanced by our stay at one of the finest boutique hotels we have come across – Il Relais, set on the first floor of the 19th century Palazzo Tommasi and overlooking the walls of Castelvecchio, the massive Gothic castle/fortress constructed by the Scaliger family who ruled this city in the Middle Ages.
Il Relais has just four rooms – ours, number two, looks out directly at the old castle across the street, while also giving an excellent view from its verandah down the length of Corso Castelvecchio, which leads to the heart of the city. The essentials were well covered – a supremely comfortable king-sized bed, and a spacious bathroom covered in local red marble with a vast walk-in shower. But the room’s unique character comes from its delightful, eclectic mix of furniture and objets d’art, in keeping with its heritage as an elegant 19th century Veronese townhouse.
In attendance for our fortifying breakfast – and on call if we needed them – were our charming managers Federica and Niami, who welcomed us as if into their own home. They were full of excellent suggestions about what we could do during our stay, from historic sites to best restaurants.
But for two of our three evening meals we went no further than the floor below, to Il Relais’s sister establishment, Ristorante Locanda di Castelvecchio. It’s a stunning looking restaurant, its décor marrying the styles of the 19th century with Art Deco elements plus some 1960 touches from the Italian designer Fornasetti. The highlight of the menu is undoubtedly the trolley of roasts, which is wheeled to the table with great ceremony and the meats, served with traditional Veronese peara sauce, then carved with much aplomb.
We enjoyed the spectacle and the showmanship of the waiters, but opted instead for other alluring dishes, including the homemade fettucine with four sauces, tomato, ragout, livers and vegetarian, and the classic risotto with amarone (the wine of the region). The food was delicious, and we were looked after with great elan by Stefano, who guided us expertly through the choices and regaled us with stories from the restaurant’s history.
There was so much we wanted to experience during our stay, and we would clock up six miles each day on our perambulations around the city. In Verona’s famous arena – the third largest of all the Roman amphitheatres from the first century AD – we climbed to the very top, and could imagine what it was like when crowds of 20,000 flocked to watch the gladiatorial contests and the unequal battles between man and beast.
There was musical delight the following day while we were sampling the local produce in the 9th Hostaria – Verona’s annual wine and harvest festival. Wine glasses in hand, we followed the drifting sound of music out of Piazza dei Signori and found ourselves in a delightful little square where a young artist was performing a captivating version of Ed Sheeran’s The Shape of You, with a keyboard strapped around her shoulders. Her name was Felicity Lucchesi, well-known in these parts, and her audience swelled as she went through her repertoire, including a soulful version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.
Many roads in Verona lead back to Shakespeare, and his fictional story of the star-crossed lovers. We duly made the pilgrimage to Casa di Giuletta (‘Juliet’s House’), with the ‘O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo’ balcony. The balcony itself was picturesque enough, and we watched a succession of teenage girls line up to touch the breast of the statue of the fictional lady, an act supposed to bring luck in love.
We stopped in at the impressive Duomo before crossing the fast-flowing River Adige to take a look at perhaps Verona’s finest palazzo, Giusti, and its splendid Renaissance gardens whose huge cypress trees the German writer Goethe so admired. The Giusti family were in residence here from the 16th century right up until the end of the Second World War, and the palazzo is opulent and stylish. Of all the rooms perhaps the most impressive was The Red Room, taking its name from the luxurious red Chinese silk that adorns its walls. This was the drawing room of Eleonora Giusti, the last family member to live in the palazzo.
‘Pleasant Verona’ indeed – a stimulating, relaxing intimate city. We will be back, this time for a great opera night at the arena.
For more information and room rates visit ilrelais.com
