Here are two postcards from Verona, a stunning city in Veneto in Northern Italy which is famous for being the home of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It’s as beautiful as any other Renaissance Italian town and has one big advantage, it’s right next to the stunning Lake Garda!

          When I lived in Córdoba I hung out lots with a huge group of Italian Erasmus students. Three of these lovely Italians were from the Università di Verona: Alberto, Gloria & Elio. Italians are such incredibly friendly people and hugely fun to party with. In February 2011, a few weeks after leaving Córdoba to move to Modena in Italy for Part II of my Third Year Abroad, a German friend Isabella and I headed to Alberto’s hometown near Verona for the weekend. Not only did we explore the city of Verona, but we also joined in the Carnivale in Alberto’s hometown, which was possibly the most fun I’ve had on a night out in Italy! With 40 or so of us dressed up as identical firemen, we partied our way through the streets accompanying our enormous carnival float. You can the full story of that wild night in this blog post.

         I headed back to Verona in the summertime a few months later to visit Albi and Gloria another time, this time spending our days at Lake Garda near Desenzano, a heavenly spot where Gloria lives. We spent our days zooming around the lake on a friend’s boat, sunbathing on the lake’s beaches, visiting the Castello di Sirmione and taking in the panoramic views from hilltop bars. Ahhhhh… It was then that I added Verona to my list of potential cities to live in. It’s big enough to be lively all-year round, has a very sophisticated, high quality of life and is very close to Lake Garda, making it ideal for weekends.

Have you been to Verona or Lake Garda and did you like it? I’ve not yet been to Lake Como so I can’t compare the two, which is your favourite?