Nights at the opera and days in the piazza: the joy of visiting Verona

It’s Italy’s most romantic city, but there’s a lot more to Verona than Romeo and Juliet

Verona is an exquisite city year round for a weekend break, but with the 100th anniversary this summer of its open-air opera, held in the ancient arena, now is an especially good time to visit.

I’ve come for Rossini’s Barber of Seville, and as dusk settles over the Roman amphitheatre, the summer heat softening to a velvety blue, some 10,000 opera lovers scrabble for their seats. Swifts screech through the darkening skies and young lads skedaddle along the tiers, arms burdened with glossy brochures and cushions for hire – their sing-song cries of “programmi e cuscini” lilting loud above the swelling chatter.