Day Trips from Venice - Venice and the Veneto - page 468

( 045 803 40 29; Via Giardino Giusti 2; adult/reduced €6/5; 9am-8pm Apr-Sep, to 7pm Oct-Mar; )
Across the river from the historic centre, these sculpted gardens, considered a masterpiece
of Renaissance landscaping, are well worth seeking out. Named after the noble family that
has tended them since opening them to the public in 1591, they have lost none of their
charm. The vegetation is an Italianate mix of the manicured and natural, graced by soaring
cypresses, one of which the German poet Goethe immortalised in his travel writings.
According to local legend, lovers who manage to find each other in the little labyrinth
on the right side of the garden are destined to stay together. On the back end of the garden,
a short but steep climb rewards with sweeping views over the city.

CASA DI GIULIETTA
MAP

MUSEUM

GOOGLE MAP

(Juliet's House; 045 803 43 03; Via Cappello 23; adult/reduced €6/4.50 or with VeronaCard; 8.30am-7.30pm
Tue-Sun, 1.30-7.30pm Mon) Never mind that Romeo and Juliet were completely fictional charac-
ters, and that there's hardly room for two on the narrow stone balcony: romantics flock to
this 14th-century house to add their lovelorn pleas to the graffiti on the courtyard cause-
way.

PIAZZA DELLE ERBE & PIAZZA DEI SIGNORI
MAP GOOGLE MAP
Originally a Roman forum, Piazza delle Erbe is ringed with buzzing cafes and some of
Verona's most sumptuous buildings, including the elegantly baroque Palazzo Maffei (now a
corporate headquarters) at its northern end.
Separating Piazza delle Erbe from Piazza dei Signori is the monumental gate known as Arco
della Costa , hung with a whale's rib that, according to legend, will fall on the first just per-
son to walk beneath it. So far, it remains intact, despite visits by popes and kings.
Dividing the two piazzas, the striped Torre dei Lamberti MAP GOOGLE MAP ( 045 927 30 27;
adult/reduced €6/4.50; 8.30am-7.30pm) rises a neck-craning 85m. Begun in the 12th century and
finished in 1463 - too late to notice invading Venetians - this watchtower still offers pan-
oramic views of the city and nearby mountains, which are snowcapped in winter. A lift
whisks you up two-thirds of the way.

HISTORICAL SITE