Hotel Armando

We spent 5 nights at the Hotel Armando, using it as our base to explore this part of Italy.  The hotel is very modern looking on the inside, both in the rooms, as well as the public areas.  Every portion of the hotel is clean, and they provide an excellent free breakfast each morning.  The rooms are quite large for a European hotel, especially for the prices.  We also found that the restaurant that is directly next door was an excellent choice.

The main issue we ran into here had to do with parking.  On their site, as well as on 3rd party sites, they advertise free parking available.  The parking though is street parking only and it is extremely limited.  You're basically on your own to find it and the hotel will only give you a permit to put on your dashboard to allow you to park there.  If you can't find a parking spot on the street near the hotel, you'll be forced to find a parking lot that you'll need to pay for at close to 20 Euros/Day.  To us, this was basically false advertising and needs to be adjusted on the advertisements for this hotel.

Also, after 10 PM, the only staff on duty is a security guard from a 3rd party company.  While he is friendly, he doesn't have the ability to handle any typical hotel requests during late night hours, which could be problematic if you have an issue during those hours.

However, the location of the hotel is excellent as it is within easy walking distance of all attractions in Verona. Verona as a city is also centrally located for day trips to Lake Garda, Vicenza, Padova and portions of the Dolomites.

This is a hotel we'd recommend, but if you are driving there, make sure you take the parking issues into account.

Antica Bottega del Vino

I had searched for recommendations for restaurants while we were in Italy. The one that kept repeating, on New York Times, in Frommers, in DK Eyewitness books, Trip Advisor...everywhere was Antica Bottega del Vino in Verona.

And, apparently, I wasn't the only one who found out about this lovely restaurant, tucked just off the main drag in Verona. The first night we stopped by this restaurant for dinner, every table was full! The next two nights (Sunday and Monday) the restaurant was closed. When we did finally get to eat dinner here, we got here shortly after they opened, and still had to sit by the bar as all the tables were reserved for dinner. (They were telling people it was a 45 minute wait for a table!)

Sitting in the bar area wasn't a problem - we actually enjoyed it. Locals hang out here drinking wine and just talking. Also, you can watch the chef make appetizers and tapas, which I found fascinating.

We ordered the specials - pumpkin ravioli and noodles with duck sauce. Both were excellent and cooked perfectly. If you ask for the wine list, you're going to be handed a menu the size of a book! Order a local wine (clearly). We tried a wine from Soave (also the name of the wine) which was delicious.

Casa di Guiletta

The city of Verona has made itself a tourist destination around Shakespeare enthusiasts, as well as lovers.

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

Flocks of tourists making the pilgrimage to Verona to honor Juliet, stand on her balcony, write love letters to her, and walk through her family home.

You can enter the home, where it is sparsely decorated in items of the period, as well as a few women's dresses of the period.

Not your forte? Too many tourists? Head over to Tomba dei Guiletta, where the town has the church where Romeo and Juliet are said to have held their secret wedding ceremony, as well as the tomb that Juliet laid in.