Verona is perfect weekend material. With its myriad castles, turrets and city halls, its festival of traditional Veronese trattorie, most with outside  tables and especially its beautifully meandering river, a trip must come with the preparation of wanting to move: it is that kind of place.

Moreover it has an indecent quantity of beautiful young women. Something must have gone right in the gene pool in the area and of course, the University, old and venerable and attracting the female sex of the cutest age, helps.

The shopping is superb. Everything from a full-blown Louis Vuitton (the buildings attract the Japanese, who then flock to the shop) via a bunch of quality Italian shoe and clothing shops. You know you are in a chic town when all the clothing displayed in shop windows is made of natural materials: linen, cotton, cashmere and leather.

Everywhere is walkable and the residents love their bicycles, as befits a proper upper middle class residential area. Women wearing vertiginous platforms think nothing of hopping onto their bikes and cycling to their next destination.

 

Must visit:

Zampieri Vini e Liquori, opposite the Hotel Bologna (reviewed here) has wines and champagnes by the glass and very decent shop prices to buy wine to take away. Enrico, who runs it, is passionate about it all, including the cheese and salumi he serves alongside. Turn up at midday and watch the Veronesi on their lunch breaks.