If you think about it, Verona, one of our most beautiful cities, has been made world-famous by a Briton. And certainly not a random one: William Shakespeare. The Bard – this is what the residents of the land of Albion like to call him – chose this elegant Veneto town with ancient Roman origins as the backdrop for what is, perhaps, his most iconic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet.

Since the first time the play was represented, back in 1597, the names of its two young and tragic protagonists, and that of the città Scaligera, became almost one thing, to the point I sometimes wonder why no one says that Verona – and not Paris! – is the city of Love … I guess it may have to do with the fact Romeo and Juliet’s love story didn’t end up that well.