UKC

Hello. I will soon have a full day in Verona, at the end of a short trip to Italy (and en route to Germany by train. I have booked two nights in a hotel, to arrive in the evening, have a full day (a Saturday), stay another night and travel onward to Munich on the Sunday. Haven't decided what time to get the train but am toying with the idea of going earlyish and trying to get to the BMW museum in Munich. 

As for Verona....I haven't started my usual "look it up on Tripadvisor etc" thing yet. I thought I'd be a hopeless drip and ask on here first I know nothing of this city other than that two Shakespearean plays are set here so there is a cheesy tourist industry centred around The Juliet Balcony or something. 

I assume that there is a lot of actual heritage and culture to soak up, so I'd appreciate recommendations please. I enjoy for example a good gallery of early-mid 20th century modern art and any specialist museums of interest, and a nice walk around a city taking in the sights,and any blindingly obvious famous landmarks that you HAVE to tick (took me seven visits to Florence before I got to the Uffizi Gallery!) 

Thanks. 

In reply to Blue Straggler:

(checking train logistics, it would be pushing it massively to try to get to the BMW museum in Munich on the Sunday so I'll skip that, which leaves the option of having the Sunday morning also in Verona as I won't arrive into Munich in time to see/do much there on the Sunday in any case)

In reply to Blue Straggler:

"Do you bite your thumb at me sir" - as you say, a bit cheesy.

A classical opera in the Roman amphitheatre is meant to be an experience, Aida being the obvious one for that setting. Of course you'd have to be there on a correct day and be able to obtain a ticket but actually any kind of performance within the Roman amphitheatre will be an experience you don't tend to get in the UK.

In reply to Michael Hood:

Aida in Verona was maybe the worst night out I ever had….  Hot, uncomfortable, inaudible, invisible, expensive - and about four hours long.  Run away!

In reply to berthengron:

I didn't say it was meant to be an enjoyable experience 😁

However, I bow to the knowledge of your personal experience.

In reply to Michael Hood:

thanks but opera isn’t for me, and I HAVE tried (5 hour live broadcast from Met Opera to cinemas globally, of part of the Ring Cycle …. I understand that operas and composers are different to one another but still…) 

In reply to Michael Hood:

Isn't Aida set in Egypt?

I may be wrong, as I'm not an opera buff.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I have a recommendation for Verona (having spent time in the area). Get the train to Venice and spend the day there if you haven't been, IMO it's a unique and amazing place. Sorry for the apparent hijack / lack of Verona information 

In reply to Michael Hood:

I'm not an opera fan and the location made the event memorable for me. It won't be hot,  if you can't sit comfortably on stone take a cushion,  we could see well enough from cheap seats and inaudible isn't the same as slightly less than perfect acoustics  (those Romans were a bit slack not thinking 2000+ years ahead). 

I've always loved wandering round Italian cities I've been to and eating fabulous cheap food outside the most touristy areas. There are the usual churches, palaces museums and galleries. That balcony was underwhelming.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

We visited in September and were a little underwhelmed - maybe it had been hyped too much for us. We thought the amphitheatre more impressive from the outside than within; we didn't visit "that balcony" (a fictitious location from a work of fiction written by someone who never visited the city!). We did, however, enjoy the archeology museum at the Roman theatre. Had a good lunch too. We had two days in the area, and didn't return to Verona on the second, but headed to Modena instead - well worth a visit!

In reply to ag17:

Acetic positivity !?

In reply to profitofdoom:

Thanks.....but I am travelling to Verona by train from Venice after spending an evening and a morning there, where I've been several times  

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Had a lovely day wandering around Verona 5 years ago. Started at the tourist info centre, genuinely warm and welcoming.

We did:

Tomb of Juliet - good art museum

Arena

Castelvecchio Museum (just around the outside, didnt have time to go in, but its an impressive looking fortress)

Walk over Ponte di Castelvecchio - impressive 

Walking the streets around Loggia del Consiglio - loads of old statues, piazzas and bell towers

We took the Funicolare di Castel San Pietro up to the top of the hill for some great views. Feel free to jog up instead if you're feeling fit.

Juliet's Balcony - obvs.

In reply to chris_r:

Thanks Chris, this is the kind of little list I was after  

In reply to ag17:

thanks, I've somewhat committed to Verona really, unless you can convince me that having established base camp there, I should take a day trip to Modena and ignore Verona! What's in Modena? Some years ago I did ponder going to the Ferrari museum but from Bologna, and the public transport logistics looked like a total ballache (and I think there are two sites for the museum, one at a race track and one elsewhere, and it was all bit overwhelming just to research, so I skipped it entirely!)

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Thanks for your reply!  And I hope you enjoy your trip to Italy

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I was maybe too harsh - Verona is a beautiful city! I'm sure you won't regret spending a day there.

The piazza and cathedral in Modena are superb, but as Offwidth guessed, the highlight for us was a visit to the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar Museum in nearby Spilamberto. Unfortunately I think that is probably hard to reach via public transport.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Juliette's balcony was rubbish, it was small looked old and there was no sign of her. I should give that as a review on Tripadvisor.

As a more serious comment, the balcony is worth seeing while you're there... but it's going to be about 5 minutes of the trip, lovely city lots else to see. Just chill out and wander around, and go back again another time to see stuff you failed to see the first time

In reply to CantClimbTom: thanks, that is generally my approach indeed! but a few starting suggestions are always helpful too