10 Things to Do in Verona in June

Verona is one of the most visited destinations in northern Italy. Juliet's House, the Cathedral and the Arena are some of the most popular attractions, but during the spring and summer there are also plenty of festivals and fair events that show another side to the city.

Some of the best things to see and do in Verona in June include attending the Verona Festival, which is the city's main event, touring the Palazzo Giusti Garden, enjoying the discounts and bargains on Via Mazzini, celebrating Dante Alighieri's birthday and witnessing the Festival of Beauty.

The Verona Festival, which is organised every year in the local Roman amphitheatre, is the main event in the city's calendar. This festival, which opens during the second week of June, has been organised for more than 100 years and brings together the four best operas in the country and leading Italian and world artists.

The festival is organised in the Arena di Verona, which is also one of the main attractions of the city, to make the most of its acoustics and preserving a Roman tradition, lasts 3 months, until August, although the inauguration, which you can attend in June, is one of the main attractions of the event, since it is when all the artists who are going to be part of the festival are presented.

Opera, ballet performances and classical music concerts are all present at the Verona Festival, which is one of the unmissable events offered by the city of Romeo and Juliet to celebrate the end of spring and the beginning of summer.

Useful information

• Price... Tickets for a single performance cost approximately 35 euros.
• When.... The opening is every year during the second week of June.
• Where... Arena di Verona.

Palazzo Giusti is one of the Renaissance wonders of the city. Located in the city centre, it is a huge building that survived the wars and invasions of the city and still stands with its sculptures, staircases, paths and gardens, built at the foot of a hill.

In the gardens, during the third week of June, the Spring Festival is held, an event celebrating the closing of the season that coincides with the peak of the palace paths. During the festival you can also visit the interiors of the palace, which boasts Renaissance paintings and other works of art from the period.

Palazzo Giusti is also located very close to the city's main attractions, so you can make the most of your tour and visit the Arena di Verona, Piazza Bra and the Bastion of San Giorgio.

Useful information

• Price... Admission to the gardens and palace exhibitions is free.
• When... The Spring Festival starts during the third week of June.
• Where... Via Giardino Giusti 2, Verona.

Built on the height of Monte Magrino, the Sigurta Garden Park is the main green space of Verona and also an ideal place to observe one of the open panoramas of the city, since from there you can see the Mincio river and the horizon from the 360° viewpoints. In June you can visit Sigurta with the best weather and clear skies to get the best views, in what is one of the best tours of Verona

In Sigurta you can walk around the ponds, the paths and the Labyrinth of Lovers, a circuit of bushes in which according to the myth if you get lost with your partner and you meet again you will stay together forever. From Sigurta you can also catch a glimpse of the town of Valeggio sul Mincio, as the boundaries of the gardens are blurred.

The gardens, located on the outskirts, can be reached from the city centre by bus on line 46 and also by the private services of some of Verona' s tour buses, but if you plan to tour the city in June, don't miss the unobstructed views from Monte Magrino.

If you are one of those who enjoy shopping while visiting cities and you are also a fan of high-end fashion, I have good news for you, because you can combine it in a tour of Via Mazzini, which is one of the main shopping arteries of Verona. June is also the time of the sales due to the change of season, so you'll be able to squeeze in the bargains.

Via Mazzini is also the place to shop for Veronese, so you can immerse yourself in the daily life of the locals and it's also one of the city's main streets for appreciating the city's stately buildings. Located between Piazza Bra and Piazza delle Erbe, this pedestrian street also offers some of the best gastronomic tours in town.

If Via Mazzini is not enough for you , you can also walk along its parallel street, Via dei Pellicciai, which is mainly characterised by galleries and art shops, where you can get imitations of Renaissance works at bargain prices.

Verona is the city that William Shakespeare chose to set Romeo and Juliet, which is one of his most famous plays, so it's no surprise that the city pays homage to him every year with a theatre event in his honour, which is organised every year in June.

The Shakespeare Theatre Festival has been held in the city since 1948 and famously opened with a production of Romeo and Juliet translated by Nobel laureate Salvatore Quasimodo. Since then, the festival is organised every year in the Roman Theatre and is not only one of the main events of the summer opening but also one of the most famous Shakespeare festivals in the world.

During its run this festival offers daytime and evening performances, so if you plan to visit the city in June you can include it as oneof the best things to do in Verona during the night. In addition, you can also visit the Roman Theatre, which is an open-air enclosure that is more than 2000 years old and is located on the banks of the Adige River.

Interesting facts

• Price... Admission to the festival has an initial cost of approximately 18 euros for adults. Children under the age of 12 pay half price.
• When... The festival takes place every year in June.
• Where... Roman Theatre, Verona.

Verona is one of the cities of the arts in Italy and since 1988, in addition to its theatre and cinema events, it has also hosted the Jazz Festival, which brings together the most outstanding artists of the country and Europe during the week in June when the event is organised and which has become one of the benchmarks of the genre.

This festival consists of several stages in different locations, although the main ones are usually located each year in the Roman Theatre and in the Old Market, a Renaissance building located in the heart of the city, very close to the Lamberti Tower and Juliet's House, which is one of the best museums in Verona.

The Verona Jazz Festival also coincides with other cultural events such as the Shakespeare Theatre Festival or the Verona Festival, which is organised every year in the city's Roman amphitheatre, so if you want to make the most of your visit in June you can also enjoy these events.

Interesting facts

• Price... Entrance to the festival has an initial cost of approximately 25 euros per person.
• When... The festival takes place every year in June.
• Where... In different parts of the city.

The Verona Beauty Festival is a variety event which, during the first week of June each year, brings together plays, musical concerts, conferences on cultural themes, art exhibitions and various interactive activities in different parts of the city, always with beauty as the main theme of the shows.

This itinerant festival has its strong point in the musical concerts, which each year attract more than 50,000 people with its main musicians, but also in its closing events, which include all the artists who took part in the Beauty Festival during that edition and which are usually held in the Roman Theatre.

The Verona Beauty Festival also offers children's activities, so it is a plan to consider if you are planning to visit Verona with children.

Interesting facts

• Price... Entrance to the festival has an initial cost of approximately 20 euros per person. Tickets for children under the age of 12 have an initial cost of approximately 12 euros.
• When... The festival takes place every year in June.
• Where... At different venues around the city.

Since the Middle Ages, Verona has been one of the main cities in the north of Italy and due to its location it has always been a strategic place during wars, battles and Italian trade and all this has generated that the city has remained interconnected, forming an extensive network of post offices. That is why, nowadays, Verona is one of the main cities of philately and numismatics in Italy.

Veronafil, which is the city's philatelic association, organises an exhibition twice a year, bringing together collectors and dealers of antique stamps, stamps and telephone cards and organising conferences, meetings and other events open to the public. The main exhibition is organised every year during the first weekend in June.

This event aimed at promoting philately and numismatics is also an ideal excuse to learn more about the past and history of the city and also to take part in one of the most traditional events in Verona, as more than 100 editions of the Fiera Veronafil have been organised.

Interesting facts

• Price... Entrance to the fair has an initial cost of approximately 6 euros per person.
• When... The festival takes place during the first weekend of June every year.
• Where... Corso Cavour 2, Verona.

Dante Alighieri is the most famous writer in the history of Italy and during his life, once he was banished from Florence, he saw how all the cities refused to receive him. All except one, Verona, so Dante developed a deep affection for the city that was reflected in his writings and which today serves as a reminder of his years as a Veronese.

The date of his birth remains a mystery, but from the clues the writer left in the Divine Comedy and other fragments of his works, it is believed that he was born on 21 June 1265, which is why every year in Verona on that date, tours and guided visits are organised to celebrate Dante's birthday by visiting the sites of his stay in Verona.

A tour of Verona through Dante's eyes is a journey back in time and one of the best excursions the city has to offer. Moreover, these tours usually last about 2 hours, so they are compatible if you are planning a short stay in the city. If that is your case, here is a list of activities to discover Verona in 3 days.

Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy and one of the main lakes in the north of the country. Located 75 kilometres from the centre of Verona, visiting it on a full day trip is one of the best things to do from Verona, especially in June when the weather is ideal and the number of tourists is relatively low.

Lake Garda is a glacial lake but because of its size and importance it is almost a sea dividing the Alps and the Padana plain, hence the difference in altitude of its surrounding mountains and the beauty of its landscapes, which are capable of overshadowing even Lake Como, Italy's most illustrious lake, just outside Milan.

If you plan to visit Verona in summer you will find that Lake Garda will offer unobstructed views of the countryside, but the heat can be sweltering and you will also come across many visitors. In June, towards the end of spring, you'll be able to enjoy the site without the winter chill, with mild weather and also less tourism, as Verona's high season resumes in July with the formal start of the summer period.

June sees the end of spring and the beginning of summer and maximum temperatures reach 30° while minimum temperatures are 18°. The average temperature is 26° and although Verona has a humid climate, rainfall in June is very sporadic.

The change of season favours excursions to lakes and mountains as the sky clears of the fog that is common in Verona, and at the same time offers a mild climate, as in summer the heat can be scorching.

The peak season in Verona begins in July with the formal start of summer, so June is an ideal month to visit the city with a moderate influx of tourists and also a suitable climate to enjoy the attractions.

The city has a very high average number of visitors all year round, especially if you visit Verona at Christmas or during the summer, so June, during the change of season, is a good time to take it easy.

Prices in Verona in June don't reach the costs of the hottest months of July and August, so it's a good time to travel more cheaply and enjoy the good weather the city has to offer.

If you visit Verona in June you can save money on excursions and accommodation, especially if you book in advance online. If you organise an itinerary, you can also book tickets for festivals and fair events.

During spring Verona offers pleasant and at times hot weather, so I recommend that you include the following items in your suitcase:

• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Comfortable shoes
• Sun hat
• Lightweight T-shirt
• Lightweight coat
• Lightweight trousers
• Mountain shoes
• Light jumpers