Verona's climate is best described as a humid subtropical climate, characteristic of Northern Italy's inland plains. Summers are hot and winters cool and humid. Lake Garda's Mediterranean-esque climate has a slight influence on the city's climate, but the humidity is still relatively high throughout the year.

An idea that many tourists might have a hard time swallowing is that the Veronese are keen eaters of horse-meat. The dish known as cavallois a local speciality and adventurous travellers should try the pastissada de caval, a horse-meat stew cooked in Amarone wine and paprika and served with polenta. It's also not uncommon to find bullocks' testicles and calf's brain on restaurant menus here.

Other traditional Veronese dishes include casoela(pork casserole), bollito misto(mixture of boiled meats) and mostarda, a traditional accompaniment of fruit and vegetables in mustard - and don't miss out on the delicious soppressa all'aglio(salami with garlic). Thankfully, for the unadventurous, 'regular' Italian fare is tasty and most travellers will be familiar with dishes like risotto, ravioli, pizza, pasta and other delicious grills.

The official language of Italy is Italian. English is understood in the larger cities but not in the more remote parts of the country.

The Euro (EUR) is the official currency, which is divided into 100 cents. Those arriving in Italy with foreign currency can obtain Euros through any bank, ATM or bureaux de change. ATMs are widespread. Travellers cheques can be exchanged with ease in the large cities, not so in the smaller towns. Credit cards are accepted in upmarket establishments and shops around the cities. Banks are closed on weekends, but tend to have better rates than casas de cambios.

Shopaholics on holiday in Verona will be able to get their fix as, like most Italian cities, Verona has its fair share of boutiques, designer stores, specialist stores and shopping malls. Le Grande Mela on Statale 11 is a great place to start, where 130 stores, a multi-screen cinema, 20-lane bowling alleys, billiard-rooms and game arcades can be found. It is, in many ways, the ultimate shopping experience.

Head to Via Mazzini, also known as the Golden Mile, for all the designer names like Max Mara and Cartier, where clothing, shoes and handbags are the order of the day. Even if you can't afford them, it's nice to just window-shop. The Corso Porta Borsari is another elegant shopping street in Verona, where everything from clothing to stationery stores can be found.

Looking for antiques, paintings and collectables? Visit Corso Sant'Anastasia and the surrounding area, where a number of antique shops and art galleries can be found lining the narrow streets. Try Antichità Due Torri and Antichità Sottoriva for antiques and Boxart or Arts Noveaux for one-of-a-kind pieces. The antique market in Piazza San Zeno takes place on the third Saturday of every month and is great for furniture, jewellery and even old motorcycles.

For fresh fruit, vegetables and other local produce, the market in Piazza Erbe is the place to go, while for some of nearby Valpolicella's finest wines, the Istituto Enologico Italiano on Via Sottoriva has a large selection of Italian wines.

A trip to Verona means plenty of sightseeing, history and romance - and travellers will have their hands full deciding where to begin. The beautiful architecture around the city, most of it rebuilt in Romanesque style after the 1117 earthquake, is simply breathtaking and is impossible to ignore. For many, a holiday in Verona isn't complete without a visit to Juliet's balcony. But there is more to the city of Verona than just following the trail of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers. In actual fact, 'Juliet's balcony' was only added to the so-called 'House of Juliet' in 1936, and named as such to attract tourists, and while the house is open to visitors, it has no connection to the characters. Discovering Verona's realtreasures is a much more rewarding experience. Visit the bridges of Ponte Pietra and Ponte Scaligero for some of the best views of Verona and the 14th-century Castelvecchio, which also houses Verona's Art Museum; while the ancient Roman gate of Porta Borsari, which dates back to the 1st century AD, will fill visitors with a sense of awe and immense history. The church of San Fermo Maggiore unites the Romanesque and Gothic styles of architecture, while the magnificent Verona Cathedral ( Duomo) features a marble Romanesque façade by the Veronese architect Nicolò, and the ancient Roman Theatre, which is also home to the Archaeological Museum, still hosts operas on warm summer nights.

Travellers set on seeing a good variety of sights in Verona should purchase the Verona Card for either one or three days (at a cost of ?10 or ?15 respectively), which can be bought from retailers participating in the initiative, tobacconists in Verona and tourist information offices.