This short city trip to romantic Verona was taken by Rosie and Edwin Doran in April 2005.

With excellent flight schedules leaving early in the morning from London Gatwick on day 1, and an evening flight back on day 3, it allowed plenty of time to make the most of this short break.

We were driven along the River Adige on our way to the hotel, before entering the maze of narrow twisted streets. You must stay in the old part of the city, in the centre. Our hotel, the 4* Accademia, just off the main street, via Mazzini, was perfectly located, and offers all the creature comforts one requires, with spacious rooms, a comfortable sitting room offering complimentary afternoon coffee, and a cosy little bar to end the evening in. The Gabbio D'Oro, on the edge of the Piazza del Herbe, with only 27 delightful rooms and a lovely courtyard, and the 5* Baglioni due Torri had an amazing lobby, rooms that are sumptuous with antiques and a “buzzy” restaurant, though more baronial home than hotel.

We had been given some recommendations for restaurants by our friends at KIRKER HOLIDAYS, which were spot-on, as usual. One of Verona 's top restaurants, Il Desco is an old palace and has a style and décor as stunning as the food, with efficient (if a little stuffy) service. After the free champagne, we enjoyed two courses (we couldn't manage desert) a bottle of red wine, half of white and two bottles of water, which came to E201. A perfect choice for a special occasion.

Other restaurants we tried were an excellent trattoria on via Stella – La Taverna di via Stella, where we had a wonderful antipasti of meats (perfect for lunch), and Ristorante Greppie. Two courses – try the Zuppa Pasta Fagioli – two half-bottles of wine and water cost E91. Other recommendations were Trattoria de L'Amelia and Tre Marchetti, but time did not permit a personal visit!

Two nights is probably not quite enough – the ambience is very slow, so to rush through all it offers doesn't do it justice. This would be my suggestion for an example itinerary:

•  Begin at the Roman Arena, where Operas are performed from June to the end of August. We have the dates of this summer's performances – please enquire for further information .

•  From the Piazza Bra, see the Town Hall – the Palazzo Barbieri – and the Gran Guardia Palace.

•  Stroll to the end of the via Mazzini looking at the fashionable boutiques en route, and turn left into via Cappello. At no. 23 you'll find Casa di Guiletta, and in the courtyard, you'll find the balcony of Shakespeare's most famous heroine. Unfortunately though, the entrance to the courtyard is where messages can be left, and is consequently covered in graffiti.

•  Continue on to the Piazza delle Erbe for a cappuccino and see the Palazzo Maffei, the Torre del Gardello, Palazzo del Commune, the Torre dei Lamberti, the Casa Mazzanti and the Domus Mercarorum, superb buildings dating back to 1370.

•  In the Piazza dei Signori, see the Renaissance Loggio del Consiglio and the palace of the Scaligeri family who ruled Verona from 1260 to 1387.

•  The Cathedral was built in the XII century, although the St Anastasias Church didn't come along for another several hundred years.

•  Do not miss the Castelvecchio. This is where you need the extra time though - there are so many parts of it and all are amazing.

•  A suitable end to any sight-seeing day is St Zeno's Church.

Time permitting, I would also recommend a visit to Lake Garda and the idyllic town of Sirmione. This beautiful walled town is an hour on the public bus and costs E6 for the return fare. Relishing the wonderful scenery en-route, on arrival we visited an 11 th century castle, thermal baths, some Roman ruins and the ever-present inviting Ice Cream parlours, and lots of shops and restaurants to suit all pockets. We had lunch by the lake, in the Antica Trattoria La Speranzina, and enjoyed the whole Italian dining experience: antipasti , followed by the primo piatti (usually pasta), then the secundo piatti (your main course of fish or meat) and the contorni (vegetables). Food and drink totalled 126.50 Euros for two.

The Hotel Sirmione enjoys a wonderful location and has a heated pool, around which several people were sunbathing – not bad for early April!. There is also the 5* Villa Cortine, but we did not venture into the private grounds.

Although we only had two nights away, one could achieve so much in that time that it felt like much longer.