Three of Shakespeare's plays are set in Verona: Romeo and Juliet, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and The Taming of the Shrew.

History
The precise details of Verona's early history remain a mystery, as well as the origin of the name Verona.
With the conquest of the Valley of the Po the Veronese territory became Roman (about 300 B.C.). Verona became a Roman colonia in 89 B.C., and then a municipium in 49 B.C.
The city became important because it was at the intersection of several roads. Stilicho defeated Alaric and his Visigoths here in 403. But, after Verona was conquered by the Ostrogoths in 489, the Gothic domination of Italy began. It remained under the power of the Goths throughout the Gothic War (535–552), except for a single day in 541, when the Byzantine officer Artabazes made an entrance.
In 569 the town was taken by Alboin, King of the Lombards. There, Alboin himself was killed by his own wife in 572.
At Verona Adalgisus, son of Desiderius, in 774 made his last desperate resistance to Charlemagne, who had destroyed the Lombard kingdom. Verona was then the ordinary residence of the kings of Italy, the government of the city becoming hereditary in the family of Count Milo, progenitor of the counts of San Bonifacio.
When Ezzelino III da Romano was elected Podestà, in 1226, he was able to convert the office into a permanent lordship. Upon his death the Great Council elected as Podestà Mastino I della Scala, and he converted the "Signoria" into a family possession, though leaving the burghers a share in the government. Failing to be re-elected Podestà in 1262, he effected a coup d'état, and was acclaimed Capitano del Popolo, with the command of the communal troops.
In 1277, Mastino dello Scala was killed by the faction of the nobles. The reign of his son Alberto as Capitano (1277–1302) was one incessant war against the counts of San Bonifacio, who were aided by the House of Este. Of his sons, Bartolomeo, Alboino and Cangrande I, only the last shared the government (1308); he was great as warrior, prince, and patron of the arts; he protected Dante, Petrarch, and Giotto. By war or treaty, he brought under his control the cities of Padua (1328), Treviso (1308) and Vicenza. At this time before the Black death the city was home to more than 40,000 people.
Alberto was succeeded by Mastino II (1329–1351) and Alberto, sons of Alboino. Mastino continued his uncle's policy, conquering Brescia in 1332 and carrying his power beyond the Po. He purchased Parma (1335) and Lucca (1339). After the King of France, he was the richest prince of his time. But a powerful league was formed against him in 1337 – Florence, Venice, the Visconti, the Este, and the Gonzaga. After a three years war, the Scaliger dominions were reduced to Verona and Vicenza.
Mastino's son Cangrande II (1351–1359) was a cruel, dissolute, and suspicious tyrant. He was killed by his brother Cansignorio (1359–1375), who beautified the city with palaces, provided it with aqueducts and bridges, and founded the state treasury. He also killed his other brother, Paolo Alboino. Fratricide seems to have become a family custom, for Antonio (1375–87), Cansignorio's natural brother, slew his brother Bartolomeo, thereby arousing the indignation of the people, who deserted him when Gian Galeazzo Visconti of Milan made war on him. Having exhausted all his resources, he fled from Verona at midnight (19 October 1387), thus putting an end to the Scaliger domination, which, however, survived in its monuments.
With the support of the people the natural son of Cangrande II, Guglielmo drove out the Milanese but he died ten days after, and Verona then submitted to Venice (1405). The last representatives of the Scaligeri lived at the imperial court and repeatedly attempted to recover Verona by the aid of popular risings.
From 1508 to 1517, the city was in the power of the Emperor Maximilian I. There were numerous outbreaks of the plague, and in 1629–33 Italy was struck by its worst outbreak in modern times. Around 33,000 people died in Verona (over 60 per cent of the population) in 1630–1631.
Verona was occupied by Napoleon in 1797, but on Easter Monday the populace rose and drove out the French. It was then that Napoleon made an end of the Venetian Republic. Verona became Austrian territory with the Treaty of Campoformio in October, 1797, and the Austrians took control of the city. Later, it became me part of Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy but was returned to Austria following Napoleon's defeat in 1814, when it became part of the Austrian-held Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. In 1866, following the Six Weeks War, Verona, along with the rest of Veneto, became part of the Kingdom of Italy.

See
• The Roman military settlement in what is now the centre of the city was to expand through the cardi and decumani that intersect at right angles. Most palazzi and houses have cellars built on Roman artifacts that are rarely accessible to visitors.
• Piazza delle Erbe, near the Roman forum, was rebuilt by Cangrande I and Cansignorio della Scala I, lords of Verona, using material (such as marble blocks and statues) from Roman spas and villas. Home of the Forum in Roman times, this is still a focal point of the city, and hosts the 'Britney Verona' fountain and the 14th century 'Gardello Tower'.
• Verona is famous for its Roman amphitheatre, the Arena, lying in the city's largest piazza, Piazza Bra. Completed around 30 AD, it is the third largest in Italy after Rome's Colosseum and the arena at Capua. It measures 139 metres long and 110 metres wide, and could seat some 25,000 spectators in its 44 tiers of marble seats. The ludi (shows and gladiator games) performed within its walls were so famous that they attracted spectators from far beyond the city. The current two-story façade is actually the internal support for the tiers; only a fragment of the original outer perimeter wall in white and pink limestone from Valpolicella remains. The interior is very impressive and is virtually intact, and has remained in use even today for public events, fairs, theatre and open-aired opera during warm summer nights.
• The Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore is considered one of the great achievements of Romanesque architecture. The present structure is the third on its site, built from 1123–1135, over the 4th century shrine to Verona's patron saint, St. Zeno (died 380). The façade dominates the large square, and is flanked with a beautiful 72 metres tall bell tower, mentioned by Dante in Canto 18 of Purgatory in the Divine Comedy. The weathered Veronese stone gives a warm golden glow, and the restrained lines of the pillars, columns, and cornices, and the gallery with its double windows, give the façade an air of harmonious elegance. The huge rose window is decorated as a Wheel of Fortune. Each side of the doorway is embellished with 18 bas-relief panels of biblical scenes, and the inner bronze door panels have 48 primitive but forceful depictions of Biblical scenes and episodes from the life of St Zeno. The interior of the church is divided into the Lower Church, occupying about 2/3 of the structure, and the Upper Church, occupying the remainder. The walls are covered with 12th and 14th century frescos and the ceiling of the nave is a magnificent example of a ship's keel ceiling. The vaulted crypt contains the tomb of St. Zeno, the first Bishop of Verona, as well as the tombs of several other saints.
• The small Romanesque Basilica of San Lorenzo dates from around 1177, but is built on the site of a Paleochristian church, some fragments of which remain. The church is built of alternating tracks of brick and stone, and has two cylindrical towers, housing spiral staircases to the women's galleries.
• Juliet's House (Casa di Giulietta) is supposed to be the location of the famous balcony love scene from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In fact, the house has no connection with Shakespeare's fictional characters - although the house is old, the balcony was added in 1936 and declared to be "Juliet's house" to attract tourists.
The balcony overlooks a tiny courtyard containing a statue of Juliet.
• The Castelvecchio is a 14th century, red brick, fortified castle on the banks of the river Adige. The main castle buildings house the city art museum which is packed with a rich collection of medieval sculpture and Renaissance paintings. The Castelvecchio features also an adjoining bridge over the river which is open all the time.
• Duomo di Verona (Verona Cathedral) was built to replace an 8th-century church which was destroyed in the earthquake of 1117. Consecrated in 1187, the church features an ornate marble Romanesque façade by the Veronese architect Nicolò; its pillars are supported by two griffins. Inside, the nave has many Gothic alterations, and oil paintings around the side chapels include an Assumption by Titan. The Romanesque baptistery adjoining the chapel of Sant'Elena is preserved, with its exquisite marble font and collection of medieval paintings.