It’s the city of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, but it wasn’t quite love at first sight on my initial visit to Verona. In fact, my abiding memory was of a long queue to see Juliet’s balcony and a sense of disappointment when we finally reached the courtyard and found it a little underwhelming.

How wrong I was. A return visit – with more time and fewer crowds – revealed a maze of medieval streets and ancient monuments, Renaissance buildings still bearing the faded frescoes of once-well-to-do families, and the easy-going vibe you’d expect of a sunny city break in northern Italy. Rome, Florence and Venice have their charms, but Verona is the surprise sequel.