Side Trip #2 Verona, Italy. Verona is the second largest city in Italy's northeast, with more than 715,000 inhabitants! We had to rent a car and drive here because it is about 200KM away, which is about 125 miles. There are many tourist traps here because it is one of most visited cities in Northern Italy. It is also seen as the city where Romeo and Juliet met and fell in love. You can see cathedrals, towers and piazzas. It ,again, differs from Florence because it is a bustling, new, city, not and old, relaxed one. Tourism is a large part of the economy. Many families get their living off owning vending racks at squares and malls. It was great visiting Verona and seeing what northern Italy is like.