Verona

Verona is a city on the Adige river in Veneto, Italy, with approximately 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third largest in northeast Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona covers an area of 1,426km² and has a population of 714,274 inhabitants. It is one of the main tourist destinations in northern Italy, owing to its artistic heritage, several annual fairs, shows, and operas, such as the lyrical season in the Arena, the ancient amphitheater built by the Romans.Three of Shakespeare's plays are set in Verona: Romeo and Juliet, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and The Taming of the Shrew. It is unknown if Shakespeare ever visited Verona or Italy at all, but his plays have lured many visitors to Verona and surrounding cities many times over. The city has been awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO because of its urban structure and architecture.EtymologyAccording to a theory that considers the geographical position of the city, Verona was a key step for those from Eastern Gaul across the Alps to Rome along the Via Claudia Augusta. Verona is short for Versus Romae which means "In the direction of Rome". The -ona suffix, found in many Gallic names, is a simple deformation due to incorrect auditory perception that leads any person to hear the sound of a foreign language as a common sound in their own language, so to pronounce it incorrectly and wrote incorrectly.