Have you ever wanted to live like royalty? Well, now you can do so in Verona, Italy by staying at Corte Realdi. Not only will you be living like royalty, but you will be living where royalty once lived. This building is still the original 17th Century structure, from the frescoes on the ceiling to the royal coat of arms on the floors. If you’re looking for your Romeo and Juliet getaway in Italy’s city of love, Corte Realdi is the only place to look.

Spread throughout three apartment buildings, Corte Realdi is located in the absolute perfect location for anyone staying in Verona. Situated next to Porta Borsari, Verona’s main gate, and a five minute walk one way to the Arena di Verona and the other way to Juliet’s Balcony, you couldn’t be more central.

We had no problem finding free street parking, and the hotel was quite easy to locate. Everyone on the staff at Corte Realdi was as lovely and helpful as could be. We were greeted upon arrival by Sylvia, who brought us down the street to our room. She registered our car in the city (a must for anyone parking in the Old Town) and gave us her number in case we needed anything. Corte Realdi has decided to adapt to the technological times in which we live by encouraging us to text the staff at any hour for anything we might need.

Sylvia opened the door to our room, the King Luisa Suite, and I thought I was dreaming. Welcome to our room:

The doors opened into a 90 square meter room equipped with a desk, king size bed, leather couch and chairs, a table, and a flat screen TV hung over a two-person bath tub in the middle of the room.

The bathroom was soundproof and spacious; the shower had two body-length windows looking into the main room for those wanting to share in the showering experience.

Of course, if you feel like being modest in such a romantic room, you could close the shutters and shower in privacy. The bathroom also had two sinks to allow for teeth-brushing without fighting over the sink, a huge mirror, and a glass ceiling to section it off from the rest of the open air room.

After wandering the room in awe, we caught sight of the ceiling. Is that a fresco? It can’t be. Oh but it was. On our ceiling was an original fresco from 1820. Talk about an amazing thing to stare at from your bed!

Another incredible aspect of our room was its balcony — it looked out directly onto the Porta Borsari (main gate) of Verona. People used to have to pay tax to enter Verona and only the wealthy lived within the gates. From our balcony, we were able to notice the true structure of the houses within the gates: the second floor is far taller than than the third floor because the second floor housed the royalty while the third floor housed the slaves.

Corte Realdi occupies the whole space that was once for the royal occupants; the living room, library, dining room, and kitchen were all converted into bedrooms. Since everything has to remain original by law, in the bedrooms that were once the kitchen and dining room, you can see a filled window and shelf which once served to connect the two for when food was ready.

We toured each beautiful room in our building, and were astounded by the way that Marco, the owner, converted this house of royalty into a luxury boutique hotel that screams both elegance and comfort.

The building is so original that there’s even a secret passageway in the hallway! It was originally used to connect the royalty to the merchant on the floor below to make sure they were doing their jobs. Can you spot it in the photo below?

After wandering rainy yet beautiful Verona for some hours, we returned to Corte Realdi with a bottle of wine, took a bath, and soaked in the room with wine in hand. It was so comfortable and luxurious that we never wanted to leave.

We slept wonderfully and woke up at 8am when breakfast was brought to our door (at the time we chose): muffins, mini sandwiches, quiche, croissants, jam, and orange juice.

Our stay at Corte Realdi was a much needed, relaxing getaway in Verona, and just what we were looking for! You’d be a fool (get the Shakespearean reference?) to stay anywhere else in Verona.

5 FT Tip: If you don’t feel like spending $200 for the King Luisa Suite, you can stay in a less luxurious, but still elegant room, and I promise that you will be just as happy with your decision to stay at Corte Realdi.

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**Special thanks to Corte Realdi for kindly offering me a complimentary stay. As always, all opinions are my own.