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The Craft Giulietta and Romeo Half Marathon is located in the beautiful city of Verona, Italy. Throwing back to the infamous Shakespeare tale, the course winds through the ancient streets of Verona before leaving the city to loop along the river, through vineyards and back to the starting line. The atmosphere of this race is extremely festive. Filled with people dressing up for the holiday, or dressing up as Romeo and Juliet. Read on for my full half marathon review.

Half Marathon Route

I absolutely loved this course. This half marathon truly takes you all around Verona. Winding past the famous monuments and buildings, down the cobblestoned streets, out along the river and back to the city via vineyards. The ending took one final loop past the castle and arena before sending runners into the stadium where they started.

While there were some hills along the course, they weren’t significant and the majority of the route was flat. For this half marathon review I will be breaking the course into 6 sections.

1. Starting Line

This half marathon had a great starting section, using small corals with groups going every 5 minutes. The opening stretch was wide which allowed for space as the runners started to separate out. By the time we reached the narrow streets of the city everyone had dispersed. Leaving room to run without worry of hitting or tripping someone. 

2. Verona City (Outbound)

In this section the course narrowed a bit but the runners had gained enough distance from the start line to spread out. This whole portion had amazing views around the city and covered lots of ground. Runners could see the Verona Arena, several famous churches, and the Torre Lamberti. It was also a bit amusing to see the confused tour guides trying to find their way around the runners.

3. Along the River

This section was absolutely gorgeous. Comprising of a nice flat run out of the city, with the sun shining and the Italian Alps peeking out occasionally to say hello. That said, this section was also a bit boring, as there wasn’t much visual diversity or cheering sections to distract as you hit the halfway mark. If you’re like me, the halfway point of a marathon can be the most important part of your run. Creating the feeling of either: “wow, this is going fast”, or “how is it only halfway done?”. The repetitive, yet beautiful, nature of this section of the half marathon meant that I had nothing to distract me.

4. Up and Back to the City

After the river portion, you start to make your way back to the city by running along some vineyards and up the largest hill on this course. While it is still a pretty run, the vineyards aren’t in their growing stages. This section also has you running along the open road which does ruin the Italian-Vineyard-Alps aesthetic. As you approach the city for the final time there are a few bridges and smaller hills to deal with.

5. Verona City (Inbound)

This section of the half marathon was great. There were lots of people lined up cheering on runners, and knowing exactly how far I had left (and having walked the path the day before) was wonderful motivation. However, this section of the half marathon combines with the 10K course. For the first time all day I felt like I did not have enough room to get through the narrow streets. In addition, the 10K runners were going at a faster pace which was confusing for my mental state into the final leg.

6. Back to the Start

As you leave the city for the last time, the Alps make one more appearance along the course and before you know it the stadium will be insight. This race finishes along a track, which is great for one final sprint to empty your reserves.

Half Marathon Refuel Stations

Throughout the race there were four water and refuel stations available. Approximately one every 3-5km. There were plenty of options for refueling, from water to mini cakes, with fruit and electrolyte options as well.

That said, I found the stations to be overall  environmentally wasteful. Instead of using small cups for water and juice the race was giving out full bottles that nobody was finishing. I saw a few people running with their bottles, but most people simply left the entire bottles with only 2 or 3 sips taken.

Half Marathon Weather

The weather for this race was amazing.The walk to the starting line was a little chilly, but once I got going I was perfectly comfortable in the sun. Overall the weather in Verona in February can get a bit colder, so bring lots of layers to help prepare for any weather. The race also offers bag storage for free, so if you don’t want something it is very easy to drop it off before the race starts.

What To Do in Verona

If you are visiting Verona, I highly recommend getting a Verona Card for your trip. You can buy them at any of the main churches and they will cover your entry into almost all of the main sights around the city. Verona is also home to so many delicious bakeries and restaurants. I could never recommend just one, but here is my guide to finding the best in any city.

If you are interested in signing up for the 2024 Giulietta and Romeo Half Marathon, click here.

This race is one of 12 that I will be running in 2023. If you are still looking for more European half marathon reviews, check out my review of the Funchal Half Marathon that I ran in January.