Trapped with 200 school children at 35,000ft Monarch had hired a pair of actors in medieval dress for the occasion. In an original take on in-flight entertainment, they ran along the aisles directing pupils to act out scenes from the play in the gaps between passing meal trolleys. As we passed over the snowy crevasses of the Alps there were gasps of appreciation. "Flying over the mountains was really cool," Imogen Rose, 13, said to me, "I've never done that before and you don't see them in the UK." Later, the children were given wristbands with the phone number of a teacher written on in case they got separated - a comforting thought for someone as terrible at directions as I am. On landing, we were whisked through security by Verona airport staff. A visit to a vintage car museum and a lunch of pizza passed by equally smoothly, before the highlight, a city tour and the chance to imagine scenes from Shakespeare's love story brought to life. We filed across the handsome, fortified Scaligero bridge, pausing frequently above the sparkling Adige river for the children's ever-present camera phones to record the moment. Did the pupils think Verona was a romantic city? "Well, the boys are fit," one giggled, "I'd move here." At the Arena, the impressive Roman amphitheatre that dominates the Piazza Bra, the more spirited tested the acoustics by bellowing to friends on the other side. But Juliet's House was the attraction that sparked the most excitement. There was surprisingly little interest however in adding to the scrawls of graffiti left by lovers on the walls outside. This was a well behaved bunch. We made our way instead through into the courtyard which was swimming with crowds gawping at the ivy-tangled balcony where we could imagine Juliet may have stood. "It would be more romantic if there were less people here," remarked one of the pupils. Every other tourist was eagerly waiting for their turn to perform the tradition of giving the bronze bosom of Juliet's statue a rub for luck. A couple of boys in our group eventually built up the courage to try, only after spending 10 minutes daring each other to do so. Did they make a wish? Oh no, I just wanted to grab it. There was just enough time left to sample a scoop or three of Italian ice cream, a universal hit. "We didn't really believe we had won at first," Oli Sumner, who admitted to having four scoops, told me. It was a real shock - in a good way. Aside from sunshine and gelati, what had pupils gained from the day? "I liked learning about the amphitheatre," said Ben Mccrindle, 13. They used to have gladiators there but now they have rock concerts - I didn't think it would still be used. Florence Amery, 12, said: "It helped me with history because I can see how they lived and how it was still about politics back then. It was interesting to see that they had arguments like people do today. Even the teachers, final head count over with, seemed to have enjoyed themselves. "Monarch pulled out all the stops, treating us like VIPs with our own plane," said Adam Rowe, head of drama. It was a glimpse into Italian culture that hopefully whetted their appetite for travel and new experiences. Full marks all round then.