describe the setting and how does it help establish the characters and story

Shakespeare really goes for the exotic in his setting. Yes, it is Verona Italy but there is a sense of heat, tough streets and a different culture. There are rival families that act like fighting gangs. Romeo mopes around the streets which seem tense. Romeo never seems to go home for some reason. Sampson and Gregory loiter on the street, waiting for some Montague servants to pass.