Day trip to Verona

The arena

Rooftop of Verona

Arena

Arena (600+years and fully intact!)

Juliet's House (and balcony)

Love locks at Juliet's House

One of many churches

Piazza Erba (and flea market)

Verona Cathedral

Fresco inside the cathedral

Cathedral

Walk along the river

Picture perfect!

Piazza Bra

Saturday, Nov 19

So glad I had the opportunity to see this town. A colleague told me it was a beautiful city and that I should go there if possible. Verona is usually overlooked because you have Venice which is only an hour away to the east. We managed to finish our report by Friday night so I hopped on a train Saturday morning to Verona. It's only a 1 hour 2o min train ride from Milan so it's very easy. However, it's one of the few times I'm actually winging it, meaning I have no map and no set itinerary when I get there. I had hoped that there would be a tourist office at the train station (there wasn't) so that I can at least get a map. We were so rushed on Friday to finish the report that I didn't have a chance to print out any maps or info from the internet. Train stations here are usually right in town but maybe not in the middle of it. So when I got there I didn't see anything obvious to point me in the right direction. I have 8 hours to explore the city so it needs to be efficient. I spotted a general map on a bulletin board and saw that there was a tourist info office in Piazza Bra. That was enough info to hop into a cab and tell him where I wanted to go. It turned out to be the center of town with the arena and tourist office. Got my map and some reccos on a walking tour so off I went with the arena first on the list. I wish I could have caught an opera performance in the arena but that's only in the summer. The sound is perfect. From the top I can hear the people in the arena below speak in normal voices. One guy standing in the middle decided to joke around by singing some operatic songs at the top of his voice. He wasn't half bad so it was actually nice to hear.

Verona is AWESOME! For the first 3-4 hours I just wandered aimlessly and was rewarded with so many hidden gems. Narrow cobblestone streets, old houses with ornate balconies, so quaint. Ofcouse it was a requirement to stop by Juliet's House and take a picture of the famous balcony but honestly, this was the least interesting part about the city yet it's the most famous thing the tourists refer to. Manzini street was an elegant shopping pedestrian street with high end shops. All I could afford was window shopping!

The cathedral was especially nice since it had some beautiful frescos including the "Ascension" by Titian. I studied this artist when I was in spain many years ago so it's always nice to see his work.

The train station was in walking distance so I decided to walk there to catch the 8pm train back to Milan. There were signs along the way to indicate the train station so I was feeling confident. The only thing was, thick fog had set in and I walked right past the train station without realizing it. By this time I was in a busy traffic area for cars but not pedestrian, so no opportunity to ask for directions. I knew I was lost but didn't know what I could do. Walking back to center of town to catch a taxi could mean missing the train. WOuld have jumped in a taxi but ofcourse it wasn't an area to catch a taxi. Add to that was the time pressure of making it there in time for the train. Not my best move I have to admit. Luckily after 15 minutes or so I saw a byciclist coming towards me and I waved her down. She didn't speak english so all I could say in italian was train station and pointed in all direction. She understood enough to confirm that I needed to turn back and make a turn at a light. At the light I saw a woman crossing the street and tried to ask for direction just to make sure. She must have thought I was an idiot since the station was just across the street, except the fog was so thick you couldn't see it! I did make it in time but it was a little too close for comfort!

My fav city now? It's a toss up between Verona and Florence although I'm leaning more towards Verona. Florence has the culture (all the italian masters have lived there one time or another) but Verona is smaller in scale and simply beautiful. I'm so lucky to have had the opportunity to see these cities and get different perspective. According to my colleagues I need to go to the south of italy (as in naples) because it's even more beautiful. And the food is supposed to be even more delicious.