Verona

Arriving

Our journey to 'Fair Verona' was hassle-free, with a pleasant hour-and-a-half train journey taking us to a station just 15 mins from our new accommodation. When we arrived at the location we followed simple instructions sent by the host and took the stairs up to the fourth floor of an apartment block, where we met the host herself: we are currently renting a private room in the host's home, and whilst this means we have no kitchen access, we do have very clean and modern facilities, views over the surrounding area, and a cute resident cat. 

After dumping our bags and having a snack we headed straight into Verona to see some of the nearby attractions. We crossed a very high river to reach central Verona and were quickly interested by a large castle on another river bank. The castle was imposing, but the bridge that connected with it was even cooler, with the red-and-white brickwork seeming to leap out of the water. We headed down some quiet streets alongside the river, and soon enough we had reached one of the city's famously tragic monuments. Legend has it that this church was the scene of Romeo and Juliet's (fictional) suicides. The city profits from this myth by charging a hefty entry fee, but the outside of the church was good enough for us, with its pretty facade seeming romantic enough to inspire such a love story. 

The Bridge

The Castle

Romeo + Juliet's Church

We crossed back over the river across the castle's bridge before heading into the town. It was mid-afternoon, but many of the cafes were still filled with chatting customers. Then, almost by accident, we stumbled across the landmark that earns Verona the title 'Little Rome': its own Colosseum. At the moment, the Verona Opera Festival is taking place, with concerts being held in the Colosseum itself. Whilst it is by no means as humongous as that in Rome, it remains in great condition and is an awesome attraction to have in the middle of the town.

The Colosseum

After crashing out back at the apartment for a while, we decided it was time for dinner. We hadn't had lunch and ran out of snacks, so we were both famished at this point. To make matters worse, as soon as we stepped outside the forecasted storm hit us - admittedly, the rain would be termed as a shower by UK standards, but it still dampened the mood. We abandoned our plans to eat in the center and instead sought out a local restaurant. We luckily found a local pizzeria with indoor seating which seemed to be a favourite of locals, as it was fairly busy at just 7pm. We settled down to two big hot pizzas, and they absolutely hit the spot. We've agreed that great Italian pasta dishes are tastier than great pizza, but when our stomachs are rumbling, pizza never fails to solve the problem. 

After a quick shop for breakfast food and snacks, we headed up to the apartment. Thanks to our balcony, we had a great view of the storm as it rolled over the horizon. 

Day 1

Today we ventured back into the city to get as much sightseeing done as possible. The center of Verona is fairly compact and it is very easy to walk between the main attractions, but at the same time, the areas we visited were mostly free of tourist groups. On our walk into town, we passed a Roman archway, one of the key remains of Roman civilization in Verona, and then we walked along the river until we reached the Cathedral. We couldn't go inside because the Sunday mass was taking place, but as we walked around the side we could hear the sermon being sung in Latin through the open windows. 

The Cathedral

The Archway

As we carried on walking, we passed through streets that reminded us of a whitewashed Bologna: instead of being painted in bright colours, these houses were shades of pale orange and yellow, and many of them had beautiful stone balconies overflowing with flowers. 

Quaint Streets

As we moved into the real heart of Verona, we started to notice a few more tour groups. They were clustered in squares that were bookended by monuments and churches, with the tour guides enthusiastically pointing out the various beautiful features of the town center. In the main square, there was a large market filled with stalls selling everything from rainbow pasta to Venetian masks, all encircling a central fountain. 

The Squares of Verona

From the market, we entered a side street to find a massive queue of tourists. As we walked past, we realized what they were waiting for: they were queueing outside of the infamous House of Juliet, where a (fairly recently erected) balcony is marketed as the very place where Juliet uttered the lines, "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo". We had a peek at the balcony itself, and since it looks very similar to the many stone balconies that adorn Veronese houses, we felt confident that we weren't missing much. After meandering through the streets for a while we escaped the crowds and found a quiet gelato shop. We quickly discovered that we had struck gold - this shop had won regional awards for its chocolate and hazelnut recipe, which we paired with a white chocolate scoop to create the perfect dessert. I was in heaven!

Gelato!

From there, we crossed one of Verona's many bridges and headed up a steep slope on the other side of the river. Here, we found a castle with great views over the city and a really refreshing breeze. The sight of Verona's terracotta rooftops and the wide river snaking through the city was truly impressive. 

Views of Verona

We headed home with good timing, because that afternoon a proper storm hit. We watched the thunder, lighting, and torrential rain roll past whilst sat on our balcony. In the evening we headed back out into the slippery streets and visited a local restaurant. This was in the basement of an upmarket youth hostel and had a big indoor space filled with tables. It was fairly busy here, filled with local families and hostel visitors alike, creating a cozy atmosphere. We both ordered pasta and were brought homely, hot bowls of fresh tagliatelle. After the storm, this felt like exactly the meal we needed. 

As we made our way home, the tail of the storm was ignited by the setting sun, lighting up the sky with pink and purple. 

Sunset after the Storm