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Italy Trip Day Eight - Essence of Verona

The sights, sounds and smells of the city
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

GNG group with Paula outside VIlla Valentina

After four wonderful days in the in the Cinque Terre, we had to move on. We fed the chickens, packed up, and said goodbye to Paula. One last fabulous breakfast and we were on our way.

We arrived in Verona just in time for lunch at Liston12 on the Piazza Bra, only a couple of blocks from our hotel. Judy and Karla went ahead to check everyone in and park the car. We started pouring wine waiting for them. Our tour guide, Mauro Albrigi entertained us with wonderful stories during a relatively quick lunch for Italian standards of melon and proscuitto, eggplant with tomatoes and mozzarella and fresh strawberries.

Last breakfast at Vlla Valentina

 

Mauro, a teacher of English and Art History, now retired, continued his fascinating stories as we began a four-hour walking tour of the city. Our tour started out with the history of the Castelvecchio, a great example of Gothic architecture. Mauro explained that the term 'Gothic' originated with King Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths who made Verona his capital. Although he made every effort to restore the city to its Roman splendor, he fell a bit short. The city is beautiful nonetheless.

 

tina with ghibelline crenelation
We also learned how to distinguish ghibelline crenelation from guelph. We walked along the Adige River, admiring the Ponte Pietra and the lovely roses growing on the bank. We stopped in at the Basilica of San Zeno, a stunning example of Romanesque architecture. Although the facade is currently under construction, the church and Benedictine monastery are in excellent condition and well worth a visit. We spent quite a long time at the Medieval bronze doors with their depiction of Salome dancing while St John the Baptist's head is passed along and other scenes from the bible. There is also the lure of the legend of the marriage of Romeo and Juliet on the crypt of San Zeno.

A few things puzzled us about decisions made by city elders, and when asked about them Mauro shrugged and told us, "Idiot's mother is always pregnant." It became one of our favorite lines of the trip.

Girlz with Mauro at Ponte Pietra

Mauro kept us well entertained with gossip both centuries old and from more current times. We saw the crypt of Dante Alighieri and heard that the Florentine city council recently revoked his banishment from the city--only seven centuries too late for him to enjoy it. We enjoyed our gelato at a cool little place with old cemetery stones used for walls.

Not Juliet's balcony. Not Juliet

The most visited attraction in Verona is Juliet's balcony. People from all over the world come to view the balcony where Juliet and Romeo pledged their eternal love. It's got a bit of the sideshow about it, especially since the balcony was built in the 1930s in response to tourists' demands for a site to visit. It's fun for a photo op and a visit to the small museum if you can push your way through the crowds.

Dinner at the Trattoria al Pompiere was excellent. We enjoyed a cheese plate, asparagus risotto, lamb, beef cheeks and salt cod. We drank two wines, Franciacorta, an Italian sparkling white made in the champagne style, and a delicious Valpolicella.

Karla day eight with Judy on pedestrian mall in Verona

For dinner, Karla wore a black knit skirt pulled up and worn as a dress with her coral sweater and a striped scarf for warmth. She was comfortable and looked great.
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