May has moved along rather quickly and I definitely have some catching up to do. I am going to rewind back to May 1st, when we visited Verona. We planned an overnight so that we could relax and slow down a bit and see all we wanted to see. May 1st, which was on a Thursday, is Labour Day here in Italy. Many people had a four day weekend. After a spate of cool and rainy weather, the sunshine and balmy temperatures called to one and all. As we waited on the train platform, it seemed that all of Padova was waiting for the same train. As the train pulled up, it appeared as if all of Veneto was on the train. We had to squeeze ourselves on. To our dismay, we had to stand on the upper deck of the train, between the seated rows of passengers. We were packed in like a can of sardines. Grasping onto the rail above the seats, we held our selves steady. Families, dogs, couples, people with bikes- people of all ages were on this train. The ride would be about an hour long. We knew that we would be doing a lot of walking in Verona, so it really wasn’t an auspicious start to our adventure. Resigned, I just accepted my fate, I chanelled my inner NYC commuter, pulled out my Kindle, and read while standing and holding onto a rail. A few people got off here and there, giving us more breathing room. Eventually, we both found a seat, even if it was only to take a load off for a few minutes before disembarking in Verona.
Finding our hotel was easy. It was a budget friendly place halfway between the train station and the center. Since it was early, we could not check in, so we dropped off our bags and headed to a little cafe where we ate panini and had some caffe. We were pleased to be sitting down. David had put on a lot of miles the month before I arrived, and then I had fallen into the same mode and we definitely needed to slow our roll a bit. A bite to eat, a bit of a sit, and some caffe got us rolling again. We meandered around, saw some of the sites, and got a feel for Verona. It is a lovely city and rather pretty. We did not have any particular destination in mind for that first day. We wound up grabbing some lunch at an outdoor cafe on a side street. We lingered over our meal and drinks. All that food and sunshine took its toll. It was time to check-in and take a much needed nap!
The nap worked its wonders! We were refreshed, once again, and set out to see the sites. Verona is the setting for Romeo and Juliet, fictional characters created by Shakespeare. This plays into much of the tourism here. There is a Casa di Giuletta in Verona, but no Juliet ever resided there. There is a statue of Juliet there as well. Apparently, everyone likes to rub the statue’s boobs. It is supposed to grant you a long and happy romantic life. (I think we alrealdy accomplished that!) Needless to say, this particular tourist site had a long line of people waiting to visit. While I am sure it is beautiful, David and I lacked the patience to stand on line and just continued absorbing the atmosphere of Verona. The old architecture, narrow cobblestone streets, squares filled with cafe tables, were enough to satisfy us that first day. After a nice meal of pizza in a busy square, we wound our way back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.
After a restful night, we woke up bright and early and ate breakfast in our hotel, complete with Nutella. We gave the instant cappuccino machine a nice workout and headed out to be the first in line for tickets to the Arena. Built in the 1st Century AD, this Roman era amphitheater originally played host to gladiatoral contests. In the middle ages, it was the setting for jousts and tournaments. Since the 19th century, it has become a venue for theatrical performances and music, most notably opera. It is known for its excellent acoustics and is one of the best preserved Roman amphitheaters in the world. David especially wanted to visit the Arena. The question was, how to avoid waiting on a long line? Well, the early bird got its worm that fine May morning in Verona. We got there before it opened and were first on line! We got to explore the seating area as a crew was setting up for a concert that was going to be held that evening. Beneath the stands were cavernous corridors and even some modern bathrooms set into the ancient surroundings. There was work going on maintaining part of the structure. You can’t be around since ancient times and stay a functioning theater without a little face lift now and again!
The next place we wanted to go to before we ran out of steam was the Castel San Pietro. We decided to take a route along the L’Adige. It was shady and tree lined. We also avoided the large groups marching down the streets following their flag bearing tour guides. We got to spot some birds and interesting little plants, before making a pit stop at another caffe. There, we indulged in Affogatti. Powered up once more, we meandered around and admired more buildings and churches as we made our way towards Castel San Pietro. We decided to give our legs a break and put the fun in funicular. Challenging our aversion to waiting in line, we managed to be patient and obtain our ride up to the top. The view that awaited us was totally worth it!
We enjoyed some prosecco and this amazing view from an elegant little cafe. Sublime!
After our needs had been met and some pranzo, we decided it was time to head back to Padova. We absorbed what we could from our visit to Verona. It left a very nice impression and definitely lived up to being “Fair Verona.”
Forest Therapy and Forest Bathing Walks 