“There is no life without Verona walls!”
Romeo
Verona the Green
Verona is best known as the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet which is unfortunate because it is historical and beautiful. Yes, the tourists are discovering it and if you want to see Juliet’s balcony, get their early. Otherwise the rest of the city seems to flow beautifully.
Gardens
Verona seems to have more green and gardens than other Italian cities. In the piazza near city hall, there are tall trees, shady spots and a large fountain. The street is wide and is lined with cafes and buffets.
The sides streets are narrow and cool with old houses that hide beautiful medieval courtyard gardens.
History
If you stand next to the river and look across, you’ll see a bunch of houses and a castle built on a small hill. That is ‘old Verona’. Really old Verona. According to our tour guide, somewhere along the way the city decided to cross the river and rebuild.
It also boasted the oldest, actively used Roman Amphitheatre. It’s used for all types of shows. The previous evening there was a performance of Verdi’s Aida.
Piazza Erbes
Originally the farmer’s market piazza, the current market now has everything. Apparently Madonna has an apartment on the Piazza Erbes.
Swallows
There are swallows everywhere! I thought they only came out at dusk but in Verona they are out all day.
Juliet’s House
You have to get to Juliet’s place early if you want to see the courtyard and the famous balcony before the masses arrived. For some reason, there is a weird tradition that if you fondle poor Juliet’s left breast, you will get good luck. People leave messages to Juliet, asking for love. Apparently there is a whole group of people who answer all the letters – I imagine only if you leave your address.
I wonder what Juliet’s neighbours think of all the fuss?
And at Romeo’s house? Not one person. Go figure.
