Italy is just such an extraordinary country – with so many wonderful places to visit – its almost mind blowing!
After our lovely visit to Udine our next stop was extraordinary Verona, probably most famous for being the setting for Shakespeare’s romantic story of Romeo and Juliet.
There is so much to see and do in this glorious city – historic buildings, beautiful architecture, great food, and wonderful culture. but there’s also the window shopping!
Every shop window was a joy to behold – a work of art with shapes and colours gorgeously put together whether the display was food, clothes or even stationery! The Italians have such a fabulous sense of style and colour coordination.
The walk into Verona from the very convenient, central and good value camper van site was interesting. Firstly, we came across the City Gate (Porta Palio) which stands at the head of the ancient Via Postumia and which has been welcoming visitors to the city since the mid-sixteenth century.
Walking onwards from the gate we passed a series of military buildings and then passed various unique office buildings and shops – including one selling Dutch frites with genuine frites sauce. Of course we had to buy some and they were very good!
As we approached the old city the road ahead was dominated by the Castelvecchio (the old castle) which along with its adjoining bridge across the Adige River was built in the fourteenth century as a deterrent to powerful neighbors such as Venice.
There is a now a museum inside the castle which displays a collection of sculptures, statues, paintings, ancient weapons, ceramics, goldworks, miniatures and some old bells. We didn’t go in but instead wandered through the ramparts to the fortified bridge.
The segmental arch bridge (Ponte Scaligero) was impressive and the view was fantastic. At the time of its construction it had the world’s largest span(48.70 m)!
We crossed over to the other side and walked down to the next bridge – the Ponte Della Vitoria – and into the old city.
We spent a lovely day wandering the streets of Verona and saw lots of sights including “Juliet’s house” where there were huge crowds of tourists (many of them in school parties). Of course, Shakespeare’s Juliet wasn’t based on a real person, and the house doesn’t have any relation to the story but it is still a major tourist drawcard.
After a very good coffee and cake in a small cafe we carried on wandering the streets and came across Porta Leoni (Gate of the Lions) an ancient Roman gate and other exposed Roman remains that today are well below ground level.
On the other side of the old city -near the Castelvecchio – there is another Roman gate from the 1st century AD – Porta Borsari built over a pre-existing gate from the 1st century BC. This was the city’s main entrance and for that reason it was larger and more richly decorated.
Continuing our meandering through Verona the next impressive sight soon came into view – the Coliseum. Completed in 30 AD, this massive arena is older than the Coliseum in Rome. It is still in use today as a performance venue and is internationally famous for its magnificent large scale opera performances.
The Piazza delle Erbe, the oldest square in Verona, was the forum – the centre of political and economic life in Roman times. Today it is still a busy with tourists and locals drinking coffee, having a glass of wine or eating a meal, or buying clothes, gifts and souvenirs.
What a fabulous place to people watch and soak in the atmosphere. Great wine and free nibbles enhanced this enchanting experience.
Salty tales from Bali Hai on Sunday 