The Verona Flyby

Two houses both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene…

That is all I knew about the city before I got there. And while I did make a stop by Juliet’s balcony, there is so much more to this city.

We arrived at the train station following a whirlwind of text messages between friends to meet with our volunteer guide, Massimo. Massimo had *gasp* a car! My time in private conveyance this year has been minimal. In fact, I have probably been in a car collectively less this entire year than I normally am in a week.

Massimo took us to see some beautiful things. This is really a wonderful city. We saw it from all angles, and then started walking. The people were lovely wherever we went, and it was certainly less touristy than some other places, though, there was no lack of touristy items for sale or people buying them.

The story behind Juliet is that one gains great luck, perhaps in love, from rubbing her right breast. I did my best to extract some luck out of her while Joanne shot some pictures though they all came out blurry, so I’m not sure what that says about the statue luck story.

The Arena, another landmark in Verona, is pretty nice looking from the outside, as we didn’t make it there early enough to get inside. It is supposed to be second only to the Coloseum in Rome in size and even better preserved.

What I am told is the most famous Italian wine en vogue at present, Amarone, also comes from this region. I decided to investigate that claim. I have to say, it is pretty tasty.

Massimo’s daughter, Matilda, also came out with us for a while and she is an absolute gem. If I had more time, we would have gone out riding horses, and then I would have promptly asked her to marry me. Sadly, a complete inability to find any affordable lodging in Verona meant Joanne and I had to head out to Milan later that night.

As I have said, one thing Italy taught me was the need to plan ahead in areas of high demand. It is great to be flexible and “go with the flow”, but when you don’t have a place to sleep, it hampers your ability to “flow” at all.

Massimo and Matilda were amazing hosts, even walked us in to the terminal and made sure we got the right tickets to Milan and knew what platform to catch the train at. Joanne seemed to have worn herself out and was near comatose on the train ride to Milan, giving me a little time to reflect.

Italy is a great place, but it takes time to integrate and get used to the flow of things. The language was a bigger challenge than I thought it would be and in retrospect, I would recommend starting out any extended Italian trip with an intensive language class before taking to the streets.

Wrap Up:

• Don’t feel bad about doing a day trip to Verona, even the people that live there will agree that is often enough time.
• If you DO have time and inclination, don’t feel bad about staying there longer. I think the city merits a commitment.
• Don’t expect Juliet to grant any wishes.
• TrenItalia only runs one cheap train every two hours. Check the schedule ahead of time and save yourself some money.
• With the exception of the Castle wall overlooking the city, it is easily walkable, and the local bus serves the overlook, this is an easy backpacker town to get around in, no need for a car or taxi, though if you have a friend locally, let them drive. 🙂