Verona day 1
Verona, as with everywhere else we have been in Italy, has been great. We weren't sure what to expect with Verona but then with advice from many, especially Guido, we had a great time.
The city centre itself is tiny although beautiful. We saw Juliet Capulette on her balcony. She is much fatter and older now and I wasn't sure what Romeo saw in her. At least that's what I thought until Amanda pointed out that it was just an overweight tourist who'd paid to go on to the balcony...
I'm a bit puzzled with the Romeo and Gulietta (as spelt here) thing. There is a history of the Capello family (where WS got the Capulette name), you can visit Romeo's house and Juliet's tomb, but I thought it was just a story??? I get that Shakespeare was inspired by people and places but it isn't historical fact is it? Please correct me if you know.
Juliet's balcony was easy to find as it was rammed with tourists. Packed. Sardines visiting a balcony that wasn't even there when Bill wrote his famous story. It was still beautiful though, and perfect for the most famous yet tragic love story.
You can call Juliet in many languages. She's a clever thing! I guess from the grave you can do anything though...
She never answered. Maybe she thought it was me who graffitied the wall. It was covered with messages from lovers, even written on chewing gum! Minging!
You can't put letters in the wall anymore (as was depicted in the film 'Letters to Juliet') as it was damaging the structure so it is now, thankfully, carefully preserved, in spite of the throng of visitors. A great thing to see overall. It really was a nice place and you can see why Shakespeare would be inspired.
Verona day 2
Whilst in Verona we went locale... We summered like the locals and visited Lake Garda, a huge lake surrounded by vineyards in the hills, and stunning properties on the water's edge. A winery in the region Bardolini which we actually tasted wine from in the Maldives was situated on the edge, so that was where we headed. We never actually went to the winery itself through fear of getting lost. Our GPS lady (who we named Garmina [said with a heavy Italian accent]) often gets confused and leads us in all kinds of directions so we stuck to the main roads.
Bardolini itself is a quaint little place with a couple of restaurants on the waters edge, ducks and a walking path around the lake. We went to a nice local joint and had our usual; insalata caprese (mozzarella, basil and tomato salad) and a pizza. We had stunning views and watched the holiday goers swimming in the glacial, freezing lake. A lovely day out.
This is as far as Amanda got to swimming. The water was seriously cold!
The highlight of Verona was, without question, the opera. We went to see Aida. It was about a girl, a family, some slaves and a man. That's about all we understood as it was in Italian and we were drinking wine! But whether we got the whole gist or not, it was nothing short of spectacular. Apparently one of the 4 tenors was in it. Obviously not Pavarotti but not sure which one!
The sets were incredible. It was based on an Egyptian theme and the columns were so huge they had to be lifted into the arena with cranes, hence the 20 minute intervals every 40 minutes... through four acts seeing the performance end at 1am! The voices weren't put through microphones but the sound was still amazing, engulfing the arena seating thousands. Accompanied by a full orchestra, it blew us away. The lungs (chest) on the main lead playing Aida were very impressive... :-)
Venezia
We spent one of our days in Venice; a short train ride away but well worth a visit. Only once though. If you come to Italy, definitely do Venice, but don't stay there! Without doubt, Venice has been the most hectic from a tourist point of view. It is amazing though and you can certainly understand the reason to visit. The highlight, and a highlight of the whole trip so far for Amanda and I, was the gondola ride. We got ourselves a Valpolicella wine (we got through a lot of this as it is regional to Verona) and headed into the canals and enjoyed every minute, despite the green slime and the lingering smell of mould. The views were stunning and the history is incredible.
Ideally you wouldn't drink wine out of paper cups but when in Venice... :-)
We left Verona extremely happy and surprised at how much this area of Italy had to offer. This feeling of being satisfied has been the case everywhere, where in a few days you can see a lot, experience what the town and region has to offer and feel complete. Each place has been uniquely different, yet still so Italian, and we have loved it all. It is everything and more that we wanted from Italy. The wine, the food, the people, the language, the history and the culture all make this country so very special.
We are now back in Tuscany in the amazing walled town/fortress of San Gimignano and there is opera on! No time for a fact because the fat lady is singing and we need to get amongst it so ciao for now!
Arrivederchi!
Dave Canavan MSc
www.thechingchokhunter.com
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