Oh Verona!

August 3, 2009

Verona! Verona was much more touristy than the previous towns we had just visited. But it had good reason to be! It was beautiful and full of things to do. We bought a VeronaCard, a pass that let us into any of the sites we wanted. Visiting just 2 sites paid for the card!

In Verona, our couchsurfing fell through, so we stayed at this cute bed and breakfast and this was our room! The place was new and the owners offered some unique things in addition to breakfast. We got a packed lunch for the day and bus tickets to help us get around town.
Our first stop was the Roman Arena that is in excellent condition and still used for concerts and performances today!

Wow! It was really impressive and there used to be an even higher level above but it has since been destroyed. There is a small section of the upper level that still exists but it was getting some restorative work done while we were there. You can see the stage set up for a performance.

It was a cloudy and much welcomed cooler day in Verona. We were so thankful to have a cooler day!

You had to pay to enter most of the churches in Verona as well as the other sites. Thankfully our VeronaCard covered the entrance fees to churches as well. This church had a wooden ceiling shaped like the bottom of a boat.

Under one of the cathedrals was this ancient chapel with really old frescoes. They were even able to excavate a little under this chapel and found remains of an even older structure! Every so often the floor would be glass so you could see the old remains underneath.

Amazing architecture!

Juliet's house! The Capulet and the Montegue families really did exist and live in Verona but the story of Romeo and Juliet is completely fictional. Both houses are still standing and can be visited. The bottom floor of Romeo's house now has a bar but Juliet's house is a museum and the courtyard is always crowded with people.

All over the walls people were signing and drawing hearts, we added ours! You can see the tiny heart with 'A E 09' in it!

In one of the squares was this tower that you could climb to get panaramic views of the city. It was free to take the stairs, so we took the stairs!

Almost to the top!!

We made it! This was just one of the amazing views of the city at the top of the tower.

Yes, that wall is really leaning like that to the left! Actually, not an uncommon site in Italy!

Storms were rolling in as the evening came and the cool wind felt so good! Here we were on our way to a castle and museum. The colorful houses are so beautiful. We really love the towns because they aren't filled with modern buildings. The only clue that we are not in the past are the vespas and cars racing through the streets!

Keep going! Lots of posts today!