My My My Verona - Day One

*NOTE: this is a throwback-post! Originally posted on my "wordpress" blog and now it's been transplanted to it's rightful place here on #sisadventures - hope you enjoy!*

“Fair Verona, where we lay our scene…”

Last summer, we added Verona into our Italian adventure solely for the purpose of seeing an opera. During the summer months, the town turns one of its central attractions – Arena di Verona – into a beautiful and dramatic setting for an Opera Festival like no other.

Even though our only “planned” activity was the opera, we were able to spend some time exploring the town… starting with the main square, Piazza Brà. The term brà comes from the German word “breit” (broad). It’s by far the largest square in the old part of Verona, and is everything you have ever imagined about an “Italian” scene…

The square is lined with cafes and benches, perfect for people watching or just soaking up your surroundings. This seemed like the perfect place to try my first (and only) espresso of the trip, and of course there were plenty of gelato stands around to satisfy our gelato cravings!

As we made our way through the square, we got our first glimpse of “the” Arena, where we’d be watching the opera the next night. Well… maybe glimpse is the wrong word… it would have been hard to miss.

Even though it was late in the day, after we picked up our tickets, we had plenty of time to walk around the city and get our bearings. Just walking down the streets, you can’t help but be exposed to art at every turn. Look closely at the exterior walls of this building… so beautiful!

We walked down to the Piazza delle Erbe, which houses a marketplace full of vendors that offer the usual Italian souvenirs – but also the most delicious fruit I’ve ever tasted… I was again reminded of Under the Tuscan Sun, because the strawberries “tasted red,” and the pineapples “tasted yellow.” Delicious.

This photo of Piazza delle Erbe is courtesy of TripAdvisor

It was getting late in the day, which made for a bit of an eerie feeling when we looked up at the edges of the buildings and saw these guys looking down on us…

We finally made it to the Ponte Pietra (Stone Bridge). Again, this is exactly what you picture when you think of an Italian café, no? The flower boxes and colorful buildings and eaves… all that’s missing is the accordion music, right?

Across the bridge, you can see some beautiful “creepy Italian trees” and the Teatro Romano, some of the ancient Roman ruins in Verona. Of course the Arena back in the main square is the most visible, but in recent years, with renovations of some of the “old” buildings, they have discovered some “older” remnants of Roman history buried beneath parts of the city.

By the time we’d walked all over “old town,” we were starting to get hungry. Unfortunately, we had not really researched places to eat. We quickly learned that if you want to eat “al fresco,” you need to plan ahead… because once the patios fill up, people are NOT MOVING. FOR HOURS.

One of the things we were most looking forward to in Italy was the food. And let me tell you, Italy DID NOT DISAPPOINT. We tried everything and loved (almost) everything. But we were not really ready for the dining “experience.” It starts from the minute you sit down… first comes the olive oil and bread, and your first decision: sparkling or still water? Either way, you’re buying it, so prepare yourself for that (and drink sparingly). In fact, in Italy, it is true that the wine is almost as cheap as the water!

Once the waiter brings your drinks, he will leave you be. And so begins your Italian dining experience. Since you are enjoying the beautiful scenery and the company of your wonderful friends, the wait staff will not interrupt… to take your order, to clear your plate, to give you a refill, to bring you the bill… until you flag them down and ask. This is definitely an adjustment from our American tendencies to do things as quickly and efficiently as possible, but it is ABSOLUTELY necessary to get into this mindset early on. If you don’t adapt, you’ll be stressed out for every meal. And who wants to be stressed out when you’re in a place like this?

Stay tuned for “day two” of our adventure in Verona!