La città dell’amore (The City of Love)
Waking up before sunrise was well worth it on Saturday morning, when we took an hour and a half bus ride to Verona. Our first stop along the tour was the Basilica di San Zeno. Frescoes covered what seemed to be every inch of the walls, and the altarpiece (painted by Andrea Mantegna) was truly moving. Although I’ve lost sight of my Catholic religion in recent years, standing in these churches is an unspeakably emotional experience. There is something about Italian cathedrals that just makes you feel small, in the presence of something greater. Thinking about all that the walls of the Veronese cathedral have withstood since the 1100’s is really just curious. The masses, the marriages, the funerals. There is literally nothing that can even compare. Photos can’t do this Basilica justice, but here are some anyway!
After touring the Basilica, we saw a lot of other sights Verona had to offer, and they didn’t disappoint. Settled in the rolling hills along the Adige River, there’s almost too much to look at. The Piazza Erbe, with its iconic fountain and small market. Rumor has it that Madonna almost bought an apartment overlooking this piazza! We saw a beautiful Gothic cemetery dedicated to the city’s former ruling family. Probably the coolest part about Verona, though, was the way in which Roman ruins are incorporated into the everyday infrastructure of the city. Like, *Just sitting and having a coffee in front of a wall that is older than basically everything, no biggie.* Or, *I just walked over a 2,000 year old fossil in the sidewalk, another average day!*
And, of course, we saw the famed house of the Capulets. This was truly neat, especially since I just read the ORIGINAL Romeo e Giulietta last semester in Italian class (Let’s just say Shakespeare was lucky he lived in a time before copyright laws). An entryway with hearts and names scribbled on the walls led to a rather small courtyard, where one can find a small balcony overhead. Unfortunately, this balcony was a mere creation of an American director looking to film a movie in the early 1900’s. If you read the play, there’s actually no mention of Juliet walking out on to a balcony. Sorry, folks. It was still cool, though. The courtyard was flooded with tourists, but of course that didn’t stop me from taking the most touristy photo of all.
Yes, there I am, happily grabbing Juliet’s… ahem… right bosom. Legend has it that if you want good luck in love, you go for the right. For those of you who would rather get some sweet moolah, go for the left. Apparently, at one point in time so many people had grabbed her right breast that there was a hole in it, hehe.
Moving on, we walked to L’Arena, which is estimated to be around the 5th oldest arena in the world. Built in 1 A.D., this stadium was once home to gladiator fights, but now hosts concerts and operas in the summertime. Stepping out on to the sand and imagining being a gladiator, fighting for my life, looking up at a rowdy crowd (and perhaps some royalty) was really surreal. Needless to say, the History Major in me was geeking out a little bit. I mean, this thing is wicked old!
What better way to follow up some historic sightseeing than with a historic meal! Following our viewing of the Roman arena, we went for lunch at an excellent osteria. We had four courses, my favorite being the dessert sampler, of course. After this lunch of epic proportions we climbed/took the elevator to the top of Torre Lamberti… and man, were those some incredible views. Seeing over the landscape of Verona and the surrounding area really gave me a better appreciation for where I am. I felt like the Queen of the World (Move over, Leo)!!
To round out the day there was some free time and, to top it all off, a beeee-yootiful pink sunset/moonrise. In a way, that ending summed up all of my feelings for Verona. While Italy is often viewed as a romantic country, it’s often not true. People here are like people everywhere who have normal people problems and stuff. But in Verona? From what I experienced, Verona was truly a romantic city. In a way, it seems impossible not to feel the love in the air there. I left Saturday morning not knowing what to expect, but returned to Ferrara understanding fully well why Verona is La città dell’amore. To me, Verona is the quintessential Italian city, and it’s definitely on the list of places I hope to return.
A presto!
Mackenzie
Rocambolesco 