October 6, 2022

October 6, 2022

Aimee and I set out to explore the World Heritage city of Verona, Italy today. To save wear and tear on my feet, we hopped on a bus from the train station into the Centro Storico (Historic Center) getting off at Piazza Bra. The square sits just inside one of the medieval brick gates of this walled city. Our hotel sits just outside Porto Nuovo, one of the gates from a later wall from the Venetian and Austrian eras.

Also on Piazza Bra is the old Roman Arena. Like the one in Arles, France, this arena is still in use for concerts and the like. Verona was an important Roman city because it was at the junction of four Roman roads. We walked further into the old town reaching Porta Basari, a marble gate from the much earlier Roman wall. The walls kept getting moved out as the city population expanded.

Our next stop was Piazza Erbe. Hidden in a courtyard around a corner is the House of Juliet and her famous 'O Romeo Romeo, Wherefore art thou Romeo' balcony. Sadly this is all marketing hype. The owner is making a killing selling photo ops on the balcony. According to custom, I was obligated to rub the breast on the statue of Juliet for good luck.

In the Piazza dei Signori, we run into a statue of Dante. After being condemned to death by the church, he sought refuge here. He is famous for writing the long poem Divine Comedy. In a courtyard off this square we discovered a cool Renaissance stairway similar to one we saw in Croatia.

Verona was ruled for many years by the Scaligeri family. We passed their set of decorated tombs. Later the Venetians, needing a foothold on the mainland, bought the town.

Verona sits on a tight bend of the Adige River for defense. The Ponte Pietra bridge was built by the Romans, blown up by retreating Germans in WWII, and then rebuilt using the original stones fished from the river. We can see the ruins of the Roman theater on the opposite bank. We stop and watch a woman being filmed by a drone as she walked back and forth across the bridge. They are probably making a video for Tik-Tok to earn click money.

On the return trip we stopped at the Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria Matricolare). It was mostly a rest break. Our last stop was at Castelvecchio, the brick castle of the ruling Scaligeri family. Attached to it is a fortified bridge with nice views of the river.

Back at Piazza Bra, instead of lunch, we decided to head back to our hotel and take the train to our next destination of Padua or Padova. Despite Verona being higher on the tourist schedule, Aimee and I liked Mantua much better.

After checking into our accommodations in Padua, we walk south toward the historic center. On the way we find a nice cafe for an early dinner. We have a delicious and spicy Pasta Arrabbiata entree washed down with some local beer.

We spend the rest of the afternoon walking up and down the main drag. Padua is a university town and students and locals are everywhere. It seems to be a hopping town. Our stroll took us by the Palazzo del Capitanio. It has a beautiful clock tower on it. Seeing the statue of the Lion of St Mark, I could easily tell this was the office of the Venetian Government. As Venice expanded, they needed a land base to ensure a food supply. Next door Padua and Verona was the logical expansion zone.

We also stopped for our first Gelato in Italy. Tasty!