Blog Seven: Verona, Italy
Verona, Italy [6-10 October]
Another comfortable train ride, complete with a minute complimentary coffee each, takes us to Verona Puerto Nuova railway station, then a taxi drops us at our apartment. Our room in the Lady Verona residence is like a large hotel room, with a small commmunal kitchen outside, which no-one else seems to use. We also have a small stone balcony which affords a great view of the river and of the Castelveccio (Old Castle) especially when it’s floodlit at night. The advertised roof terrace requires mountaineering skills (ok – a steep and narrow spiral staircase) so we only make the trip once, though the view is pretty good.
Verona’s old town proves to be eminently walkable, and we take in some of the major sites in the glorious sunshine. The famous Roman amphitheatre – the Verona Arena – is at the end of its season, but we visit the interior anyway, and watch preparations for the final event of 2022, which is some sort of musical.
The Arena is at one end of the massive Piazza Bra, the showpiece main square in Verona, which features lots of large cafes and an attractive small park in the middle. The Piazza Pants is a bit further south, but we didn’t make it that far down.
Everywhere we walk in the city seems to have beautiful, aged buildings and there is a genuine air of romanticism, entirely in keeping with the city’s choice by Shakespeare as the setting for Romeo and Juliet. In the evening, every side street seems to offer a selection of appealing bars and restaurants. It’s noticable how frequently we see two women dining out together here – subjectively more common than back home.
Mention of Romeo and Juliet of course brings us to one of the city’s premier tourist magnets – Giuletta’s House, complete with legendary balcony. Now Shakespeare’s play was inspired by the Arthur Brooke poem, The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet, which was published in 1562. The poem was in turn inspired by older works by Italian writers, which told the story of Romeo and Giuletta and the deadly feud between the families Montecchi and Capelletti.
The house was once inhabited by the Cappello family – a name similar to the Italian version’s Capelletti – and dates back to the 13th century. The famous balcony wasn’t added until the 20th century. In the courtyard is a statue of Giuletta. For some reason it is thought to be good luck to rub Giuletta’s right breast, to ensure the rubber’s good fortune in love.
When we make a (brief) visit, a queue snakes back from the rugby scrum of the courtyard outside the house, and below the bacony, back into the street beside the Piazza delle Erbe, as people patiently wait in line (so they can’t be Italians) to fondle the unfortunate statue’s breasts. The visitors don’t seem to really discriminate between right and left, as long as the essential photo is snapped. The poor girl must have the most rubbed knockers in Italy.
It is a little bewildering to see people who are desperate to fondle the boobs of a statue of a woman who didn’t exist, outside a house she didn’t live in (because she didn’t exist), under a balcony she didn’t appear on (because she didn’t …. you get the picture), in order to gain some luck in love. Bear in mind that the fictional Juliet fakes her own death, Romeo believes her to be dead and and takes his own life in her tomb, then she wakes to find Romeo’s corpse beside her and kills herself. Lucky white heather.
Nevertheless, apparently thousands of people write to Juliet every year seeking advice on matters of the heart. A team of volunteers ensure that every letter is responded to. As Tina Turner once observed: “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”
At one end of the Piazza delle Erbe is the incredible Palazzo Maffei, which now houses a private collection of every type of art, ancient and modern, assembled at eye-watering cost, and open to the general public. It is one of the most amazing gallery/museum spaces either of us has ever experienced. Even the rooftop sports an impressive array of statues, as well as a vertigo-inducing view of the Piazza below.
Although you can walk to most places of interest in the old town, we decide to also take the city bus tour, which shows us places we might not otherwise have reached. The tour is unusually excellent, and it confirms the view that Verona is probably the most attractive of the Italian cities we’ve visited (leaving aside Venice, which is entirely unique). It seems like the ideal destination for a weekend break, particularly at this time of year when tourist numbers have scaled down a little, though the place is still busy and buzzing.
It also seems like a great place to go to University – you can even take yourself along to the Marcantonio Bentegodi Stadium to watch former Hibbie Josh Doig playing for Hellas Verona – a club founded in 1903 by college students together with their Greek professor.
My dozen favourite images from our stay in Verona are included in the gallery below. Click on a thumbnail to see a bigger image. If you’re using a mobile phone, turn your screen sideways to see the bigger image to best effect.
Image Gallery
