Interrail throughout Italy

Milan - Padua - Verona - Venice - Florence - Saint Gimignano - Sienna - Pisa - Naples - Pompei - Amalfi Coast - Capri - Assisi - Rome - Tivoli - Monaco

This city is located between Milan and Venice, 1 h. far from Padua and 2 h. far from Venice by train. Despite it is not included habitually among the most famous tourist spots in Italy, I opine that it is another compulsory town, since it houses a great charm and romanticism. You will be surprised for sure. The Arena, the medieval streets, the castle nearby the river, Romeo and Juliet, the beautiful corners are only a few marvels waiting for you. In one day you can see it, but probably many tourists will like it so much that they will stay for longer. There are a lot of tourists and the accommodation is difficult to find.
The history is very rich, starting when it was a flourishing Roman town, passing through the Scaligeri's family government that led Verona to its peak power, and ending with the submission to Venice that allowed the development of arts and culture. During the 19th century it often alternated between the Austrian and French domination.
We started moving towards the Bra Square , a lively spot where the magnificent Roman Arena from 1st century B.C. raises. It is one of the most important and best-preserved Roman amphitheatres.

It has an elliptic shape, with capacity for 22.000 spectators and during summer they held many famous operas with impressive scenarios.

The day we spent here there was no performance. It was a pity since we would have bought an entrance at once. I guess that it is much more probable to find a ticket if you buy it in advance. We could see part of the scenery (in the picture). If you plan to visit Verona I suggest that you inform about the opera's timetables before going. In addition, the Bra square is embellished with nice buildings such as the neo-classic Barbieri's palace (nowadays the city hall) or the palace of the Grand Guard.

We continued towards the Square of the Erbe through a cheerful pedestrian street full of shops and restaurants, via Mazzini . The square was the ancient Roman forum and nowadays it is a colourful street market. Many palaces, ancient buildings and towers surround it. In the middle there is a beautiful fountain, the Madonna's fountain. This square really concentrates many of the things that a tourist looks for during the trip.
If you dare you could go up to the high Lamberti' tower , that offers exceptional views of the city and the region.

Afterwards we walked until via Capello nº 23, where the legend affirms that the home of Juliet (Shakespeare heroin) is located. You have to enter a small yard through a passage and we got astonished with the whole walls painted in the passage and the yard. When I say that the whole wall is painted I say that there are no holes because thousands and thousands of lovers have signed here for ages. The yard is charming and there you see the Juliet's balcony that can be reached through the house.

I don't have to say that every couple is delighted with such a romantic spot. It is a pity that you have to share it with many other tourists. You can touch the right boob of the Juliet's bronze statue, since it gives luck. Here it happened a funny anecdote. We defend the theory about the domino effect. If you do something different in a place crowded with tourists, they will repeat it, no matter of what it is. We knew that the statue brings luck and it was strange for us that among all the tourists in the yard nobody paid attention to the statue.

We calmly took a picture. While I was posing I could realise at the out of my corner that there were many curious tourists amazed. Once we took the picture I had to jump to save my life as the hordes of tourists rushed towards the boob taking pictures like crazies. It was so funny that we came back in the afternoon to check the theory again, and we again succeeded.

Going on with the itinerary, around the Signori's square there are several palaces of the Scaligeri's family , who governed Verona from 1260 to 1387, as well as their formidable tombs , masterpieces of medieval art. I also recommend the Commune Palace and the gothic stairs of the Old Market Yard .

Following the path to the river we ran into the biggest church of the city, the church of Saint Anastasia . When we arrived in the Bra Molinari's square, we got an excellent panorama of the Roman theatre at the other bank of the river. We crossed the Prieta's bridge, a Roman bridge from the 1st century A.C., and we ascended for a while to a viewpoint of marvellous views of the city . We crossed the river again and we passed near the cathedral , that we quickly saw (little interesting) to be on time at the old castle. In our way we walked under the Roman Borsari's gate.

The castle is the most impressive among the Scaligeri's buildings, constructed at the end of their government when the family started to suspect from the citizens' loyalty. The best parts are the interior yard and the adjacent bridge with a peculiar architectonic defensive structure.
Finally we doubted about either visiting Juliet's tomb, since it is a bit far away, or having a refreshment. We were very tired and it was so hot that the second option won.

We had a delicious Italian ice cream sat at the Bra Square, and we had pasta for dinner at the same square. At 22 h. we took the train back to Padua with a nice taste that Verona left in our mouths.