After a bit of a sleep in, from our previous days travel events, we asked the hotel staff how to get into town. After many questions, and 45 directions, Sara asked for a map. The staff member drew us a map on a scrap of paper, with a few squiggles which showed the direction to the ‘dark’. Sara asked if she meant a dark tunnel but was informed she meant ‘park’, though this is not what she had written. Eventually we found our bus stop about 20 minutes walk from the hotel, after asking directions many times along the way, and caught the bus into town in search of some lunch/breakfast/previous night’s dinner. We arrived in the main square, on a beautiful sunny day and fell in love instantly. The main square has a small park with a fountain and many lush green trees, surrounded by restaurants and shops, overlooking the arena – which basically looks like the colosseum.
We then found a restaurant with a semi-English menu, suitable prices and available seating and ordered some pasta to share and an entrée. We’re still unsure what the entrée was and why it was five times the price advertised in the menu, but it was edible. It was basically some potato sticks, and some calamari rings without the calamari, and tasted like spring rolls. Now with some food in our bellies, we headed through the streets to find Juliet’s house. As seen in ‘Letters to Juliet’, the movie, tourists are able to go to Juliet’s balcony and courtyard, and for a small fee, inside her house. It is also custom to write a letter to Juliet for advice on love, to which she will respond if you leave an address. It is debated whether there was a real Romeo and Juliet. Juliet’s house is found on Via Capello, which one assumes is where the name Capulet came from. There has also apparently been 3 Italian writers who have written ‘Romeo and Juliet’ stories that predate Shakespeare’s famous play. Also in Verona you are able to visit Romeo’s house, though this is closed to the public, and Juliet’s tomb.
We found the house, and famous courtyard, but the house was closed for the day, so decided to come back. We spent the rest of the day wandering through the back streets, looking at the market stalls and went back to our hotel for an early night. The following day we went back to Juliet’s house. The house had a display of random plates, cutlery, candle sticks, coins and artwork… it was hard to contain our excitement… There were also computers set up so that tourists could email Juliet their letters, to deal with the copious amounts of letters they must now receive after the movie was made. Quite honestly, it was a waste of time and money, and people should just go and visit the courtyard itself for free…
Next we set off to find Romeo’s house, took a photo out the front of the plaque with a Shakespeare quote in Italian, and continued on our way. We went to the arena, which again was not worth the money, but is still used today to host concerts and events. Yet, regardless of the tourist attractions not living up to the hype, the town itself was gorgeous and we could not contain our love for it. We spent the next day walking the perimeter of the city around the river, Sara went to the Roman Theatre, we found some gardens to walk through, and we went to an art gallery inside an old fort/city wall.
Verona was certainly the place to begin our Italian love affair…
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