Verona, Italy’s under appreciated gem

Lazily waking up to our last day in Venice, we wonder where else we might explore and eventually decide to visit Verona. A small town, an hour and a half train ride back onto the mainland. We have little expectations for this expedition, however, with a burning desire to do “at least something”, we set off and hope for the best. Disembarking, we’re greeted with a regal stone gate contrasted to the remnant bridge beside it, blessed with whispers of greenery reclaiming its bricks to nature. 

Finding such unassuming examples of the passage of time is always peaceful; however, as our tummies begin to grumble, we shift our thoughts to the corporeal. We make our way into town, along the main road on route to… possibly MacDonalds. Though I am hungry and willing to accept anything at this point, I do aspire for a more tantalising option. And that’s when I see a cardboard cutout of Hello Kitty holding a pink burger. I’m sold! Upon closer inspection I can see that this establishment does actually sell pink burgers… and purple ones, and red ones. I’m double sold! I zestily order the “Hello Kitty Special” and secure myself the fanciest chair available. Jesse opts to wait for MacDonald’s suspecting my purchase may be a gimmicky bundle of disappointment. I too, have my suspicions… but OMG, was it worth the risk. The burger rocked my world! In fact, even though it’s entirely vegetarian… Jesse (the maccas fiend) takes a bite of mine and then, happily orders one too. If nothing else, I think to myself, Verona will always have a place in my heart for this burger alone. Little did I know, there was so much more! 

Feeling refreshed and ‘the perfect amount of full’, we begin to wonder, visiting Verona’s amphitheater or, mini-colosseum as I like to call it. Though we can only admire it from outside due to construction work, a notable lack of other tourists promotes the experience into a worthy rival of its Rome counterpart. Situated in the heart of Verona’s old town, from here, many other delights are well within walking distance too, and we need only let our eyes guide us. One beautiful corridor or mysterious courtyard after another, we find ourselves pulled in various directions; Google maps all but forgotten. Some of the courtyards even sport portals into the past. Large circular glass windows into the ground, through which ancient mosaics can be seen. 

Though it would seem time stands still in these empty courtyards, eventually, we return to the present and decide to check where we actually are. I’m keen to visit a specific spot and we’ll need to double back as we’ve actually walked straight past it! Now on a mission, we find Juliet’s balcony from Shakespeare’s famous play nestled in a more crowded courtyard. Along with several other tourists we whimsically grin at the balcony for some moments, before we partake in an apparent sacred tradition of touching the Juliet statue in the courtyard… for luck. 

Now anointed with Juliet’s magical protection and with the deadline of our schedule looming ever closer, we push for one last sight, Verona Bridge. We are walking faster now, trying desperately to take as much in as possible. As the sun starts to make its journey to the horizon, warm light bounces off the walls, imbuing us with a sense of serenity. “Ahh” I sigh happily, “Another unexpectedly relaxing and beautiful day.”