Writing Tuesday, July 1, 2008 on the road from Venice back to Rome, Italy

Verona. Verona is a very charming town; lots to see in a concentrated area with quaint streets, shops, and cafes. We only had ninety minutes to explore, yet we somehow managed to see the sights on our list.

We like stairs. We started with the bell tower where we were told we would find another good view. Proud of our climb the previous day in Florence and knowing that the tower isn’t nearly as tall as the dome, we opted for the stairs instead of the elevator. The view was quite nice, similar to Florence though smaller in scale. We took the requisite round of photos and our aching legs convinced us to take the lift back down rather than again march the 337 steps Dan counted on the way up.

Verona was also our opportunity for lunch, but we had to stop at the Arena. The Arena was built in the first century and is still in use today for the summer opera season. Smaller than the Colosseum, the Arena is better preserved. We enjoyed a little exploring inside and yet another climb to the upper rim of seats.

Now we had to hustle in order to find some food and see the famed, but fake, Juliet’s balcony. We scarfed down some Panini sandwiches while skirting through the crowds and managed to squeeze through the mobs to take a couple snaps of the balcony built in 1935 to represent the famed scene in Shakespeare’s play. The walls entering the courtyard containing the balcony were completely covered in signatures and professions of love written by the tons of tourists passing through each year. Dan had a Sharpie handy with his balloons in our bag, but we resisted the urge in our hurry to get back to the bus.

Even though it was quick, we enjoyed Verona and if are in the area would likely find our way back there again.

Continue to Venice, Italy