One of the things I really wanted to do this time in Italy was take a train to a smaller city for a day trip from Milan. One of my favorite movies happens to be Letters to Juliet, which is based in Verona and when we decided on Milan, I knew I wanted to take the hour and a half train ride to Verona for the day. I really wanted to experience a smaller city in Italy and Verona is a place that’s not super well known, so I thought it would be quieter and less touristy. Well it was quieter than Milan but still packed with people exploring the city, even on a cold rainy day.
I really liked Verona, though it turned out to be a day packed full comedies of errors. I started the day by banging my knee on an ancient stone (which throbbed the rest of the day and ended up creating a huge bump and bruise for the rest of the rip), Nick dropped his camera in a puddle (which thankfully did no harm to the camera), and he didn’t have a hood or umbrella and we got caught in a terrential downpour which left him looking like he had jumped in the river. In the end, we ended up grabbing an earlier train back to Milan that we had originally anticipated because we really couldn’t walk around anymore in the pouring rain, but we had a nice day exploring Verona and some stories to look back on and laugh at.
I loved the colors in Verona. The buildings, the monuments, everything was colorful. And mixed with the cobblestone streets, the ancient colosseum and the tiny only pedestrian streets, it was truly magical.
Verona’s pretty small and we basically did a big loop through the city, starting at the Piazza Erbe, where we had lunch and I had the most amazing lasagna I’ve ever had. Then we wound our way to Juliet’s balcony which is supposedly the house that Shakespeare modeled the Romeo and Juliet story after. Next we headed to Piazza Bra where we needed a respite from the rain and enjoyed a macchiato and gelato (and Nick had Tiramisu). After an hour taking our time with our coffee and desserts, we headed out into the weather again and wandered toward Castelvechio, a castle and fortress from the Middle Ages along the Adige River. This was a really interesting place and it had great views of the town and really took you back in time.
Overall, I really liked Verona albeit through the cold and rain and the obstacles throughout the day.
I’m really glad though that we spent the day there… it was truly one of those places that could exist no where else than in Italy and that made it so cliche in the best possible way.
I can see why Shakespeare chose this little Italian city as his location for the tale of Romeo and Juliet.
And no doubt his notion of Verona is still alive and well today in this little storybook Italian city.
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Bonnie Rose says
Verona is beautiful. My dad took me there in high school and since the film with Leo and Claire had just come out I was very excited to be there. I loved seeing ‘the balcony’ and laughing at the tourists running The statue of Juliet’s chest. I’ll have to find the picture of me lying in the tomb that my dad took. Glad you were able to go and had a blast. I sure miss my home of Italy.
Bonnie Rose | A Compass Rose
Casey Martin says
Yea the city is really neat! You’ll have to make another trip home to Italy soon! 🙂
A Country Girls World says
Letters to Juliet is one of my favorites as well, I actually watched it last week! Verona looks like such a cute town and I am excited to go there one day!
Casey Martin says
Yea it’s great… even more romantic than the movie makes it seem!
roberta says
ciao i am from verona and love your blog,you took very beautiful photos of the city.. I have to say it s a pity you only spent one day in the city as Verona is not only the center but is much more, we have amazing wineyards in valpolicella and Soave and the garda lake..we have so many beautiful ville in the countryside..I hope next time you ll have more time to explore my beautiful city ciaooo and love your blog
Casey Martin says
Ciao! I’d love to explore Verona more though it was so cold and rainy while we were there and we only had a day, but next time I’ll definitely see more! Thank you!
Amanda Marie says
Your husband is a fantastic photographer! I love all the pictures but the first one is definitely my favorite. Verona looks amazing even in the rain!
Casey Martin says
Thank you! I’ll pass along the compliment to him! 🙂
tiarenie says
These make me want to back. I love the colors and the picture of you outside the colosseum. Stubbing your knee on an ancient stone sounds so Italian, hehe!
Casey Martin says
hahaha it didn’t seem very memorable at the time, but now that you say it, it truly does sound so Italian 🙂
Andi of My Beautiful Adventures says
OMG what a beautiful place, take me there now! 🙂