Oh, Verona

Our first stop in Italy was Verona; some may know it as the city where Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, “Romeo and Juliette” takes place.  I really didn’t care for “Juliette’s Balcony” though.  I just wanted to see Italy, eat delicious (and cheap) Italian food and drink wine. 

One of the prominent structures in Verona is its Arena, the Arena di Verona, capable of seating thousands and thousands of spectators.  We were supposed to catch a performance of “Aida”, recommended by Dominic back in Bavaria on the day of our arrival.  Of course, we mixed up the dates and missed our opportunity to see this fabulous opera.  Now we have to come back to Verona to see it in the Arena.

The strong currents of Asian tourists led me to “Juliette’s Balcony”; whether it’s real or not, no one really knows.  The walls leading into the courtyard are covered with graffiti of sworn love (or in some cases, a shriek of love for the Jonas Brothers and other teen pop stars).  In the courtyard, one can find the statue of Juliette; the so called legend is that if you touch her right breast, you will have a very happy marriage.  Where these legends come to life is beyond me. 

We made our way through the streets of Verona to the Castlevecchio, a fantastic 14^th century Roman fortress, now home of the Castlevecchio Museum (restorations were done by Carlo Scarpa, one of my favorite architects).  We cooled our feet in the waters of the river at the banks of the bridge and took in the view of the magnificent Gothic structure.

Of course, we headed to a scenic look-out point to take in the panorama of Verona.  It was unlike any city we’ve visited so far; each city had its own charm, and Verona had that Italian charm. 

When it came to a quick decision on food, it always came down to pizza, and you can’t go wrong with it.  It’s cheap, delicious and filling.  People have told me that pizza in Italy is different from the ones in the US, and that not many Americans like the Italian pizza, but Alex and I had no problems cleaning our pizza pie plate.  And of course, we had to try our first Gelato.  I decided on the Melon flavor, because the tub was nearly empty and I thought it was a popular flavor and decided to try it.  It was yummy, but I don’t think I’ll be getting that flavor again.  

Dinner was kept light, as I was still full from the pizza and gelatos.  And nothing beats a warm summer evening like a cool mozzarella and tomato salad.  Yes, I know, you can make that at home or get it in the US.  I just wanted to eat it at a sidewalk café in Verona, and feel Italian.

I tried a drink called the Spritzer, a very light cocktail, consisting of a mix of sparkling white wine, sparkling water and a choice of colored alcohol, like Aperol.  It was a bit too bitter for my taste, although it does look amazingly delicious and refreshing.  What I am absolutely hooked on are the Italian lemon sodas.  It actually tastes like lemons, not sugary at all like the sodas in the US.  At this particular café we went to one night, they brought over a lightly sweetened soda (tasted like the marble soda from Japan) and a small cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice.  The customer could then pour in the desired amount of lemon juice into his/her soda.  I know, it’s a very basic and simple way of making the drink; but I was just blown away by the refreshing taste, and disgusted at the realization of how sugary sodas in the US are.  Yuck!!