On Giulietta’s balcony

Verona, the setting of Romeo and Juliet, was a cute and colorful town to see. Not only did streets have a canopy of hearts, the buildings were of yellows, pinks and reds. On our short tour of the town we got to see many wonderful things…

The Casa di Giulietta (Juliet’s House) was a fun place to go. Here is the famous balcony, and I, of course, climbed the stairs for a picture. In the archway leading to the balcony the walls are covered with notes from people professing their love. Now days the walls are covered with white sheets to protect the walls and they are changed every few months. Also here is the poor statue of Juliet. Supposedly rubbing her right breast brings luck in love…and the statue has evidence of attempts. Later we visited Casa di Romeo, home of the Montague family.

The 2,000 year old Roman arena in Verona reminds me of a mini coliseum. An earthquake brought down most of the outer wall, but the town still uses the arena today as an opera house. It was built so a person can’t hear anything happening on the inside from outside its walls. Near the arena is Piazza Bra that has colorful buildings and many bars, restaurants and gelaterias. It’s considered the “swimming pool” because this is where people meet to eat and gossip. Piazza Erbe is home to a statue of Dante and was bustling with many venders. A short walk from there is a wonderful palace complete with a private chapel.

Even though this is a small town of 4,000, it’s the fourth most visited city in Italy. Mi piace Verona!