Ciao, Italy. Part 2: Verona
Saying goodbye to Venice, we went to the Marco Polo airport for a car booked in advance through Booking (I want to immediately warn you against booking with the Firefly agency - I have not seen worse service). The road to Verona was very quick and easy, the navigator easily led us to the very center to the Arena, where we left the car in the underground parking.
The time was earlier, the day was a weekday, gladiators and young mothers with strollers were walking on the square in front of the Arena. At the box office we were presented with a good map of the city. Either repair work was going on in the amphitheater itself, or the stage was being dismantled after the next concert. It was so amazing to touch two thousand years of history, walk on smooth stones, look at the city from a height...
After, along the main pedestrian street, polished to a shine by the feet of grateful tourists, we went to Juliet's House. The building has such a name because it was it that became the prototype for Shakespeare's work. Here you can also see the famous balcony, on which, supposedly, one of the most romantic scenes in the play took place. The house is open for inspection, tourists can even look into Juliet's bedroom, and there is a monument to the heroine in the courtyard. I especially liked the so-called. balcony of love (not to be confused with Juliet's balcony). Previously, it was a floor in a house in the yard of the same name. But it was dismantled and made an open area from which you can look down on the courtyard. The floor is made of pebbles, which are engraved with the names of patrons who spared no expense for this project.
Erbe Square (Piazza Erbe) with the Lamberti Tower (the tallest building that "grew" for several centuries) turned out to be very nice, and then the path lay to the Temple of Santa Maria Attica, and then to the embankment. Ducks swam in calm blue waters. Several bridges were built across the river, each of which offers an interesting panorama of the two banks of Verona. Further, bypassing the Cathedral, we again found ourselves on the main square, from where we walked through the Brosari Gate, through which they entered the city in the days of Ancient Rome, to the Castelvechio Castle, which served as the residence of the rulers of the city. 26 halls with paintings, sculptures, frescoes and other monuments of the history of the Middle Ages are located in this castle, which is almost 700 years old. One of the exits is literally connected to the Scaliger Bridge, which, although it was destroyed in the Second World War, is still magnificent - it was restored with amazing accuracy.
A walk around the city took about 6 hours, Verona left behind a sense of regularity, calmness, and at the same time admiration for the perfectly preserved architectural ensembles, and the hospitality of the locals. As a souvenir, we took away a huge book with illustrated photographs of the whole country (there will be a reason to practice a little in learning Italian; )
To be continued
