Day 3- Verona and Lake Garda

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
-Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare

Our third day in Italy started with a 2 hour drive, heading inland from Venice. Our first destination was Verona. As you may remember, Verona became well-known as the setting from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare's Capulets and Montagues were actually based on two feuding families from Verona: the Capellos and Montecchi. Besides the Romeo and Juliet hype, the city of Verona has some Roman ruins that we were excited to see.

When we arrived in Verona, the clouds were just starting to roll in... not the best sign. And before we even made it into the city center, the rain started to fall. HUGE raindrops and thunder. We found shelter in an entrance to the Roman Arena. This arena is the 3rd largest Roman arena in the world! It was built in the first century, and was used to entertain crowds of up to 25,000 spectators who would come to watch gladiator battles, executions, and plays. The day we were there, the arena was being used for a music awards show, which meant that it was closed to the public (grrrrrr....).Well, as the rain continued to pour down in buckets, we made a run for it, and found a nice pizzeria with outside tables under a canopy that we could eat lunch at. And thankfully, the rain calmed down while we ate. After lunch, we walked down the main tourist street, Via Mazzini, to Piazza Erbe. Piazza Erbe was a lovely, scenic spot with an open market, fountains, and statues.From there, we walked to the House of Juliet. As you enter the courtyard to the House, you walk through a short tunnel that is lined with love notes. Inside the courtyard, you can gaze upon the balcony, and a bronze statue of Juliet. The problem is that although this house was built in the 1300s, the balcony wasn't added until the 1950s. It was still fun to glance at and imagine, though. You may notice that the right breast of Juliet is a little smaller and shinier than the left. That's because the local legend says that people who rub Juliet's breast and wish for love will find it. It took me about 5 minutes to take this picture without someone posing and rubbing!

We finished up our time in Verona with a gelato of course, and continued on our way. This picture was taken just as we were leaving Verona, and it is classic Italy to me. Everywhere we went there were tall, skinny cyprus trees in the horizon. That, and red poppy flowers. And of course, vineyards. There are as many vineyards in Italy as there are fields of sheep in North Yorkshire-- grapes everywhere!!

Anyway, our next destination was Lake Garda. We had a very scenic drive up to the northern end of the lake. We found ourselves in the foothills of the alps, and we enjoyed driving among the mountains.Our first glance of the lake came when we arrived at a town called Torbole. We were a little disappointed at how hazy the sky was, but we still were amazed at the view! The contrast of the lake with the mountains and cliffs was gorgeous!

We continued our drive south, along the eastern side of the lake. After a brief stop to feel the water (can you see how clear it is??!!), we eventually arrived at a town called Malcesine (pronounced Mal-che-see-ney). We had hoped to take a cable-car ride up to Mount Baldo, but didn't think it would be worth it since the sky was still so hazy. So instead, we spent some time walking around the village. Before long, we came to a charming, cobble-stone path that led to a castle overlooking the lake. The view was beautiful.At this point, we were late for our agriturismo reservation, so we had to get going. The second place that we stayed at was an agriturismo, which is basically a working farm that is an inn. My next blog will be about Le Bianchette, and the authentic Italian meal we had there that night.