Verona, Veneto, Italy, Friday, September 7, 2012

Our Verona Room

Left Bergamo after a great day yesterday. Walked through the quiet town in the morning to the bus stop. First bus stops and I ask if it is going to the train station. He says no, so I ask when the bus comes that does and he gets out to look at the schedule at the stop and says it is no good. This bus is in vicino ( nearby) 5 minuti piedi ( 5 minute walk) so we get on and I ask quale fermata ( which stop) and he says he will tell us. When we stop it is on the street literally 150 feet from the train station. A super quick 5 minute walk and we are waiting for our train to Verona.

Downtown Verona

We change trains in Treviglio and cut across the top side of Italy eastward to Verona. We pass a lot of corn fields and vineyards. The Verona station is fairly big and busy. It takes a little map review and signage help to figure out the way to the main boulevard to town. We pass an old Roman gate and the walk goes by pretty fast even though we are hot. Google maps took us on a roundabout way down some alley but we do manage to find the place. We had told them noon and it is only 1100 so we are not sure if they are here but when we ring the buzzer, the door buzzes open. We step inside see a sign saying BNB 3rd floor, and lift to the left. The elevator has two doors, one with a door knob and the others fold in kind of like a phone booth. It is a struggle to get in with our packs but we do. Third floor arrives in a hurry and Damasiano is waiting for us outside.
I apologize for being early and he says no problem if you wait 5 minutes the room is almost ready. As we are taking care of check in details and obviously hot, his young daughter says something to Carol, disappears, and comes back with two cold glasses of water. By the time Damasiano records our passport info, tells me about the town, gives me a map, shows me where most of the sights are, and we pay, the room is ready. Even though we booked a shared bath, he gives us a room with an ensuite. That is greatly appreciated.
We freshen up a bit, get our info and maps together and head on out to see the sights. As we leave, I give Damasiano’s daughter some change for her generous service. That brings a nice smile to her face.

Roman Arena

We hit the street and look for the tourist information office which is nearby but fairly elusive. We buy the Verona card which is good for two days and saves you some money as it lets us in the sights we want to see, for free. We are across from the old Roman Arena and in Piazza Bra, which means open space. The piazza sports a fountain that was a gift from Munich, it’s sister city. The Roman Arena looms over the piazza. It was the 3rd largest arena in the Roman world and dates from the first century A.D. The amazing thing is that it is still being used for concerts today. Since it was included with the card we bought, we took a look. Unlike the colosseum, it is really not worth the admission if you were on your own.

Pizza Doge Rocks

Next, we stroll on over to Castelvecchio, the neighborhood castle. It houses a museum which contains Veronese art work and other displays as well as leads you around the castle, it’s clock tower and ramparts. We are pretty hungry when we finish so head down the neighboring street called Via Roma to search for food. We do not go very far when we see a line out a door and locals sitting on the sidewalk eating pizza. We have stumbled upon Pizza Doge, what I will have to call Pizza heaven. They have at least 8 different pizzas to choose from and as many if not more varieties of Panzerotti, a stuffed calzone looking item. The pizza is large rectangular squares that they have prepared and is sold by the weight. Tell them which you want, how big to cut, get it weighed and in the oven it goes. Pick a panzerotti all 3 Euros and they follow the pizza into the oven. Our pizza has fresh vegetables, peppers, eggplant and cheese, and the panzerotti we choose is spinach and ricotta. We sit on the sidewalk savoring each bite of pure pleasure.

St. Zeno

We could take a nap but needing to work off some of the low fat goodness we have consumed, we walk to a church a little further from the main drag. We walk along the Adige River and trees provide us with some shade. We reach and enter the Basilica of San Zeno. It is a well preserved Romanesque church with warm colors, but is important to the town as Saint Zeno is their patron saint. Saint Zeno was the 8th bishop of Verona and converted the whole town to Christianity. They still have and use 92 of his sermons. The original church dating before the 6th century and built where the Saint was buried, was enlarged to the new Basilica in 806 and St Zenos relics were moved here.
The Basilica is filled with art and frescoes dating from its beginning and through the centuries. We happen in on a day when they are displaying his body in front of the alter. The body is only displayed for a short time for pilgrims to worship and pray to.
Our day of sightseeing over, we stop at the market and pick up some gelato to bring back to the room which helps us cool off. I write a little and Facebook, and while doing so we get a call on face time from our good friends Rick and Beth. This was a welcome surprise and we chat for a while with spotty Connection until we lose them one final time. It was great talking to them.
Waiting until Italian dinner time of 1900, we wander out and around a section of town we had not visited. We find a trattoria and have a nice meal of pasta and wine. They even bring a small sampling of an appetizer, kind of like a croquet served with mayonnaise, for us to try. It was interesting, not sure on the mayo part but the croquet was good with a little hot pepper spice.  A passagieta back home and another Italian day has ended.
CNC
“Traveling is brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things-air,sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky”- Cesare Pavese

Expenses
20.40E-2 train tickets to Verona
30E- 2 Verona Cards
7.50E- lunch at Pizza Doge
1.79E-gelato snack in our room
28E- dinner and 2 glasses of wine at Osteria le Vecete
75E-BNB Citadella

Miles Walked – 9.5 Miles