Verona ... via Genoa, too bad it wasn't on our itinerary
But that wasn't the only incident on our journey that day.
San tuario della Madonna di Lourdes, Verona
Good morning, and welcome. A bit of homework, just in case you are unaware, apparently if my post is “too long for email” it is best to have the Substack app so you can read the whole thing. Just saying…
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It is time to depart Santa Margherita and we are looking forward to arriving in Verona, a medieval town built alongside the Adige River and famous for being the setting of Romeo and Juliet. There is plenty to see and do and I’m ready to tick off the list.
All well laid plans were working in our favour until we reached the outskirts of Genoa, all of a sudden there is a menagerie of signposts, all leading to somewhere other than Verona. None of the towns listed can I see on our map, and there is nowhere you can pull over to check, so me being the wrong person to ask said, “Go left”…WRONG!! We ended up on our way to Genoa, and when paying our toll Les asked how we could get to Verona, the lady indicated that we needed to turn back which is very hard on a freeway.
We drove on looking for somewhere to exit and the road seemed to go on and on until Les decided to head for a car park he could see ahead near the wharves, and having no idea of how to get out. Like most European cities they are filled with one way streets!!
Eventually we came across a Police Station and Les went in to ask for directions. Finally between them not speaking English and us not speaking Italian we got directions which were understood and we headed for the Autostrada, even if we did end up going up a one way street!
Safely on our way, when about halfway to Verona we had quite a traffic delay in that it took us about a hour to travel approximately 3kms. Naturally everyone was getting a bit stressed and getting out of their cars to see what the problem was, eventually we came across a truck that had been loaded with pigs which had tipped over. The driver was busily trying to round up these pigs whilst we waited patiently for him to have them re-loaded.
The Hotel Mastino where we are staying doesn’t have parking so we found a parking lot across the road where we were able to leave the car for the time we were here. It was a weird situation regarding the accommodation, after checking in we were taken in a golf cart down the road beside the hotel to our room, which wasn’t in the main building. Our room was lovely and the dining room downstairs was painted with Italian frescos, and when we went down for breakfast we were the only ones dining.
The other thing was when we were leaving, we were told “no I’m sorry we can’t pick you up it is a one way street”, so here we are dragging our cases along a cobble stoned street back to our car, no traffic in sight.
The location of our accommodation was good as it was only a short walk to the Verona Arena, unfortunately for us it was partially covered with scaffolding which seems to be the story of our life when travelling. Two things we seem to follow, either scaffolding on major buildings or the tides out. We were also close to what is known as Piazza Bra which is the largest piazza in Verona, and not far away was the Piazza delle Erbe where they had a fabulous market which in operation every day.
Within the Piazza Delle Erbe is the famous Madonna Verona Fountain. The Arco della Costa which leads to another Piazza in which are The Palace of the Commune and the Old Market Yard, at the entrance is a whalebone hanging by a chain which has been there since the 1700’s. Legend being it will fall when the first honest truthful person walks beneath it. Just goes to show none of us fit the bill apparently, even the Pope.
Piazza Bra, Arco della Costa and the whalebone, Piazza delle Erbe and Madonna Verona Fountain
The market was well patronised and one outstanding feature for me was the frescos on the walls of the buildings.
Piazza Bra is filled with shops and restaurants, I’m sure we must have had a meal there but for the life of me I can’t remember where or what we ate, and as far as shopping goes we were more interested in what was on our list to see. Nearby is the Verona Arena which as I mentioned was partially covered with scaffolding, but an interesting building all the same.
Of course we went to see Casa di Guilietta, which on the day was relatively quiet, and yes of course I walked up the stairs to hang my head out over the balcony, and my husband added to the shine of Juliet’s breast. It was also interesting to see the ladies writing the responses to the numerous letters that arrive at the destination. I’m not sure how many people would do that today, they would probably try and send a text message or email. Well of course I googled, and yes people still write, and the origin of the secretaries who respond began in the 1930’s when Ettore Solimani, the guardian of Juliet’s tomb, began gathering the letters left at her grave.
We then wandered over Ponto Pietra where we found a very old Roman amphitheatre nearby to the Archaeological Museum of the Roman Theatre, it was pretty overgrown, whether that has changed in the past 19 years I am not sure.
Continuing on we found the most beautiful Giusti Gardens, so green and pristine, a typical Italian style garden with the palace in the background. We spent quite some time wandering around the gardens and getting lost in the maze.
This is another long standing location in Verona, beginning in the 1400’s when Provolo Giusti moved from Tuscany to work in the wool dying industry, he purchased land nearby to where Via Postumia used to be, (now that is another interesting story to be told). The palace is the result of combining several small buildings which were used for the wool business and converting them into a formal palazzo during the 1500’s
As it is many years since we did this trip, and due to the fact that I didn’t write a journal, I can’t say in what order we found the following locations being the Church of San Zeno in Oratorio which is located near Castelvecchio, it is a small Romanesque church which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1117 and rebuilt during the 14th Century.
We looked around Castelvecchio and then walked across Ponto Castelvecchio which is attached to the castle, we admired the structure of the Arco dei Garvi, such an interesting story, one of the many you could find about Verona. See the note below.
The Arco dei Gavi is an ancient structure in Verona, northern Italy, situated at the beginning of the Via Postumia, just outside the Roman walls of the city. Built to celebrate the gens Gavia, a noble Roman family who had their hometown in Verona, the Arco dei Gavi is a very rare example of a privately funded monumental Roman arch.[1]
During the Renaissance the arch was one of the most admired monuments in Verona, being described by humanists and antiquarians, who studied in detail the proportional relationships and decoration of the structure. The arch served as inspiration for many architects and painters, such as Andrea Palladio, Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Sebastiano Serlio, Giovanni Maria Falconetto, Michele Sanmicheli, Giovanni Bellini and Andrea Mantegna.[2] It had a particularly pronounced influence on the architecture of Verona itself, serving as a model for the construction of portals, altars and chapels in the churches of the city.[3]
The arch no longer stands in its original position, as it was demolished by French military engineers in 1805, however, the numerous surveys that had previously been produced made it possible to reassemble it by anastylosis, a process completed in 1932. Subsequently, it was relocated to the small square of Castelvecchio, where it is still located today.
Well that’s it for this week, I hope you have enjoyed your day in Verona, albeit we had two, next we head for Venezia (Venice), another place I am so excited to visit.
Until we meet again when you Come Away with Me.
Bye for now
Sally 🤗
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