a life narrated: benvenuti in italia

day 3 part 2

verona

After leaving sun-soaked Riva, we drove about an hour to get to Verona. Our accomodations were in a residential part of Verona, actually in someone's apartment. The lady was very nice and Dan and I were lucky as we got the flat above hers to stay in. It was decorated very nicely and had a little kitchen and a balcony with an amazing view of the old city. The boys had more interesting accomodations as they were in her flat sharing her bathroom. How weird that she would let strange men stay in her flat. Of course, I know them and trust them with my life because they are some of the kindest, noblest men out there, but she doesn't know them from a hole in the wall. It just struck me as strange. Z said a lot of people do this for extra money.

So, after settling in and freshening up we set out to explore Verona. My goal for the evening was to see the colosseum and eat lots of pasta. I am a simple girl with simple tastes.

entering verona through the Porta Borsari
"The Porta Borsari is richly decorated and of great aesthetic value. This ancient Roman gate was built towards the half of the first century AD and was part of the city walls. All that remains today of the Roman gateway is the external frontage in white Veronese stone. The remains include two arches on two levels, as well as six windows with elegant decorations"

Torre dei Lamberti

palazzo del Comune a Verona

colosseum di verona
the third largest in Italy

Zdeněk explaining stuff to me

trying to figure out from what building material is the colosseum made

mimes!

the main streets in Verona were hewn of pink marble and worn over centuries to a shiny finish. Lined with high-end designer shops like Prada and Dolce&Gabbana, it was like walking through a mall I had no business being in

some idiot threw his cigarette pack thoughtlessly on the ground. this is me stomping off angrily to throw it away

this is as close to the balcony of Romeo and Juliet we were getting...after walking all over trying to find it

After walking around quite a bit we started hunting for a place to eat. Remember, I wanted pasta...We found an outdoor cafe situated on a small piazza and sat ourselves down at a table right next to what seemed the entire city's police force. Z thought that this must be a good restaurant because:
1. the police eat here
2. it is off the beaten tourist path
3. there seemed to be mainly Italian families eating there
The food was excellent. I had tagliatelle with tomato sauce, roasted eggplant (yummy!!) and more breadsticks than should be legally allowed. The police had a vat of wine each and then got in their vehicles to keep the peace.
Then we hunted for gelato. Of course.
It was already about 10 or 10:30 pm so we decided to take a stroll headed in the direction of our flats. We came upon this particular bridge across the Adige river and decided to relax and hang out while "Countess" finished her gelato.