We headed out around 10am and arrived just after noon. Dylan slept a pretty long part of the way. Heather fell asleep for the last 45 minutes or so.
It's interesting to see Italy through the fresh eyes of a 'tourist'. We have been in Italy for 1 1/2 years now and and I guess we take a lot of things for granted. Heather and Rob were impressed and a little nervous about Italian drivers. They were truly amaze at the motorcycles and scooters as they passed between cars and swerved around traffic. I must admit that this is something I just don't really notice anymore.
We parked near the Roman Arena, then walked that way. I was getting a little nervous as we neared the Arena. There weren't many people around it. I was worried that it was closed. It turns out that it does not open until 1:30pm on Mondays.
So, we chose a pedestrian street and started walking. We made our way down Via Mazzini, one of the streets lined with all the designer clothing stores. Everyone was impressed that the sidewalks are all paved in marble.
We ended up on Via Cappello. Via Cappello is the street where Juliet's house is, from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. We saw Juliet' balcony and had our pictures take with the bronze statue of Juliet. They say that rubbing her right breast brings luck in love.
Love graffiti
Juliet's balcony
Rob tries his hand at some luck.
Heather and Dylan
Me and Brandon
We worked our way over to Piazza Erbe. This was once the center of town. It is where the markets were and still are. It is also where the aquaducts brought water to the town wells. One stone monument in the center is where vendors used official scales to buy and sell goods. It also had chains where people who caused trouble would be locked and then ridiculed by the public.
We were getting hungry, so we tried to get a table at one of the restuarants on the piazza, but had no luck. Rob spotted a restuarant down a side street, so we checked it out. What a great lunch. The boys has pasta al pomodoro. I had pasta con ragu. Heather had pasta con pesto. Rob had spinach raviolis with a while cream sauce.
Heather and her pasta con pesto
Brandon loves pasta al pomodoro
Rob and Heather
After lunch I realized that we were eating in a piazza that had a section of an old Roman road that we had walked on during a past visit. Brandon showed everyone the road, as well as some Roman foundations and remnants of a mosaic.
Time to head back to the Arena. We wandered a few different streets to get back to the Arena. The Arena in Verona is the 3rd largest of Roman design. It is my favorite. I like it even better than the Colusseum in Rome. It is in much better condition. You can climb the marble steps and sit where a Roman once sat. The Arena is still used today. Verona holds its annual summer opera festival there, as well as contemporary concerts like Alicia Keys, Rod Stewart and Aerosmith.
Brandon, Heather and Dylan enjoy a seat on Roman stones
Heather, Rob and Dylan on the top level of the Arena
Our last destination for the day was Castel Vecchio (Old Castle). Its located on the River Adige just a few blocks from the Arena. We walked along the river, checked out the castle (from the outside) and walked across the Ponte Scaligero (Scaligero bridge).
Fiume Adige
Once again this evening, everyone was tired. Jetlag is tough. We slowly wandered back towards the Arena and stopped for some gelato and to rest our feet. People watching in Italy is a lot of fun.
We had a great day in Verona. Heather, Rob and Dylan slept most of the way home.
This evening we hung out, watched a little TV and talked about Rome. Heather spent some time packing a small suitcase. Tomorrow they will fly to Rome and will return on Friday.
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