chawen

: Real

Some History: Real and Fake

Buon giorno,

One thing I really like about the place I'm staying besides the quiet is that they give me water, which is a blessing when I come home tired and thirsty.

Apart from the sights, Verona's historic center is a fun place to stroll. Now I am definitely not in a real people neighborhood. The streets are either pedestrianized or have limited traffic and are lined with every high end luxury brand you can think of. Very bougie, but the buildings are lovely.

I exercised my Verona Card. I made a reservation, which is mandatory, to visit La Casa di Guilietta. Verona milks Romeo and Juliet for all it's worth because the association between the play and the city has been attracting visitors for centuries. What people forget is: Shakespeare made it up. Oh sure he probably based his play on a story going around, but that story was Also Fiction. Romeo never existed. Nor did poor Guilietta, but her house and tomb are proudly displayed for credulous tourists.

Yeah, Pil, but you went to see it anyway.

Here is the courtyard with the famous balcony where R and J confessed their love.

The association with Juliet is fake, but the house is authentic enough. It's a rich merchant's dwelling from the Sixteenth Century, and Renaissance furniture and ceramics are on offer as are some frescos. I almost did not get in. I made the reservation for 10:00, but it didn't go through. Fortunately the very kind young woman at the entrance used my phone to re reserve for me. It took her a good ten minutes, and is an example of how gracious Italians can be to visitors. The museum is billed as a must see. Not really.

A period room

Casa di Guilietta is just off Piazza Erbe, so I took the opportunity to stroll around. If mass produced souvenirs are your jam, this is the place for you. You can also find snacks.

But now let us turn to some Real History. I went to the Verona Amphitheatre. The Verona Card did not save me money, but it did save me from standing in a long line. I used the special entrance. The arena is a remarkable structure. The interior is completely remodeled to accommodate contemporary performances, and a lot of it is closed to visitors, but I think it was worth seeing.

And then since I was at the Piazza Bra, I strolled around the market once more, but this time I didn't buy anything. Also I walked more than 10K steps today.

My next task is to get help with the induction stovetop, so I can have some pasta for dinner. And I just finished a very satisfying meal. One of my favorite ways to dress pasta is with salt, pepper, garlic and oil--simple but sooooo gooood. The Prosecco was perfect with it.

Ciao for now.