Verona: the ancient city

As promised, this post adds a bit more detail to our gallivanting excursion to Verona and Soave yesterday.

With Dennis in charge of the transportation we arrived in Verona in about an hour's time from Cittadella. Just as we were neared the Old Town we were made painfully aware of the rows and rows of tour buses parked near the entrance.

Verona is obviously a favorite attraction.

And, it really isn't all that surprising since it is deep rooted in history and has an abundance of preserved buildings and streets to walk along.

 Or should I say push and shove along?

We began near the Roman Arena which actually dates from the 1st century.

Believe it or not, most of the stones are original.

Nearby, a golden plate on the sidewalk shows the Roman city plan.

The center of the grid represents Piazza Erbe which was our next destination.

People have gathered in this Piazza since the Roman times, and today was no different, for sure. 

Despite rubbing elbows with way too many tourists, Marty managed to get a photo of us in the Piazza.

A statue of St. Zeno, the patron of Verona stands in Piazza Erbe.

He faces the "House of Juliet".  This seemed to be a real draw to many people.

Somehow I managed to capture a photo without someone peering over the edge. 

Believe me.....it wasn't easy. Every time I would focus the camera, a different head would pop out.

This attraction is rather amusing as far as I'm concerned. Verona was only the setting for the play Romeo & Juliet.   Shakespeare was never in the city.  I realize this is fun, but I can't help but wonder how many people go home and think they've actually seen the terrace where a person named Juliet stood and cried out for her Romeo?

We escaped the piazza just in time.  We had spotted the woman with the flag and her minions following behind her.  

Whew!

Our next destination was the Piazza del Signori

 Of course, we couldn't pass on this photograph with Dante.

The Piazza is beautiful, with each of the palaces representing an entirely different type of facade.

Around the corner is the Scaligeri family cemetery.

These are 14th century Gothic tombs that are contained in a private burial plot near the Piazza Signori.

Walking along, we headed  towards St. Anastasia Church.  It  was built in the 13th thru 15th centuries.

The church is an excellent example of Italian Gothic architecture and it was designed by two Dominican Friars.  

This church originally begun in 1290, is the largest church in Verona. 

I was amazed to see that I was walking on the original floor. 

And the interior is just breathtaking!

The Crucifix Chapel is the most ancient part of the Basilica as it is built on the site of the earlier smaller church dedicated to St. Anastasia.  The wooden cross dates from the mid 15th century.

There were over a dozen ornamental altars on either side of the church, each with their own particular devotion.  Here are just a few examples:

These paintings  were dedicated to the Dominican Saints

and this one to St. Martin.

Here you see the Descent of the Holy Spirit

There was an elegant gold gilded organ

 

marble statues

And amazing frescoes on nearly every wall.

The only thing missing was any type of icon recognizing the patroness of this beautiful church, St. Anastasia herself!

Exiting the church, we then walked to the riverfront area where we could see the Ponte Pietra

Isn't that an awesome view?

After a quick walk past the Duomo

                                         

we had completed most of the tour of Verona.  We stopped for a delightful lunch out on the cafe terrace.

and then it was time to head to our next destination.....

Soave

This place was awesome.  

No tourists!  

Wait......aren't we tourists?  No....we're travelers.

Loved the grapes hanging from the interior arch as we walked into the walled city.

And I soon learned from Morena that Soave is where they make Bolla Wine.  Which explains the wine-making theme.  Here Marty stands next to a grape press.

Dennis & Morena suggested that Marty and I walk around the town while they relaxed with a gelato, so we took advantage of the offer and climbed to the top where the upper castle stands.

There were some lovely views from that vantage point.

And......lots and lots of......

Grapes!

Awesome!

You just don't see that everyday, do you?

Nor this either.

We headed back to Cittadella where we enjoyed a fantastic dinner at a nearby restaurant, celebrating Morena's birthday.

Marty and I had a blast....eating food.....drinking wine.....watching the Italians talk and laugh and REALLY enjoy themselves.

These are the moments that we hold special.  Great fellowship and fun.

And who cares if we don't speak or understand Italian?