So where to start…… Small spoiler – I’m in Greece right now, but between leaving San Polo di Piave and catching my flight from Milano on the Tuesday I spent the weekend in Verona. Or some of it at least. It was so hot it was absolutely necessary to escape the city during the hot afternoons. And by escaping I mean hopping on the train and going to the nearby towns around lake Garda. So with my days spent in different cities I thought I would just divide up my posts by city/village not in chronological order!
I had been to Verona before, but only the train station since I was always on the go. This time I arrived at two, left my bags in the train station, didnt step foot outside its doors and got right back onto a train to go to the lake (more about that in a later post). I returned in the early evening, having met up with an old camino friend plus some others. Walking from the train station brings you past the old walls and gate, down a large avenue, through some more arched inner walls and leaves you right in front of a beautiful square with the old amphitheatre. Which is goooorgeous and surrounded by bizzare backdrops which they use for the opera and other shows inside. There are various bars and restaurants sprawling out onto the streets, we headed for one tiny bar a small street over where we grabbed some spritz, prosecco, some horse meatballs as aperitivo and watched elegantly dressed people crossing. The street to that evenings opera. A really tiny bar, but really recommended (the corner of via Alberto Mario). A few drinks and hours later (and a quick unmemorable dinner elsewhere plus a super gelato from another place) we continued through the town for 20 minutes across the river and up a steep hill to the hostel which is located in a beautiful old building and rested.
The next morning began with a walk through the town along the river, crossing various old bridges, admiring the old buildings and continuing on towards the castle (stopping off for a greaaaat coffee in a bar with lovely pastries – hostel breakfast was the standard unimaginative dry bread roll with jam and something that could never be called coffee. I dont remember the name of this place, but it was just at the corner on ths city side of the bridge, via Armando Diaz). The castle itself and the bridge leading up to it are impressive. We wandered around some more before leaving to the lake, returning for dinner in an amazing little restaurant called something with stella on via Nizza. The special ravioli and horse meat gnocchi are mouth wateringly delicious, the tiramisu is pretty great too! Which I had eaten at least 5 times a week in San Polo di Piave thanks to all the mums who made it for me since it was my favourite dessert! But you can never have too much tiramisu!
It was the perfect restaurant for my last evening in Verona, the next morning was spent climbing up the stairs behind the hostel to get a view of the city,visiting Juliets house (terribly touristic but had to be done even though I almost turned around at the sight of a wall covered in old chewing gum), various cathedrals scattered around the city and an extensive afternoon prosecco aperitivo in the great bar at the corner of via stella (generous glasses and snack portions) before leaving late to return to my family from Bergamo for one night. Verona surprised me, I didn’t expect to like it much, I probably didn’t expect anything really, but the great little bars, fantastic restaurants, beautiful buildings and proximity to the lake in hoooot weather convinced me otherwise!
