My Verona!

We left Rome convinced that the beautiful weather we’d enjoyed both there and in Florence would desert us once we turned north and headed for Verona, situated between Lake Garda and Venice in the north of Italy. Not a bit of it; we arrived to a sunny and warm Verona, and found our way to our accommodation, our first ever Airbnb, by bus.

We were greeted by our very friendly hosts, Isabelle and her daughter Anna, who showed us round what amounted to a mini-suite of bedroom, small kitchenette and luxurious bathroom, and all at a very reasonable price. We even had a Ferrero Rocher chocolate each with the towels laid on the bed. They were both incredibly helpful, recommending walks, the key sights of Verona and transport options. 

Once we’d settled in and dropped off our bags, we walked into town and started to acquaint ourselves with this beautiful city, which offers some little gem round every corner, be it a relic of the roman empire, a romanesque church or an elegant bridge across the river Adige. The city was also full of lush plants and flowers in bloom, wafting their sweet smells into the streets and it felt a very safe place to be.

We made our way into the main town square and stumbled upon a massive security presence around the Prefectura (Town Hall) and found out that the Italian President had followed us from Rome, where we had seen him go past in a cavalcade, to open the 50th national wine fair, “Vinitaly and the City". We had known that this event was taking place, because when we tried to book a hotel back in January we hit a wall as all the rooms, apart from the unaffordable (for our budget, anyway) were booked. We searched online to find out why there was such a high demand this early in the year, and learned that this wine trade fair co-incided with our visit dates and this was how we came to make a foray into the world of Airbnb. However, what we’d pictured was a formal marketing and sales event in some conference centre which wouldn’t affect us in any way. In fact, it was an occasion for the whole of Verona and all the visitors who had come from all round the country, with events set up in two of the squares in the centre of the city, as well as in the Arsenale, across the river. For 12 euros you were given a small bag to go round your neck, into which was fitted a wine glass, plus vouchers for three glasses of wine of your choice from across all the different stalls and two for food, which were nibbly bits, like a square of pizza, mini-bruschetta with tomato sauce and ham or pieces of cheese. We paid our 12 euros each and spent a thoroughly pleasant afternoon, sipping different wines and foods, sitting in the sun and enjoying the entertainment which included a comedy act (of course, we couldn’t understand a word of it, but everyone who could seemed to be enjoying it) and music, some of which was live.

At one point, an enormous bottle of prosecco was opened with a great flourish and as it frothed out, the organisers collected it in jugs and poured it into plastic flutes which they were giving out to anyone who wanted some; well, what would you do?

Once we’d used up our vouchers we left the centre of town to explore other parts of Verona and found ourselves by accident in the Arsenale, where the wine fair was progressing well. This section featured organic wines in a large marquee and outside there were all kinds of street food sellers and chairs and tables to sit and eat, drink and listen to the live bands. So we bought another ticket each which gave us more wine tasting. After one particular wine from Ragusa in Sicily, which I'd really enjoyed, I asked whether the company had a website and I was asked whether I was a buyer - sadly not, but would have been a nice career! I bought a plateful of pasta with organic pesto and parmesan and my husband had a massive pulled pork sandwich, before making our way back to our accommodation.

The beautiful weather continued for our second day and we spent it exploring the streets, squares and backroads of Verona, which is an absolutely beautiful city; it’s so clean and peaceful, and you can easily just keep walking and discovering new things. We climbed up to a high point on the north bank of the river and found ourselves on very quiet footpaths amid the hills, including a wonderful old church dating back to 1120, the Chiesa di San Giovanni in Valle, which was so peaceful; the only sounds came from the birds, including a cuckoo.

One tourist attraction we gave the thumbs down to was Juliet's House, apparently the one with the balcony on which she stood for the love talk with Romeo. Given they are fictional characters, this was very cheesy and we stayed there for all of 3 seconds; Verona really doesn't need this as a tourist attraction, but clearly some people like it as there were hundreds of messages  all over the wall stuck on with chewing gum.

The roman Arena was a must-see, initially as a compensation for missing the tour of the Colosseum in Rome, but having been there, it was a fantastic visit in its own right. In fact the Arena in Verona is older and served as a model for the design of the Colosseum, which is much bigger. The great thing here is that we didn’t have to queue at all and it’s so big when you get in that all the school parties, quite a few of them, were totally absorbed in the sheer space. We had fun watching a primary school group who were taking turns at dressing up in gladiatorial robes and engaging in mock one on one challenges, with the rest of the group cheering them on. The views from the top were well worth the climb, and we could see the white snow-topped Dolomites, north of the city, against the bright blue sky. There were workman putting up the seats in readiness for the summer season of opera that they stage every year and are a great spectacle; members of my family have seen Verdi’s Aida there and it is apparently spectacular. While my husband watched the work going on, I even managed to lie down on the warm stone and have forty winks in the sun!

We ended our visit to this lovely city with another memorable meal in a highly recommended restaurant (we could have a table as 7pm as long as "we stand up by 9pm", including for my non-pasta liking husband, Begoli (pasta) with nettles and smoked cheese followed by horse stew with polenta, while I was a bit more conservative with a far bigger than expected bowl of a chick pea soup followed by four lamb chops with roasted veg. The walk back to our accommodation was much needed after all that and we packed up for leaving the next morning and sorting our keys etc with our host. The Airbnb was a great success and the welcome we received was so warm and generous. The only thing I would say is that the price you pay for staying in someone else’s home at a low cost is that we did feel slightly constrained about coming and going at will which you don’t have when you pay to stay in a hotel room, but this is a small thing. 

It’s almost inevitable that as we prepared to leave Italy we would compare our three Italian cities, all so different and remarkable in their own ways, and I remembered a story I heard the first time I visited Italy, to Sorrento and the Amalfi coast in 1997, about the invention of the Margherita pizza in 1889 to honour the then Queen, Margherita of Savoy. The colours in the pizza represent the Italian flag; the tomato sauce is the red, the basil is the green and the mozzarella cheese is the white. I can see these three elements as a metaphor for our three cities; so Florence is the rich and deeply flavoured tomato sauce, Verona is the subtle and aromatic basil and Rome is the full-on and strongly flavoured cheese. It works for me anyway, and if pushed, I would say that Verona is the one I would be most likely to come back to.

Summary of Verona: exquisite and peaceful

We stayed at a private home courtesy of Airbnb

NOTE: updated 14/04/16