Great weather today! Our original itinerary has us visiting Milan this morning, but since we moved it to the night before, we are free to roam on this inland lake at the foot of the Alps called Garda Lake for a little while. You wouldn’t think that there are such drastic disparity between the North and the South of Italy, but all the financial centers (such as Verona and Milan) are located in the North, making it much more modern and prosperous than the farmed and labor intense South. This town, Sirmione, famous for its all natural thermal spring is located at the southern end of the lake on a peninsula and is one of the most luxurious vacation spot for the Italians and tourist alike (think the Hampton). In the late Roman era (4th-5th centuries) Sirmione became a strong point defending the southern shore of Lake Garda, and one of the major attractions in this town is the Grotto di Gatullo, a historic landmark of private Roman edifice. Though there are only walls of the original structures left, it is still pretty magnificent. We had time to roam around the Scaliger Castle, and being a luxurious vacation town, it was very well organized and relaxing, ohh, and also they had swans. We had lunch at a very romantic Michelin restaurant overlooking the lake. The decors are so lush and flowing with candleobras and trinkets, it’s something you’d want for your wedding. :P
Our next destination, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the city of Verona. Before we talk about the economical importance of this perfectly situated city right at the intersecting point of several major through ways of Northern Italy, probably the only thing you know about Verona is this is Romeo and Juliet’s city, this is where Shakespeare put his fictional characters. Yes, I said fictional, because it never really happened. What you probably don’t know is also Romeo and Juliet is one of three plays penned by Shakespeare setting in Verona, the other two are The Two Gentlemen of Verona and The Taming of the Shrew. At the center of the town, there is the Verona Arena, built in the 1st century, existing before the Colosseum in Rome, and is still being used today, quite literally, when we arrived, people were setting up for a concert taking place inside this Verona Arena.
Of course, you can’t visit Verona without seeing Juliet’s balcony. It was very crowded, so many people there to touch a statue of Juliet. I gave up seeing how crowded the little courtyard was, so Ri and I took a few pictures (including the gate of locks below) then headed the opposite ways from the people. As we were leaving the door, I heard a man commenting on the crowd inside the courtyard “People, it is just a story, it’s not even real!” LOL. True, but people can dream of such thing as undying and unconditional love. :) My favorite place of Verona is not the high end shopping street, but the Piazza delle Erbe or Market Square, I love the buildings lining the square and the vines that has so effortlessly climbed its walls. I remember thinking, all these buildings are so old with its paint peeling off, it probably couldn’t be rented out at a good price in the States, but hey, since we are in Europe, it adds characters!
