The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur
May 14 - Verona
The first stop was the old medieval city of Montagnana. It is the one of the few we have seen where the entire wall of the city was still intact -- quite an impressive sight. They were mowing the moat today! Most of the major buildings are built with covered walkways along the street. We were surprised by the detail and frescoes hidden behind some of the arches. It suggests that the town was quite prosperous in its time.
Rome has the ruin of its Coliseum ... but Verona's is still intact! From the looks of the schedule, it is in regular use for events ranging from opera to rock concerts. Too bad nothing was scheduled while we were here.
One of Verona's other attractions is the "Juliet balcony" -- reputedly the spot immortalized in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The two star-crossed lovers were myth, of course, although perhaps loosely based on some historical families and the little courtyard is certainly pleasant, so no harm done. Alas, the walls are covered with graffiti. One of the other traditions is to rub the breast of Juliet's statue which is supposed to bring you luck in love. Some of the geezers in the tour groups are going for it! I hope it works for them ...
Our little band increased by one tonight. Our good friend, Marv Hunt, joined us from Spokane. Here is my "art shot" from dinner -- too bad the pub didn't have better glassware!
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