A Typical Week

So We have Been Here a Month? What Do You Do?

We like to explore.  I enjoy getting up in the morning and taking a walk to whereever Carlo at the Caffe Bar suggests, shooting photos, coming home and then talking with Vicki and Brianna about where they would like to go before 14:00 (I did not realize Europe goes by Military time.). 

Here are some photos of recent walks. 

Giardini Guisti

English traveller Thomas Coryate in 1611 described this garden as a “second paradise”.

Here is the background for the garden.
Agostino Giusti was a Knight of the Venetian Republic and Squire of the Grand Duke of Tuscany and the man responsible for the design of his garden, which served as a backdrop for his palace. Laid out in 1570  and restored in 1930.

Brianna and I walked to Castel San Pietro at Dusk

Castel San Pietro is a 25 minute walk from our apartment, so after dinner, Brianna and I decided to walk there and climb the stairs of the Castle. You get a great view of Verona from here.

Experiencing Verona

A gentleman that I am getting to know here told me that you can say you have been to Verona, but you can't say you experienced Verona unless you see an opera in Arena di Verona.  He advised me to avoid buying the more expensive tickets because the sound was best sitting up high on the marble.  What he didn't tell me was the marble sits in the hot August sun all day.  I believe my buns are now a nice medium to well done.  As a side note, I can't afford to buy a marble kitchen counter and they are walking on and sitting on this stuff all day long.  Anyway, we went to see Aida at the arena.  

 As the performance started, people started lighting their birthday-type candles we picked up as we walked into the arena.  It was weird to think we were watching something amazing in the same arena the Romans use to kill Christians in.

I didn't understand a single word; however, I did understand how beautiful the orchestra, how talented the performers are, and how amazing the sets were for each scene.

Castelvecchio

If you are a history buff, you could easily spend a year here.  Towards the later part of August I walked to Castelvecchio.  Here is what Wikipedia says about the castle.

The castle stands on the probable location of a Roman fortress outside the Roman city. Lord Cangrande II della Scala had it built along with its bridge across the Adige River as a deterrent to his powerful neighbors such as Venice, the Gonzaga and the Sforza families. Construction was carried out between 1354 and 1376 (Cangrande died in 1359). The fortified bridge was intended to allow the seigniors to escape safely northwards to the Tyrol in the event of a rebellion or a coup d'état (the Scaligeri were allies of the Holy Roman Empire) and when they eventually lost their hold on Verona, its surviving members left Italy to found a German branch of the family.

Later, during the Venetian domination, slits were added to defend it with cannons. The castle was damaged by French troops during the Napoleonic Wars (1796-7), in retaliation to the Pasque Veronesi, when the local population staged a violent anti-French revolt. Napoleon had chosen to stay in Castelvecchio on his trips to Verona, but his widespread and arbitrary requisitions of citizens' and churches' property, the massive draft of male workers into the French army prompted the resistance that eventually drove out the invaders.

Under the Austrians, Castelvecchio was turned into barracks. In 1923 the castle was restored, as well as in 1963-1965.

A Walk Around a Hill

After I returned from Castelvecchio, Vicki, Brianna, and I started up a busy street next to our apartment, turned right, wound around, lets go this way and now that way.  And that is the directions for getting to Santa Della Madonna di Lourdes from our apartment.  Of course, there are easy ways, but not nearly as fun.

 It's an early morning rain and I am about to go meet Troy down at Piazza Erbe for coffee.  I realize this was short, but I just wanted to get you caught up with our adventures and let the photos speak.