Here we go to my blog post part II from my „When in Verona“ series.
How did you like the story of Romeo und Juliet?
The tragic story of Romeo and Juliet is a legend, nobody can tell if the two unlucky lovers of Verona ever lived. Nevertheless, like in every legend, there are many elements of the story that have references to real places and historical facts of Verona. For example it is history the bloody struggle between Guelphs and Ghibellines, the pope party and the emperor party, the two factions fighting, not over religion but over secular power.
Fun fact before I tell you about my adventures in Verona. Did you know that the name Verona means Truth? I think it’s beautiful!
What do you think?
A little history time with Jashica: Verona, thanks to its strategic position in the middle of a network of roads spreading throughout northern Italy, it was one of the most important cities of the Roman Empire. Even today Verona is on the second place after Rome when it comes to ruins and historical places. An amphitheater, a triumphal arch, two gates, a bridge, a theater, and then mosaics, marble streets, walls, Verona is a real open air archeological museum, with monuments dating from the Republic age until the early Christian era.
Arena di Verona
The Arena is a Roman amphi theatre in Piazza Bra in Verona, Italy built in the first century. It is still in use today and is internationally famous for the large-scale opera performances given there. The Arena was originally used to host gladiator, circus, and equestrian events. Imagine that, this Arena is more than 1’990 years old…
I’ll might edit a video about my trip to Verona, there you’ll see how huge this Arena is actually. We walked around the Arena and were so amazed by the view!
(The Bollywood film Rockstar directed by Imtiaz Ali starring Ranbir Kapoor with the music composed by A. R. Rahman opens and closes with several concerts shot at the Arena.)
Castelvecchio
It was built in the period 1354-1357 by Cangrande II of the ruling Della Scala family.
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.
Damaged during the Second World War, it was restored.
The Church of Sant’Eufemia
This church catched our attention when we walked by and we just had to go inside to explore it. I didn’t see it on any of the sighsteeing spots in Verona, which means, it’s a local church and I love those kind of things, more than the touristic ones.
House of Montecchi (Montagues) – Romeos House
Rather than a palace, Romeo’s house looks like a castle, with its squat tower and the high defensive wall. We just saw the outside, we couldn’t go inside to explore everything. But great, we walked by without searching it, lol.
Arche Scaligere – tombs of the Scala Family
Arche Scaligere is the mausoleum of the lords which ruled Verona from the 13th century until the end of the 14th century. Even if it’s not a big cathedral, it is considered as one of the most representative examples of Italian gothic architecture and sculpture. On the top of the monumental graves, there is a horse statue of the Scala family leader Cangrande, Mastino II e Cansignorio. He stands out clearly against the sky and with a lot of researches I found out the meaning of the statue is:
They lived, fought, loved and ruled in medieval Verona.
Classical concert at Palazzo Camozzini
When we found out that there is a classical concert, my cousin and I were totally amazed by the idea. Our moms didn’t want to come with us and so we had a little date evening together. The concert was amazing, I was in heaven when I heard it for the first time. I haven’t been to a classical concert in a while and this just reminded me of how beautiful classical music is and why I started playing the violin and the piano. In here, we were the only „tourists“ which was funny. Everyone else was Veronese and we even get into a conversation with an author from Verona, which was very interesting.
Watch a small sneak peak of the classical concert.. AMAZING RIGHT?!
Okay my beloved readers… I need to make another part, because this is getting longer and longer. In part III you’ll see my recommendations for restaurants, bars, wine selections and gelato places we went to, in Verona.
DM if you have anything in your mind or if I can help you. Stay safe and healthy. Much love and warm hugs from Switzerland – xoxo yours truly, Jashica
Travel & Lifestyle 