Oct 11 – Verona

Walking on the bridge to cross into the center of Verona

When we arrived by bus to Verona, we took a walking tour.. Our guide said that sometimes this river will rise all the way to the top of the arches on the bridge! Once we got across the bridge, we turned around to look at the view to the other side. Our guide pointed out a church that Mozart had performed in! So I could be walking on the same streets Mozart walked at one point.. cool! They apparently still have the same organ he played on.

"Romeo's house"

As you all know, or should, Verona is home to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Though the actual characters Romeo and Juliet didn’t exist, the Capulet and Montague families did–and they lived in the center of Verona. The way our tour guide explained it, it seems that the government of Verona has created their own landmarks to draw more tourists to the city. They labeled this house “Romeo’s House” and put a plaque on the wall quoting a famous line from Shakespeare.

"Juliet's balcony"

Juliet’s balcony/courtyard was probably the most ridiculously crowded, chaotic small area I have ever seen in my life. It’s not even real! The balcony was constructed on the building AFTER the first Romeo and Juliet movie came out.. it’s modeled from the movie set. And get this–it’s made from a little boy’s very decorated sarcophagus! They thought it was pretty, so they used it to..make Juliet’s balcony. Wow haha. And all these tourists come to see it. It’s a little sad really. The only slightly legit thing about this building is that it is most definitely part of the historic Capulets’ living quarters.

Statue of Juliet in her courtyard

Apparently, if you grab/rub/touch Juliet’s right breast on this statue you’ll have a good love life. Look at how worn out that thing is! It was a huge challenge to get a picture of Juliet without some random tourist groping it. The boys were very,…very immature. And yes, I touched it. Unfortunately, I don’t think anything will help my nonexistant love life. It was worth a try though, eh?

Verona’s Central Market