Bowing to jetlag, we promise not to start too early on our leisurely guided walk around Verona, with many stops along the way. Visit the twelfth-century Palazzo della Ragione, the oldest city hall in Italy (which is quite some achievement), with its distinctive brick and stone striped walls and fine steps; the Hall of Judges, with its swallowtail battlements; the frescos on the exterior walls of the Case dei Mazzanti and the Arco della Costa, with its mysterious suspended whale rib. Not to mention fine Roman remains, elegant private palazzi and the views from the top of the 275ft-tall Lamberti Tower, originally a twelfth-century watchtower. Oh, and a certain balcony and courtyard, once owned by the Cappello family, with its bronze statue of Shakespeare’s heroine Juliet, rubbed for luck by a million hands and carrying the hopes of many a heart.
Don’t worry, there will be plenty of breaks along the way for cappuccinos, panini, and a ladies’ raid on Dana’s favorite boutiques. Take a well-earned break back at our hotel then gussy up for a magical evening at the Verona Opera Festival.
On our evening stroll to the opera, pass by sixteenth-century Piazza Brà, lined with terracotta-coloured houses and centred on a pretty little garden, and end at a pre-opera dinner at the popular Ristorante Vittorio Emanuele, serving a menu of northern Italian specialities. The stone building minutes’ walk from the Arena, with its arches, shutters and balconies, has been here for well over a century.
Allora! We take our seats in one of the world’s most spectacular venues, the first-century Roman amphitheater, for the Arena di Verona Opera Festival. There can be few more moving experiences than sitting in this mighty ellipse of brick and stone, surrounded by the many-tiered marble seating occupied by Roman audiences two thousand years ago, as the orchestra tunes up, the sky darkens and swallows flit in and out of the stones. We are lucky enough to have the best seats available for a performance of Verdi’s Aida.
Lords of Verona (B (Breakfast), D (Dinner))