Taking my best friend to Verona

Whilst studying on my third year abroad, most of my best friends at home have been completing their dissertations and struggling strenuously through their final year exams and essays. One of my nearest and dearest, Bee, had fortunately completed her final year, and on a whim, (during one of her last lectures no less!) decided to book a three-day trip to see me in Padova. Now, being down the road from Venice, I have visited enough times to know it nearly inside-out, and Bee suggested we'd be better off exploring the less-stressful Verona. We kicked off her arrival that evening, catching up over coffees, then over pizza and calamari - such is the life - before falling asleep, excited for our day ahead.

Like Venice, Verona isn't all too far away from my University town of Padova. We woke early, booked a cab and were at the station before 8.45. After a dramatic experience ordering coffees (don't ever ask for an Americano with skimmed or soya milk) to ease our 7 a. m. starts, we stamped our tickets and stretched out across a four-seater on our 1 hour train, eager for what awaited us.

We finally arrived, a little after 10, with the sun beating down, and the fresh Italian air giving us some cool as we made our way towards the centre. Despite my Maps app, and the fact I had visited Verona before, this didn't stop us from getting somewhat lost and taking the longest possible way into the centre (burning the cals). Once there though, it was so worth it. The grandiose Arena di Verona creates this feeling of wonder upon first sight, and really set the scene of Verona as a place of architectural beauty and cultural splendour.

Somewhat parched due to our unforeseen excursion, we headed to one of the main cafés, opposite the Arena, so we could take in the view whilst refuelling. We shared a delicious Formaggio and Pomodoro Panino, and rehydrated with Succhi di Frutta and Limonata.

We set off towards our sights for the day, towards Piazza Erbe, and turned off towards the Casa di Giulietta, Bee's number one priority (being an English student) and it was a great decision to head there first thing - it becomes crammed after midday. We amused ourselves, watching the gleeful tourists rub the Juliet statue for good luck, read the endless messages of love stuck, written and graffitied all over, and even paid for entry to the museum which boasted rooms with starry skies, ceramics from the time, examples of clothing Juliet and Romeo would have worn, as well as accessing the balcony.

We then headed back towards Piazza Erbe, roaming around the market, buying fruit and taking pictures (typical tourists) and then strolled towards Castelvecchio. After visiting Castelvecchio, we then paused for a breather at the Ponte Pietra and took in the beauty sight of the Adige river and the landscape of Verona, pondering what our next steps should be.

I suggested we do a little tour of the various churches ourselves, as I had done the Basilica di San Zeno (one of the most impressive churches I had ever seen) and so we started our church tour at the Chiesa di Sant'Anastasia, which was originally built in the 13th century. The church was beautiful; gothic with a stunning interior, and we spent some time, taking in the frescoes, and left, after lighting a candle and sending a prayer.

The Duomo wasn't so far from the Chiesa di Sant'Anastasia, so we made our way in, having already paid for a 5 euro-student ticket for all the churches (San Fermo, San Zeno, Sant'Anastasia and Duomo). The Duomo's exterior is looming and imposing, and the interior is just the same - it follows the gothic style, and boasts a lot of renaissance works of art, mainly by Veronese artists. From there, we unexpectedly bumped into Bee's friends from her University, and so, decided to put our later trip (to Lake Garda) on hold and meet them later for a nice dinner.

Feeling peckish, we picked up ice-creams from Il Pompiere, a lovely little gelateria where Bee had a cioccolato fondente ice-cream, and I gorged myself on fior di latte and mandorla di Avola ice cream (which I originally thought was mandorla diavola - Italian pun there) before we began the treacherous steps that led up the Piazzale Castel San Pietro, on top of which, you can take in the magnificent panoramic views of Verona. We spent a while, chilling and sunbathing before saying goodbye to the gorgeous view and heading back down again.

We took some pictures along the Ponte Scagliero (Verona is full of bridges so you take in the sight of the river all day, everyday) then decided rehydration time was once again needed, and so stopped at Ebrius Cafè, a delightful, hidden cafe where I had a cioccolato caldo (yes, I'm addicted to chocolate) and Bee had an Americano. We then wondered around the streets, taking pictures of the little cobbled alleyways and quieter quarters, before heading to Piazza Bra, a long strip of shops. We roamed about Mac, Sephora, and after failing to find KIKO and Bershka, made our way our towards the Tomba di Giulietta (along Via William Shakespeare, of course).

Once there, we rested around the grounds/gardens, entered the tomb (which we found a little morbid) and then, entered the museum to have a look at Veronese artworks/sit down and actually get our breath back. Whilst the Casa di Giulietta is one of the busiest spots (think Eiffel Tower), the Tomba is sadly somewhat ignored, perhaps due to its far-out location, but it’s incredibly beautiful, with sculptures and statues dedicated to the star-crossed lovers, the tale behind the Romeo and Juliet storyline (Shakespeare actually only adapted it!) and had an entire museum dedicated to works of art that would more or less be ignored by the swarms of Shakespeare-loving tourists that descend upon Verona all the time.

After, we explored the bookshop and sweetshops on Via Roma, and headed to Caffè al Teatro for dinner with Bee's uni friends, for aperitivi, pizzas, and cocktails galore, before legging it back to the station with a few minutes spare back to Padova.

For those who wish to visit Verona, try and visit Garda if you can, it’s within a 45 minute radius by bus, and the Giardino Giusti is a must-see! Verona is one of the most beautiful places in Italy and will forever have a place in your heart.