Verona, 14th August 2015

As delightful as my room is, I couldn't stay inside for long - there was a whole city outside waiting for me.

The most obvious tourist attraction in Verona is Juliet's balcony, but I didn't want to peak too soon so I decided to just wander about, following my nose, and taking in Verona's vibe, whilst deliberately avoiding Via Cappello where Juliet's house is. Romeo's place is just around the corner so I dodged that as well. 

I was curious as to how come these even exist as tourist attractions given that to my knowledge, Romeo and Juliet is a story written by Shakespeare rather than being about real events in a real place. Having done a bit of research however, it turns out that there were two warring families who lived in these locations in the 13th century and a number of other authors wrote a version of the story before the Bard gave us his. Now that I have my (few, loose) facts straight, I can enjoy visiting tomorrow knowing there is a tiny grain of truth somewhere in the tale.

The other place I've earmarked for tomorrow is the Roman arena. I have been to Rome a few times but never been in the Colosseum. This is a good opportunity to take a look at a similar, if smaller, structure. During the evenings, the arena is still used to stage large opera productions. It is Aida tomorrow and I'm tempted to go as I have never seen an opera before, and what a place to see one, even if it is the only time in my life I do. The cheap seats up in the stone circle are about €25. I'll decide properly tomorrow. 

After about an hour of wandering and browsing in the shops I reached Piazza Erbe where a market is held. There were fruit and veg stalls where I bought some huge peaches, but otherwise it was mainly football shirts and cheap scarves, hats and trinkets. 

It was then time for a glass of wine.  The waiter recommended the Lugana and it did the job nicely. I'm firmly back on the white wine now, leaving the good memories of the chilled rosé back with the good memories of warm Provence.

I got back to my room at 19:00. I could walk no further, the heat from the polished marble slabs of the pavement (yes, really!) having sucked all the energy out of my legs. 

There is a nice looking pizzeria next door which I've earmarked for dinner, I don't think I can go any further tonight.

When I entered the building where I'm staying, I was greeted by the scent and flickering light of candles that someone had been in and lit, but there was not a soul around. It is as though there is an Italian house elf somewhere, discreetly making it really lovely for us guests.