Sisters in Italy: Verona & Lazise

Places mentioned in this post:

Vicenza, Italy

Verona, Italy

Lazise, Italy

My sister, Charmaine, and her husband Scott arrived safely in Venice on Labor Day. We've been having a great time in Northern Italy, visiting a variety of places . . .

We drove up to Monte Berico (in Vicenza) after Charmaine and Scott had had a good night of sleep that first night. The humidity and heat together causes a bit of a haze around the mountains that surround the valley here, so the views didn't pack as much of a punch compared to other occasions. But it was still beautiful and they were able to see the lay of the land and get a feel for what "Home Base" is here in Vicenza. 

We went inside the Basilica at Monte Berico, as did the cutest little group of traveling nuns (seen going up the steps in the photo below). 

Those cute little nuns smiled often at us, with a twinkle in their eyes that bespoke the joy of traveling and seeing something special together. They were young, perhaps in their early 20's, and were Asian. I would guess they were Cambodian, maybe. We saw them a little later, too, as they were eating sandwiches along the rock wall that overlooks the parking lot. As we walked on the path below, they smiled and waved at us, like we were old friends. It brings a smile to my face just remembering how cute and delightful they were. :)

We took a drive through the countryside after visiting Monte Berico. I drove them over toward my friend, Marnie Parker's house, and then to see Lago di Fimon, the oldest lake in Italy. It is estimated that the lake is roughly 170,000 years old . . . I didn't take any photos this time, because we only stopped to see it briefly and I have already been there a few times before. I was mainly playing the role of chauffeur, letting Charmaine and Scott hop out to take some photos here and there, while I stayed with the car.

Lago di Fimon is only 15 minutes south from Ederle, the main base in Vicenza. I know this because we scurried into town after taking a peek at the lake, due to a pending appointment to get them each a guest pass so we can all go on the base together whenever we want.

By the time we got done on the base, the restaurant we had planned to go to for lunch was already closed. Italian riposo is like a Mexican siesta in the afternoons, and typically sets in around 2 or 2:30 p.m.  After striking out a second time, by walking into another restaurant only to be told that the kitchen was closed for making food and that the only options were coffee or alcohol, we were starting to get "hangry". We opted at this point to just go to the mall across the street and see what was available in the Food Court. 

Surprisingly, we found a great spot at the Palladio Mall. It's called Ristorante Giovanni Rana Palladio. They offer several different pasta dishes for a good price, and a couple of salad options, too. Normally, I don't eat pasta because of the high carb count, but in lieu of my growing hunger pangs, I caved. I wasn't disappointed either, because - let's be honest, pasta tastes SO GOOD!! It's just that for a pre-diabetic, it's also evil. I guess if you add those two things together, it could be called evil goodness. Or deliciously evil. Maybe evil deliciousness sounds better, ha ha.

I ordered the ravioli with shrimp and mozzarella, with a hint of lemon zest. :)

Charmaine and Scott, with their happy tortellini and lasagna smiles . . .

Scott was so enamored with his lasagna, that I asked him, "Does it make you want to cry because it's so good?" His answer, "YES!" Later, we came up with a great new word: Mallsagna. (Mall + lasagna) He said, "That was the best mallsagna I've ever had!" LOL

Later, as we teamed up in the kitchen to cook our dinner (chicken cutlets with sundried tomatoes in a cream sauce), I took a selfie of us to share with my Moroccan son, Abdel, who had been texting me around the same time. 

The following day, we drove over to Verona to visit the Arena di Verona and a few other sites in town. Verona is about a 45 minute drive from our house. The last time we tried to go inside the Arena, it was closed for some renovations, so it was nice that it was open for tours this time. 

Video of a street performer next to the Arena: (37 seconds) He was SO GOOD!!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/y5BnKaP6brYgLUPRA

We had to wait a few minutes to go inside the Arena because it was POURING rain and there would have been no shelter for us . . .

Once the skies stopped dumping all of their buckets out onto us, we were able to climb up to the top and take in all the views. 

Video as we emerged into the Arena at one of the upper levels: (10 seconds)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9gBAVpajj6tR1sEF7

Charmaine, up near the top . . .

In the summer, the Arena hosts a number of concerts, including famous musical artists like Placido Domingo. They also feature several nights of opera performances. For these epic shows, they cover up the ground floor and bring in some stadium seats that set up over the top of the marble benches that have been here for centuries. 

Video of the stadium from where I stood: (10 seconds)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gfbPX3c1J5CZXg3BA

Video of a group of young dancers rehearsing on the stage: (10 seconds)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/tsfv9kjBqqcUerCW9

Views from one of the arched window openings . . .

I'm not sure that this is 100% true, but I like their optimism . . .

After we left the Arena, we headed up the main "shopping lane" toward Juliet's House. (more on that in a minute) We were all a little warm and sweaty, so a gelato shop looked really good along the way. Unfortunately, their prices were pretty steep, but we didn't realize this at first. Charmaine offered to get me one, and we both jumped at the suggested "Giulietta Cope" (or Juliet Cup), since we were headed to see the professed Juliet house. When the cashier rang us up, it was 18 euros for 2 gelatos!! Yikes. 

And while it looked very fancy and pretty, it was too sweet for me, and I could only eat about 1/4 of it before I called it quits . . . it was a hefty scoop of vanilla ice cream with chunks of sweet stuff, swirled with chocolate syrup, piled high with spray can whipped cream, more chocolate syrup, hazelnuts, and a waffle crisp thing as a garnish. My goodness, ha ha.

We maneuvered through the other tourists and found our way to what is called the Casa di Giulietta, or Juliet's house. I am a huge skeptic of what all of this professes to be, but I will attempt to relay what is "believed" about the house. While the house has been around since the 1300's, scholars believe the house once belonged to the Capello family, based on a coat of arms on the exterior. 

Capello is a little different than the surname Capulet, which was Juliet's family name. 

There is also the issue of who wrote the story of Romeo and Juliet, and especially - who wrote the ORIGINAL story that inspired the later story . . .

In Montecchio Maggiore (about 25 minutes from our house), there are two castles situated on the hilltops, about 5 minutes walking distance from each other. They are known as the Castelli di Romeo e Giulietta, or the Castles of Romeo and Juliet. We have been to these castles numerous times. and the curator who is always there on the weekends is VERY passionate about the fact that Luigi Da Porto wrote the story about the two star-crossed lovers. It is believed that Shakespeare took Da Porto's story and expanded it a bit more and then it became famous as "Romeo & Juliet". 

But those of you who are regular readers of my blog will know that I have been reading and studying a book entitled, "Shakespeare Exhumed: The Bassano Chronicles", which gives irrefutable evidence that the Bassano family is who wrote most (if not all) of the Shakespearean plays. Emilia Bassano and Jeronimo Bassano are who did the writing, mostly Emilia, though. Because she was a lady, and ladies were not allowed to be in the spotlight as a published author in those days, a deal was made with William Shakespeare to take her stories and make them public. 

William Shakespeare, in fact, grew up within a very sheltered and small realm of existence in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He was not considered to be very literate, which makes one wonder how he could have written such extraordinary tales, with detailed lifestyles and travels from around the world, and references to Judaism and international trade, etc. The Bassanos, on the other hand, were Jews (who later hid in plain sight as Christians to escape persecution), they were merchants, they were businessmen, and they traveled extensively. It is believed that the play, "The Merchants of Venice", is based on the 5 Bassano brothers who were literal merchants of Venice. 

Shakespeare was basically illiterate and was a known drunkard. I'm sure he had some good qualities too, though (ha ha), and these should not be his only identifying characteristics. But for the purpose of this side-trip down the rabbit-hole about Romeo and Juliet, they are important details. 

I'm just trying to give a broader perspective to this place known as "Casa di Giulietta" in Verona. People believe that this was her original home. I'm pretty sure it wasn't. People believe Shakespeare visited this place. There is no proof that he ever even traveled to Italy. People believe that Shakespeare wrote "Romeo & Juliet". But he didn't. 

HOWEVER, people do believe in love. People believe that hurdles and obstacles sometimes get in our way of achieving love, but that love is still within our reach. People also love to read a good story. Sometimes these stories get made into a movie, such as "Letters to Juliet", which DID get filmed in this exact location in Verona. (It's a cute movie, by the way) 

So, if you believe in love and all the good things that come with it, then maybe you would want to see this alleged home of Juliet in Verona, too. You'll have to be willing to stand in a potentially long line, but who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and it won't be so long that day. 

When we got there, we saw quite a crowd of people because there were a couple of tour groups waiting to go inside. Below: the front of "Juliet's House". 

The line went around the corner and through the portico to the inner courtyard . . . the guy  in the photo below with the red umbrella was the guide for his tour group. We didn't get into the long line, but just took a few photos instead, and then we moved on.

A cute view of the local library entrance in Verona . . .

And then it was time for lunch . . . 

(Charmaine's) Scott and I chose to split two dishes: a colorful Panzanella salad and a burger with fries.

I like capturing moments like this, where it shows that our feet were literally here. Together. 

After lunch, we walked back to the car, passing the Arena again . . . the sun was out, and it was getting pretty toasty!

Our next stop was Aquardens, or - as I like to call it, AquaGardens. It's a thermal spa on the outskirts of Verona with several pools and caves, mostly outdoors. The water is generally around 35-37 degrees Celsius, but there is a really large pool outside that is cooler, I'm just not sure what the temperature of the water is. It feels great in the summer, but it's ice cold in the colder months. Aquardens wasn't too busy this time, which was nice. It was a very warm afternoon, so it felt refreshing to get in the pools to cool off for a couple hours. 

After we finished there (but who is ever really finished lounging in a pool on a warm summery day), we drove about 14 minutes west so Scott and Charmaine could see Lake Garda for a few minutes. Lazise is about as cute as you can get, and they loved it!

Lazise has a tiny little harbor, with several colorful boats at rest.

 

On the south side of the Lazise harbor sits a very small church, Chiesa San Nicolo, dating back to the end of the 12th century. St. Nicholas was considered to be the protector of sailors and fishermen.

Delicate frescoes still peek out from centuries of updates to the interior, including fresh paint, and other restorations . . .

On a little explore, we let our feet be the guides . . .

One of the reasons I love going to Lazise is because there is a large parking lot close to the shops that sit along the water's edge, and also because you're just so close to the water's edge! Everything is RIGHT THERE.

Video of Lake Garda, with a storm brewing on the left (south - toward Sirmione): (8 seconds)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9TmswRhR9jGJbk41A

I told Charmaine and Scott about my favorite gelato place, because of the kindness the workers had extended toward my (then) 2-year old grandson, Jack, when he was ready for a nap but wanted some milk. As Hannah inquired on behalf of their little boy, and once the workers understood that the milk was for a BABY, they rolled out the red carpet! They poured some milk into a cute little white pitcher, even adding a straw for ease of sipping, and carried it out to where we were sitting and waiting. 

So yes, whenever I'm in Lazise, I will 100% of the time buy some gelato from them. Cucina Riviera Gelateria is the name of their establishment, if you were curious.

We wandered for a little bit longer, marveling at all the colorful pasta, and especially at the size of the jumbo shells . . .

A very cute display of pasta on a cart in a side alley . . .

Those jumbo shells . . . !!

I'm thinking that these flavored salts would make a nice gift . . .

I always like to look down to see if I can find a cute "identifier" like this one on the ground . . .

We briefly walked along the outside of the medieval walls of Lazise before heading back to our car . . .

The olive trees on this side of the moat were a nice touch, making the backdrop even more beautiful.

There was even a little "library" at the corner of the battlement (the corner tower of the wall). 

On the side, it says: "Take a book, leave a book."

The selection inside was super cute, mostly children's books, including the Geronimo Stilton series. Our kids used to read those books when they were young. If I remember, I'll tuck some books in there from our little library upstairs before we leave Italy. I'm pretty sure we'll be visiting Lazise again before we finish up in the spring. 

Next week, I'll try to catch up on all the rest of the stuff we've been doing. For now, I'm just trying to keep up with each day's adventures!!

We've been to Nove, Bassano del Grappa, Marostica, the Dolomites, a cave tour, Chioggia, and tomorrow (Tuesday) we drive over to Slovenia and Croatia. 

We are having lots of fun, and there's more to come! :)