Well, at least she's wearing one.

Verona's Piazza Bra (here's their webcam) is a big, full, beautiful... SQUARE, flanked by a Roman arena, fountains, statues, and a great restaurant and shopping area. Our guide Alberto told us "Bra" is derived from a word in the Veronese dialect that means "big wide open space."


This Roman gate flanks Piazza Bra. I believe those little brick projections on the top are called "crenels," and were for the archers to do their job with some protection. Clever design! (You'll see crenellated Roman walls all over Verona.)

This picture really doesn't do justice to the beautiful gate. The blocks of marble range from snowy white to a rose pink. Actually, glance around this beautiful city, and you'll notice a lot of that pink, thanks to the local marble known as "Rossa Verona." You'll see blocks of it used in the construction of the arena, which dates to the first century B.C.


Verona's arena is older and in better condition than Rome's Colosseum. The interior is in good shape, while a part of the outer wall still rises above the amphitheater. These are the four remaining arches of that outer wall.


We we curious enough that we paid the entry fee to experience the interior of this imposing structure.


Imagine watching a show on the stage of an ancient Roman amphitheater! That's what happens every summer in Verona. Thankfully, it's no longer spectacles of gladiators and wild animals and rivers of blood. Instead, there are rock concerts, and operas. When we were there, we saw the massive set of Zeffirelli's "Aida" production right in front of the town hall, Palazzo Barbieri (below). It's right by the Arena, waiting to be moved to the stage.

Note: on Monday morning, Pacific time, I saw the Piazza Bra webcam showing the pharoah figure right outside the arena walls! The next staging of Aida is drawing close. Oh that we could be there for it! Maybe another opera trip?
Here's a link to the Arena's official website. It has some great pictures of the productions on the arena stage, and is really worth a look.

Sorry Romeo, but Juliet's the star these days.

Forget the Arena, the trendy shops and restaurants, the piazzas, castles, bridges and statues. More than any other reason, tourists come to Verona to because of Signora Giulietta Capuleti.



The attraction is Juliet's house, her statue and of course, the famous balcony. We know that the house did belong to the Capuleti family, but was there really a Giulietta? We don't know. And the famous balcony, which will cost 4 Euro for a brief cameo before hordes of rowdy tourists?

Ersatz!

The balcony was constructed in the 20th century, at the request of romance-hungry tourists.

The scene at Juliet's house is a horrid tourist zoo. Frankly, I couldn't get a good picture of the statue because of the hordes elbowing each other to pose with her, and rub her right breast for good luck. Look again at the picture above. See how shiny her right breast is? It's very disturbing to see such enthusiastic and public groping.

For many people, Juliet is not just a story. They look to her for help in their love lives. There are two walls at the entryway allotted for Juliet-letter graffiti.



There's even a "Club di Giulietta" devoted to answering letters to the late Miss Capulet. Why do they think they can get help for their love lives from a fourteen-year old whose solution to her own amorous conundrum was suicide?

In Verona there is a house that once belonged to the Montecchi/Montague family, but it doesn't draw even a fraction of the interest in the Capuleti/Capulet home. Boy, in this feud,it's clear to see which family won in the public relations arena.

Incidentally, some streets in Verona bear names used in Shakespeare's play. I saw Via Mercuzio and Via Montecchi while we were driving around.

I understand that closer to home, the Eastern Washington town of Othello has a Desdemona street.

P.S. Charles Dickens' impressions of Verona are in Chapter 8 of "Pictures from Italy." Back in his day, as it is now, the biggest tourist draw was Juliet's house. Some things just get worse over time.

Wines of the Veneto, to the lees.

Verona really is a beautiful city. Cosmopolitan, ancient, scenic, historic. The sidewalks are made of marble! Beautiful, beautiful. But probably hellish when it rains.

After our guide Alberto led us through the arena, Piazza delle Erbe, the various other piazze and the Scaglieri tombs, we took a break in a historic wine bar.



This was our opportunity to taste some wines of the Veneto. I've been reading "La Cucina Italiana" for years, often resenting their effusive descriptions of Veneto varietals, because I just never could find them in the U. S. to taste them for myself. At long last, my chance.

Chief among the Veneto varieties is Amarone, a red of great depth, ending with a slightly bitter aftertaste. ("Amaro" is the Italian word for bitter.) I tried a sweet white, Recioto. It was gloriously smooth, with so many layers of fruit and flowers - I could have sipped on that one glass for an hour of revelation!

This is how wine rounds out a lovely Verona afternoon.


Salute, John, Barbara, Beverly and Sanni!


Cin cin, Arianna!


And salute, Cherri!

Dogged, by Greatness.

The Scaglieris, or della Scalas, were Verona's greatest ruling family, who dominated the city beginning in the 1300s. Their family emblem was the dog. You can even see dogs on their elaborate tombs, holding up shields in their little paws.



Apparently, the family thought the greatest of the great was Genghis Khan, and the word "Khan" reminded them of the Italian word "cane" (pronounced KAH-nay), for dog. So they adopted Cujo as the family symbol.

The greatest and best known of the Scaglieris was Francesco, who came to be known as "Can'Grande." That's right. The original Big Dog. A ruthless but effective political leader, he was also a patron of the arts. Can'Grande gave refuge to Dante in Verona after the poet's exile. Hence, Dante pays tribute to the Big Dog himself in several of his works. The best known is probably in Canto XVII of the Divine Comedy, where Dante says "even his enemies would be unable to keep silent about him."

Can'Grande's reign was followed by other pups in the della Scala litter, among them:

Nephew Mastino (the Mastiff)
The Mastiff's son Can'Grande II (Big Dog 2), killed and succeeded by his brother:
Can'Signorio (Mr. Dog, or Lord Dog), then succeeded by:
his son, Can'Francesco (Frankie Dog. so to speak.)

What? No General Dogsbody in the family?

Here's a closer look at one of the dogs on the della Scala tomb.(On the shield is the family coat of arms, the ladder. That's what "La Scala" means in Italian.)

Verona, Verona, wherefore art thou, Verona?

Here are some other pictures and stories from our afternoon in beautiful, ancient Verona.

A few centurions stand outside the arena.


Approaching the Piazza dei Signori from the vegetable market, Piazza delle Erbe.


A statue of Dante Alighieri stands in the Piazza dei Signori, which is why it's sometimes also called Piazza Dante. It's in the heart of Verona's medieval section. Dante spent his years of exile in Verona, as a guest of the ruler, Scaglieri. Here's a closer look at Dante's statue:



Just to the right of Dante in the picture, you can a statue above the arch. This is of Girolamo Fracastoro, a physician, scientist, and poet. Back in the 1500s Girolamo proposed a theory that diseases were caused by microorganisms! The ancient Veronese must have thought him crazy. One of Girolamo's poems centers on a character named Sifilo. That's where we get the word "syphilis." And here's Girolamo:




One of many lions in Verona. The lion is the symbol of St. Mark, patron saint of nearby Venice. Verona was under the rule of La Serenissima for about four centuries, so the lion is represented all over the city in the region. Our guide told us the Veronese say there are more lions in their town than in Africa.

I believe this particular lion is near the Piazza delle Erbe, but unfortunately I can't be sure. We saw so many sights that afternoon in Verona, it was hard to keep track of what was what. So if you can fill in the details, please add it to the comments on this blog, per favore.