Shakespeare couldn’t have chosen a better word to describe the city of Verona. In case you were curious, this particular scene contains five Pepperdine students, a lot of rain, one map of Verona and one of the cutest little Italian cities of all time… seriously, even Shakespeare thought so.
Upon visiting Verona, it quickly became evident why Shakespeare placed his star-crossed lovers here. Even aside from all the mushy romantic attractions, Verona was an incredible experience. In fact, we only spent about 30 minutes in the “Casa di Giulietta” (where, yes, we wrote letters) and spent the rest of our time in cute little cafés and shops and exploring beautiful churches and ancient Roman ruins. This little town has morphed from medieval village into Renaissance masterpiece into modern tourist trap, leaving remnants of each of its many phases tucked in little corners here and there.
Castelvecchio (literally ‘old castle’) lies across the street from internet cafes and Italian bars now, but it is wonderfully preserved. The Roman theater and the Roman Arena are spectacles worth noting—masterpieces that blend into the beautiful hodge-podge of Verona. Speaking of the Roman Arena, did you know that the Romans used to fill the arena with water and have mock naval battles there? I had no idea. The entire structure, carved out of mostly pink marble, was quite the demonstration of architectural prowess. In Piazza Erbe, stone archways interrupt the glass storefronts. A whalebone hangs in one, and is rumored to fall on the first person that walks under it that has never told a lie. It didn’t fall on any of us…
The rain made the experience even better, if that’s possible. We ran from building to building seeking shelter from the rain, seeing and learning so much more than we would have if we had forgone the itinerary in favor of a lazy day in the sun. The bonus I didn’t realize until Sunday? Rain also conveniently means that human statues stay indoors. They were out in full force when the sun came out.
One woman, seemingly suspended in air over her partner, was truly impressive. Clothed in golden robes, she much have had a seat of some sort connected to the pole that she held on one side, while her partner, seated below her, held the other [picture attached]. The others, like the talking head sitting on a green table that came alive to mock me (much to my surprise and much to the entertainment of my friends), were downright creepy. Yet another, a full-grown woman decked out in pink bows and seated in an oversized cradle, let out a series of ear-splitting screams that echoed out across the plaza right outside the Roman Arena.
The highlight of the trip was undoubtedly that only two people asked us where we came from, and they guessed Germany! Unfortunately, we don’t speak any German so we couldn’t keep up with that charade, but we took it as a compliment that they guessed we were European. Maybe, just maybe, we’re starting to blend in a little bit more than we did one month ago. As Florence begins feeling more and more like home and we learn the language a little bit better, we find ourselves somehow belonging here. We aren’t natives; we never will be, but we do live here and it is home. Oh, and we love it.
Up Next? A weekend in Interlaken and a 5-day Educational Field Trip (EFT) in Sicily!
