In September of 2015, my sister Rachel came to visit. Here are our adventures in Verona, Italy. We took the train from Vicenza to Verona, and following excellent directions from the Rick Steves guidebook, hopped on a city bus and made our way to the center of town. 
Made famous by Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, Verona is a city on the Adige river in Veneto, Italy. It is a big tourist destinations in northern Italy, with its artistic heritage, several annual fairs (including a huge Christmas Market), shows, and operas.
Verona is famous for its Roman amphitheatre, the Arena, found in the city’s largest piazza, the Piazza Bra. It was completed around 30 AD, it is the third largest in Italy after Rome’s Colosseum and the arena at Capua.
Over the centuries, crowds of up to 25,000 spectators have cheered Roman gladiator battles, medieval executions, and modern plays — including Verona’s popular summer opera festival, which takes advantage of the arena’s famous acoustics.
Here are few pictures of the interior of the Arena. It’s mind blowing how old these walls are.
There are many restaurants in perfect view of the Arena. This is a picture from inside the Arena on the top level overlooking Piazza Bra.
Great place to stop for a caffè (coffee) or a cocktail, or in Rachel’s case a birra! 
Piazza Bra
After the Arena, we decided to walk to the Medieval Castle and bridge, Castelvecchio. 
Oh, how I love these cobblestone streets!
Designed in the middle of the fourteenth century as a home of the Della Scala family , the Castelvecchio is by far the most important military monument of the Scaliger era in the city of Verona.
Adige River
Sisters selfie!
Piazza Erbe
A whale rib has been mysteriously suspended from the arch since at least the 1700s, and no one knows how it got there.
Lots of good people watching.
Time for a birra and a spritz Aperol! Cin Cin!
Piazza del Signori
Dante
Verona’s tallest medieval tower, built by the Lamberti family in 1172.
The Scaliger Tombs is a group of five Gothic funerary monuments in Verona, Italy, celebrating the Scaliger family, who ruled in Verona from the 13th to the late 14th century. 
Rumors say that they built their tombs suspended in the air so that everyone would still have to look up to them.
Juliet’s Balcony
The House of Juliet, where the real-life Cappello family once lived, is a crass and throbbing mob scene. The tiny, admittedly romantic courtyard is a spectacle in itself, with visitors from all over the world posing on the almost believable balcony and taking snapshots of each other rubbing Juliet’s bronze breast, hoping to get lucky in love.
Letters to Juliet. Yes they do exist! And there is a group of volunteers that actually respond to these “mostly lovesick people”.
O, Romeo Romeo!
We decided to eat at this Enoteca based on recommendations from our favorite tour guide Rick Steves. And it did not disappoint.
Mortadella! (tastes like bologna!)
Eggplant parmesan. Delicious!
And of course a red wine paired with our dinner from our favorite restaurant owner!
Pasta!
And my favorite dish on the menu…beef cheeks! SO good!
Highly recommend this restaurant. I’ve been here three times!
Yes, Rachel I will accept your rose!
After our late night dinner, we decided to find a hotel in Verona. I always use booking.com because they give me the best deals (especially if you are a frequent traveler). Use my referral link to save $20 on your next hotel stay with booking.com!
We rented a room in a large apartment that had a shared kitchen and bathrooms. It was a first for me but it was just fine. I never saw any other person in the apartment besides the guy who we booked through. You get your own bedroom with a locked door. It was only about 50 Euros and fit our needs just right.
They next morning we took a taxi back to the train station and headed back to Vicenza.
Ciao for now, until next the post!
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