hola VERONA

72 hours in Verona, Italy <3

PART 2.

From Bolzano we drove to Verona which is about a 3 hour drive. On the way we stopped at Riva de Garda. The Riva is a huge lake with little towns located all around it.  The scenery itself is very dramatic with the huge mountains in the backdrop and the lake on the other end, its breathtaking. 

Stef and I were excited to see that there was a huge flea market going on. There were a lot of fun things along with these furry hats. We ended up negotiating prices for two oversized sweaters, we won!

Next stop on the map was Bardolino. Another beautiful town along the water. We ate at a local restaurant and ordered what looked like a Italian quesadilla.  The bread was flat like a tortilla and filled with cheese, ham and an amazing sauce. By the time we finished heavy clouds began to cover the sun and it became much colder. We walked around for a but and decided it was time to continue on to Verona.

We stayed with my friend’s boyfriend and we all went out to a small local restaurant in San Giovanni Lupatoto for dinner. We ordered a house mix antipasti, which consisted of different fresh hams, cheeses and skewers… HEAVEN! 

For dinner we asked for a mix of pastas.. I was too busy indulging in this incredible food I forgot to take a picture. We ended the night drinking wine and eating deserts.

The next day was our big day in Verona. It was supposed to rain but we got so luck and were able to enjoy a chilly but sunny day in Verona. We started at the colosseum, did some shopping, visited Juliette’s house and ate ice cream for lunch. It really doesn’t get any better. 

Casa Di Giulietta <3

Working up an appetite, we stopped at a cafe near Juliette’s house. So in Italy there an amazing meal opportunity called Coppa, which is basically a gigantic cup filled with ice cream and toppings that can be eaten as a meal…… I know.. let it soak in. There were so many people sitting at these coppa cafes eating huge sundaes. I couldn’t pass this opportunity down. Sitting in the middle of Verona with my friend and sundae, I was a happy camper.

We finished our day with some shopping and a quick coffee picker-upper. All the stores were incredible and the women shopping in them were dressed to perfection. One of the trends I noticed were the sheer or fishnet socks worn with booties. Theres a sock store called Calzedonia. Socks and nylons in every color/design and a low price.

For dinner we ate pizza! And not the greasy, sitting out all day pizza. The made upon order with real fresh, seasonal produce. I ordered a pizza with fresh tomatoes, prosciutto, ham, and fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese. Words can’t explain how incredible this pizza was but my mouth is still watering. We ended the night yet again drinking wine and having a good time.  

This was my last night in Italy and the next day the next day Stef took me to the train Verona station and from there I headed to Venice. I was only in Venice for a couple hours before heading to the airport.

I am truly grateful for my friend taking the time to show me around her hometown and  other surrounding cities. This trip was one of the best I’ve ever been on and I am so happy that my first experiences of Italy were in towns that weren’t bombarded with tourists. The more touristy the area the less authentic the culture and food may be. I do plan to visit Rome, Pisa, Venice, etc in the future but these experiences of Italy can never be topped. The cherry on top was flying over Switzerland.