Wine and Relaxing in Verona

We had only one full day in Verona, which we thought was appropriate since when the opera is not in session (like now), there are very few tourist attractions in Verona. While we may have been correct to a point - there's not a lot to do besides shopping and seeing "Juliet's window" - it was a great place to stop. Verona ended up being a beautiful space to take a breath and relax in the middle of a long, sometimes very hectic trip.

As evidenced by the lack of tourist destinations, Verona was the least tourist-y of our stops in Italy. While I have no problem with tourist-y as long as it's worth seeing - such as Versailles and Neushwanstein - it was nice to spend some time in a beautiful place where we weren't being chased down by vendors with "selfie sticks." The atmosphere of Verona, except for the teenager-crowded block around "Juliet's house," was much more laid back. We spent a good portion of the day climbing the massive hill in the center of Verona to reach a church which we found was closed - but the beautiful grounds and view made the climb worth it.

The church also had a cafe where we decided to have a glass of wine overlooking the city. We expected somewhere with such a view to be crowded - but instead we found only one other couple and the proprietors, sitting outside to enjoy the breeze and throw a ball for their dog. (Dogs in Europe are everywhere - allowed in most stores and restaurants - but all the ones we have seen are remarkably calm and well trained.) Since we weren't in a big hurry, we spent a long part of the afternoon relaxing there - it was a wonderful respite from running place to place, especially enjoying the beautiful sunny weather.

We also spent some time wandering the streets of Verona, checking out churches we stumbled by and window shopping down the streets of the shopping district. (In my opinion, much more picturesque than the Champs de Elysees in Paris, although if you actually want to purchase rather than enjoy architecture and atmosphere, I can't fairly compare.) We even braved a few thousand teenagers to see la casa di Juliet, although it was quite an underwhelming window and courtyard for a fictional character.

All in all, if I was to return to Italy to relax comfortably rather than cram in whirlwind sightseeing, Verona would be high up on the list. There isn't a lot to see, but it's a beautiful and easy to navigate city, which looks quintessentially Italian and has great wine, and is easy to slow down and enjoy. Plus - they have some amazing gelato!