Verona on Halloween

 

John and Mary and San Piedro Fortress

We headed to Ponta Pietra, the bridge first built by the Romans in the first century, the white stone is original material. After last night’s rain the river has swelled with large trees floating down river. The bridge has been rebuilt several times because of flood or war. We took the funicular up to the San Piedro Fortress, the barracks built for the Austrian soldiers. From here you have a beautiful view of the old city, looking carefully, you can spot the Roman arena in the center. We strolled through the streets to have lunch near the river. Several of us tried the local dish, pasta with donkey meat. It rained while we ate and then the sun came out for a nice afternoon.

We strolled to Piazza Bra for dinner. The kids are out for Halloween stopping at Gelato stands and candy shops to trick or treat. Halloween isn’t an Italian tradition, but the children are enthusiastic.

Trick or Treat

Verona, Italy

 

Roman Arena in Piazza Bra

Our day began in Piazza Bra, the central square of Verona, which used to be the arrival space before the Roman Gates. Verona became an important Roman town in the 2^nd century BC because it was at the junction of three Roman roads. The Roman Arena was built in 30 AD, 50 years older than the Coliseum in Rome. In the summer it is home to the Verona Opera Festival. The outer ring was destroyed in 1117 by an earthquake. 

Interior of Arena

The city became prosperous during the Reign of the della Scalla family during the 13^th and 14^th centuries. We walked to the Market Square to see the Palazzo Maffei and the Gardello tower on one side and the City Hall with the Lamberti Tower on the other. We continued to the 13^th century Santa Anastasia church. Behind the church was the Adige River. This used to provide power to many mills, but in 1882 a flood destroyed the mills. The town built the walls we see today and channeled some of the river into a canal to reduce the risk of flooding. Nearby were the della Scalla family sarcophagi underneath stone arches. This is the location of Juliet’s staged death in Romeo and Juliet. Next was the Piazza dei Signori. The Portico of the Councel is a Venetian Renaissance Building. In the courtyard is a Statue of Dante, father of the Italian language and author of the “Divine Comedy”. We finished our morning at the House of Juliet. 

House of Juliet

While the house is authentic, the balcony was built in 1937. In the afternoon we walked to the Castelvechio, the old castle, built in 1356 to protect the Scalla family and allow him to escape on his private bridge. The protective wall wouldn’t protect from cannonballs in the 15^th century, but by then the town walls were built.

Castelvechio and its bridge

Bergamo, Italy

 

Painting by Trento Longaretti

On to Bergamo which is the capital of this region. Our guide, Cat, is from this region, so she is very proud of this town. We enter the old city through the Western Gate with emblems representing past rulers: Milan, Venice, and the Austrian Hungarian Empire. The narrow street is filled with interesting shops, including a painting by Cat’s uncle, Trento Longaretti. 

Piazza Vechio

The Piazza Vechio is the Civic square since The Palace of Reason was built in the form 12th century. Nearby is the Civic Bell Tower, which rang 100 times before the gates closed for the night. Continuing under the Palace, we reach Cathedral Square. 

Cathedral Square

Our gaze is immediately captured by the Colleoni Chapel with its renaissance architecture. This chapel was started in 1470 and is the mausoleum of Bartolomeo Colleoni. Next door is the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Romanesque church founded in 1137. Next door is Saint Allesandro Cathedral, the white marble façade is from the 19^th century. Inside were two surprises. The altar was covered with relics since All Saint’s Day is approaching. 

Relics in Cathedral

Then we went to the John XXIII chapel where his body was first laid (until it was moved to St. Peter’s crypt) because he was from this region. As we left the Cathedral, its baptistry is across the square. I climbed the bell tower to see the countryside around the town. We had lunch at the 2^nd oldest restaurant in Italy, 15^th century. Cat ordered us Casoncelli, the local pasta, it was delicious. We drove to Verona to stay at Hotel Accademia right in the center of the old city.

Belagio

 

Volta's original batteries

In the morning, I walked to the Porta Terra, the Tower gate used to defend the medieval walls. Along the walls was the Saturday market. I followed the walls back to the lake. Here is the Volta Temple celebrating the life of Alassandro Volta, inventor of the capacitor, numerous electrical instruments, and the first battery. Volta demonstrated his battery to Napolean in 1799 since Como was under French rule at the time.

The Mountain around Belagio

In the afternoon we took the ferry to Belagio, the “Pearl of the Lake”, which sits at the junction of the junction of the three arms of the Lake. During the 19^th century, as the middle class grew, Belagio became a tourist destination and many industrialists built Villas here. Our guide, Cat, was eager to take us on the 'choo choo train' to explore the town. I walked the gardens of the Villa Melzi. 

Gardens of Villa Melzi

The Florida Bald Cyprus provided a lot of color to the grounds. By walking the upper level of the town, we were treated the scenes of the Alps in the distance. We finished our day boating back to Como as the sun set.

"Star Wars" Villa along Lake Como

Lake Como

 

Como

A video of this trip is available on youtube 

We arrived without incident and with baggage in Milan and then were bussed to Lake Como. We’re staying at the Palace Hotel, in the center of town and on the waterfront. Como was founded by the Julius Caesar who had the swamp at the end of the Lake drained and planned the city. Como Cathedral is dedicated to the assumption of Mary. It was built from 1396 to 1740 when the dome was completed. The Cathedral is on the site of a Romanesque church with lions protecting it. Inside are 16^th tapestries. Around the city are the remains of the medieval walls as well. The Porta tower was built in 1192 to defend the entrance into the city. Today the city has many villas from the 15^th and 16^th centuries. We ended our morning tour at Palazzo Volpi, home to the Civic Art museum. We walked through the Medieval art section starting with the portal to St.  Margaret church, then visited the Renaissance and modern art.

Villas in Como

In the afternoon many of us rode the funicular to the town of Brunate, high above Lake Como. Here are several unique views of the Lake. Hoping for some other views I decided to take the trail down the hill. That was a big mistake. Large sections of the trail are poorly maintained and have many loose rocks. Combined with the steepness of the trail and the rain last night, it was difficult to not slip. I managed to tear up my arm on a thorny bush. Glad I had Band-Aids in my backpack.

View from Brunate