Now that we’ve gotten the city’s fabled romantic duo out of the way, I thought I’d share with you some highlights of our very full day spent wandering the streets of Verona.
The trip to Verona was organized by some of the staff here at Santa Chiara, intent as they are that life should include some playing as well as, well, playing. :o)
Check out the gladiators on the lower right
Verona’s history starts in Roman times, with this ancient amphitheatre as reminder.
Imagine sitting here with 25,000 of your closest friends, cheering gladiator battles or medieval executions. The human condition sure knows how to have fun!
The original pink marble is still in excellent condition as proved by a hike to the top. And in the interests of transparency, the arena is not quite as big as it looks, due to the widening effect of the camera’s lens.
Still, the place was plenty large to host Sting last summer (be still my heart; sorry kids, but I would leave my family for this man!) and because of its excellent acoustics, some big voices in Verdi’s Il Trovatore this August.
These magnificent pieces from the set of Il Trovatore are outside the arena waiting placement.
If I weren’t already an opera lover these pieces might make it worth changing my mind!
Preparing for his Italian modelling career
A view of Verona from the top of the arena
Liliana and Jeuwen, a fellow cello player from Shanghai.
The stadium was built well outside the town walls, much like modern stadia are located outside downtown districts. I’m told the fact that it’s still in such good shape makes Verona a better destination than Rome as it’s quieter but with similar historic artefacts.
As for the gladiators, apparently (and don’t quote me) they’re mostly from Albania and part of a local gang. Evidently the police let them pose with tourists (for a charge) and leave them alone as it’s preferable to having them explore other means of earning an income.
As I snapped this shot with neither payment nor permission, please alert the authorities if you never hear from me again.
The Country Mice 