House of Juliet...

Probably not surprising, it was due to Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet that we were drawn to visiting Verona. Despite these characters being fictional, a tourist site has popped up in an early 14th century house featuring a lovely balcony (rumored to have been added in the 20th century). Entry into the courtyard to see the balcony is free.

It’s believed that if you rub the bronze statue of Juliet, you’ll find your true love. Considering how shiny her right breast is, it’s clear she’s rubbed a lot.

Despite the warnings that this was another tourist trap, we paid the few euros to enter the Casa di Juiletta (House of Juliet).

In addition to getting to take photos on the infamous balcony, we learned about the actual family that lived in the house and saw costumes from a movie version of the tragic love story.

Afterwards, we ate lunch in one of the squares and wandered the small market. That evening one of Darlene’s cousins had us over for dinner. She made an amazing spread of food and we all enjoyed looking at old family photos. Darlene did a great job being my personal translator as only a few of her cousins speak English.

Exploring Verona...

The following day, Darlene and I were joined by her nephew’s wife Grace for a walk around Verona. Our first stop was the Verona Arena, the third largest Roman amphitheater in Italy. Originally built in 30AD, it was heavily damaged by an earthquake in 1117.

Reconstruction began during the Renaissance and operas have been performed since the 1850s. The view was nice...

...however, Darlene and I gave this site a thumbs down because we were disappointed by the lack of a museum for the high entry price.

The main shopping street was quite charming.

We made our way to the Adige River to see the Ponte Pietra Bridge. Originally built by the Romans in 100BC, Much of the bridge was blown up by the retreating Germans during World War II, but was rebuilt in 1957 using any original materials that survived.

Villa Palma...

Next we stopped by Villa Palma, an 18th century villa. It is now a four-star hotel, but  was once the home of Darlene’s family. When she told the hotel staff that her father grew up in this house, they were happy to let us wander around the public rooms...

...and not so public rooms, such as this kitchen with some of the old fixtures still in place. They were also kind enough to show us a few of the hotel rooms, which were nicely decorated in antiques with impressive marble bathrooms.

That evening we went to Darlene’s cousin’s house for pre-drinks before heading to a giant pizza place for Darlene’s nephew’s 40th birthday party (Robert lives in California, but wanted to celebrate his 40th with his extended Italian family).

Asolo...

The next day we drove into the nearby hills to the quaint town of Asolo. Finding parking was a little complicated, but even more complicated was paying to park. We had to go to a restaurant to buy parking cards which then had to be scratched off to show the correct date and time. Felt a bit like playing the Lotto without any chance of winning.

It was a pretty sleepy town. Although it was June, all of the tourist sites were closed until the weekend.

We took a nice walk up the hill to see the views.

Along the way, we came across Restaurant La Terrazza which featured a vegetarian menu in the window. Although I can’t remember what I ordered, I do recall that it was the best meal the whole trip.

Along the Brenta River...

Bassano was attacked by the Germans during World War II; the bullet holes in the yellow building act as a reminder.

The covered wooden bridge was designed in 1569 and was destroyed several times over the centuries, most recently during WWII.

Not only was the bridge a popular spot for photos, but acts as an open-air bar as people gather together to enjoy a grappa.

After a riverside dinner with Rita and Doug, Darlene and I took a walk along the picturesque river.

Off to Italy...

June 28 was an unusual day for our family as we all scattered in different directions. Veronica had a 5 a.m. flight to Malia on the island of Crete for the Year 13 Graduation Trip. Ashlynn had to be at school at 6 a.m. to catch a bus to Switzerland for the Year 10 Biology/Geography trip. Since Jimmy was also leaving that morning for his Renewable Energy Executive Management Program in Switzerland, I figured I needed to get away as well. Lucky for me that after spending almost a week with us, Darlene had headed to Italy to stay in her cousin’s apartment and there was space for me.

So on the 28th, I caught a flight to Venice and Darlene picked me up to take me to the apartment in Bassano del Grappa, famous for the invention of grappa. Her sister Rita and her brother-in-law Doug would arrive later that day; the apartment was spacious so they didn’t mind me invading their space.

Darlene and I walked around the historic center of Bassano and had lunch on an outside terrace.

Early Birthday Celebration...

Since Veronica’s birthday is in August and she rarely gets to celebrate with her friends, she decided to host a joint birthday party with Michele, whose birthday was in June. They booked a dessert and drinks package at one of the beach cafés and a good sized group joined them.

Veronica and Wendy

Veronica and Fiona

Veronica had a great time! After three nights of parties, she’d have one mellow day at home to pack before spending the night at Wendy’s so she could catch a lift to the airport early that Sunday morning.