And very fair she was.
We arrived by train and were met by Andrea at the station, who thankfully hadn't shaved his beard since his couch surfing photo, and therefore was easily recognisable. He took us for a quick stroll around the city so that we could tick the top tourist spots off our list without and hassle (including Juliette's Balcony and Dante's Square). Interesting side note, the balcony that everyone gazes longingly at was built about 100 years after Shakespeare, so probably unlikely that love happened there.
On our first evening together Lisa & Andrea, our wonderful hosts, took us to a risotto fair. It was massive, about the size of the food pavilion at the Easter Show. The walls were lined with rice growers and bars, and the centre was lines and lines of tables. A match made in heaven. So on expert advice we dug into the regions finest risotto and rosso.
Afterwards we were taken out into the hills of Verona to our foster home for the next few days. It was spectacular; an old monastery converted into a beautiful house. In the lower right is the church which still operates.
The next day we adventured into the city on our own. Yay! We did the usual town things - getting lost, visiting castles (not so applicable in Sydney), visiting churches, and napping in a park after lunch. Siesta is rad.
Our final day before departing for Venice we wanted to relax in Lisa & Andrea's pad and maybe take a stroll amongst in the mountain air and the olive vines. We were kindly offered a car and jumped at the chance to see some Italian countryside. We'd caught glimpses on the trip to their house: farms, vineyards, olive groves... ahhh the serenity. Keen to see more ventured out.
On a recommendation we visited a cheese dairy, complete with cows and homemade cheeses. We bought stupid amounts of cheese, bread rolls and homemade salami. We jumped in the car and wandered into a field for a picnic.
We were shown an amazing time in Verona. Thanks Andrea and Lisa for the home cooking, the conversation, the advice, and the love!
Next stop Rome. Perfetto! X.
No comments:
Post a Comment