Better Late than Never! Weeks 3/4- Verona and Bologna/Fun in Florence

Last weekend was my first self-planned and conducted European trip! There was a group of about 8 girls who planned our train rides, hotels, and sightseeing a week or two ago. It was a wonderful and exhausting trip, minus the few near crises along the way….


THURSDAY (Jan 20th) – We didn’t leave for Verona until Friday morning, but I just thought I would tell you about out Art History excursion this week and share a few pictures. We first went to the Meseo di San Marco, a convent with about 40 cells in which monks would reflect and pray. Each cell had a religious fresco by Angelico or his apprentices, very simplistic in nature to inspire meditation. One of my friends and I got a little side tracked looking into each cell at the frescos, and ended up getting separated from the group. We were scurrying all around the museum and it’s courtyard for about 15 minutes, trying to locate our group. After plenty of stare downs, we managed to track down our class. We then walked a little ways to reach piazza Santissima Annunziata, where there was an old orphanage. We only observed the architecture from the outside (which was pretty neat), and then headed next door to the Basilica di Santissima Annuziata. The exterior was similar to the orphanage, but the inside was so beautiful! There was an awesome accumulation of gold as you walked in on the lamps hanging and surround candles, ceilings, and artwork. Our teacher told us that there was a monk painting the Annunciation in the 13th century at this site, but decided to abandon the work because he didn’t find it very beautiful. As the story goes, he went to bed and woke up the next morning to a completed image, seemingly done by an angel as he slept. After this incident, the painting at this location became really admired and considered miraculous. Below are some pictures of all of the Renaissance works we saw!

One of the Monk's Cells 

Orphanage Facade

Close Up - Orphanage Arches

Inside Basilica di Santissima Annuziata

The Candlelight/Gold Sparkle  Was Not Captured Well on Camera...But Stunning in Person! 

FRIDAY (Jan 21st) was the big day of our trip! We had to catch a bus at noon into Florence, and then from there we took a train to Verona at one. Things went smoothly at this point; except for about 15 min outside of Florence there was SNOW EVERYWHERE. I had a minor panic attack, as I had not packed for a blizzard of a weekend nor would that be very conducive to sightseeing. It was one of the strangest things to explain – we would be going through tunnels and then boom bright white for a few seconds and snow everywhere. This continued for about 10 minutes, but fortunately the snow was out of sight and mind the rest of the train ride and trip. Whew! One of the first near crises happened when we had to change trains along the way, and the signs were wrong on the platforms. How we were supposed to know the train that said Verona wasn’t going there is beyond me…but evidently we were on the wrong train. One of the conductors came into our box car and instructed us to hop on a different train. We ran over to it and boarded just in time!
After arriving in Verona, we got our taxi and arrived at our hotel. Upon arrival, we found out only one of our rooms was actually booked…leaving 4 of us without a room. Evidently the rest of this hotel and basically all of them in Verona were booked up because of a bike festival. The owner, after much communication and discussion, decided to graciously let us use her own room in the hotel for sleeping in! This hour or so was really stressful, but once again the crisis got resolved and we had a comfy, really great place to stay.
After getting settled in, we decided to explore Verona a bit and go grab some dinner, too. Right away, walking into the main plaza (about 1 min from our hotel) I got a great impression of Verona! It had a warm and beautiful feeling to it. The main walking streets were basically car free, and tons of people busily walking around. Not to mention an ice rink right next to the huge historic arena – pretty awesome. Dinner that night I got some delicious pesto, and after walking around some more we headed back to the hotel to get a good night of rest. Tomorrow was bound to be full of tons of walking and sightseeing!

In the Main Piazza 

Cute Streets of Verona 

Attractively Eating Pastry 

Group of Italian Soldiers We Talked With, and Insisted on a Picture - Too Funny!

SATURDAY (Jan 22nd) we woke up pretty early and got ready, excited to see what breakfast held in store. The table was very cute and there were tons of delicious goodies! The woman and owner really outdid herself. She right away asked if we wanted café or cappuccino (I obviously said yes) and had a lot of options for us to eat. After breakfast we packed our things, and the lady said we could keep our bags there while we walked around all day. We told her we would call between 7 or 8 to pick them up that night, and were pretty relieved with the situation -at least for now. Notice foreshadowing here of another potential crisis...
We first purchased a “Verona Card” for 10 euro, a really great deal that gets you into a large list of the tourist attractions. Considering most of these places cost 6 euro each to get into, this card was well worth buying right away. We first went to the Roman Arena, essentially a slightly smaller version of the Coliseum.  We ventured to the top (after climbing tons of oversized stone stairs), and the view of Verona was great! We were able to see some snow capped mountains, too. We spent quite a bit of time here trudging up and down the stairs, and even posed on the ground of the arena as gladiators for some pictures. My maturity level as a traveler never ceases to amaze me.
After the arena, we walked to Juliet’s house to see the ever so famous balcony and backdrop for the movie Letters to Juliet (which we watched out first night here).  The small tunnel with graffiti love messages was pretty neat, and I even got to stand on the balcony itself. We took pictures with the statue of Juliet in the courtyard, too – our hand placed on her breast. Don’t worry, this wasn’t another one of our self-created immature pictures. Everyone who takes a picture with the statue does this for good luck in love.
We then decided to travel across the Adige River to the other side of Verona, and after a longer walk made it to Ponte Pietra, the old arched bridge. The view of what lied on the other side made me really excited to head over there, and the water view was beautiful! The first place we went, which was right across the river, was Teatro Romano of Verona – built in the 1st century. The remains were really pretty, and we climbed a bunch of stairs around the theatre to find some more views of the city.  After, we climbed all the way to the top of the hill to reach Castel San Pietro, where we found some of the best views of Verona! We overlooked nearly all of the city and just sat on the wall, looking out for a while. We weren’t able to go into Castel San Pietro, but the view alone was well worth all the climbing.
After reaching the base of the hill, we decided to go back across the river and head to Castelvecchio (Old Castle) – which involved strolling along the river for a while. The walk was really pretty, and from far away I could tell this medieval castle was going to be really cool. But, at this point, I was also pretty exhausted! We got to the bridge that led up to the castle, and this structure alone was really cool. We got to the castle and went inside to the museum, which housed artworks and medieval weaponry. I was even able to pick up on things from my art history class in the pictures! The best part of the castle was when we went up a staircase, and had a view of the bridge as well as river and Verona behind it. Another amazing view!
After this, we went to grab some dinner and afterward I got some delicious NUTELLA GELATO! Heaven on earth. The funniest part about this is that at dinner I was discussing how I was going to invent nutella flavored gelato if I didn’t find it anywhere in Italy. As much money as I could have made, I’m glad someone else beat me to it as I was able to devour nutella gelato that night.
We got to our hotel to pick up our bags, and this proved to be more difficult than expected (like several earlier incidents). We rang the doorbell – no answer. Called the number she gave us/the one on the door – no answer. Some worry started to set in, but finally a random person went to go inside the building and we followed them. We got up the stairs to the front door of the hotel – locked. Knocked – no answer. This continued for about 10 or 15 minutes, and meanwhile panic was really starting to set it. Our train was going to be leaving in 35 minutes, and we didn’t have access to our bags! Calling and knocking persisted and anxieties continued to rise, when fortunately someone staying at the hotel heard our knocks and opened the door for us. All I could say was “grazie mille!” over and over and relief flooded over me.  We attempted to find the phone number for a taxi, which failed (go figure) and ended up using a map to walk….or should I say run…to the train station. We got there with 15 minutes to spare, and our train ride to Bologna went without a hitch. It was on time, at the right platform – everything! We arrived in Bologna at about 10:00pm, and took a taxi to our hotel. Walking was not an option, as we were in a completely new city, it was pitch black, and we had no idea where to head.
Our rooms at this hotel were pretty nice – not as ‘fancy’ as the other place and to be honest it kind of reminded me of a hospital at first in the rooms. It was very white and sterile feeling, with a personal attached bathroom. I realized, however, that this room had to be clean or the dirt would have popped up on the white tile, beds, cabinets, etc. Good deal. We plopped our stuff down and right away got ready to go out with some friends that were in town from our program. The night ended up being really fun, minus one slight mess up (what’s new). The guys told us they were at Café Paris, so we just googled the place to find the address. We got dropped off there by a taxi and walked inside to find a really classy hang our bar. Low and behold, there is a Café Paris as well as a Café OF Paris in Bologna…two completely different establishments. Who would have guessed?! We ended up getting some really delicious drinks from the wrong/classy bar, and then got directions from our waiter to the other one where our friends were. He was really nice about it and only laughed at us a little…

Breakfast Table Setting

Arches Into Verona

Roman Arena 

Ice Rink in the Piazza!

Mountain View From Top of Arena 

Arena Interior 

View of Piazza From Top of Arena  

Gladiators, Obviously

Disregard the Squinting - It Was Bright Out!

Roomie Pic, Per Usual 

Walls to House of Juliet

Billy Shakespeare Has a Way With Words

THE Balcony 

Posing With Juilet 

Another Piazza in Verona

View Across the River

Teatro Romano

Jumping in Teatro Romano - First Try!

Teatro Romano Arches

Birds Eye View

Verona From Top of the Hill 

Overlooking the City

Castelvecchio

Bridge to the Castle 

Street View of Castelvecchio

NUTELLA GELATO.

On SUNDAY (Jan 23rd) we got up early to take advantage of the breakfast, which was far inferior to the one at the Verona hotel. Coffee was not included (bogus) and the food options were pretty limited. Oh well, at least there was something to eat. We packed up our things and checked out at 11, and began our walk to the center of Bologna! It was a gorgeous day out, and perfect for making a little trek.
On the way, we stopped at the train station to check in our baggage for the day. Although it cost about 5 euro, it was well worth not lugging around our stuff for six hours.
Bologna had a very different feel from Verona and the other places we have been in Italy. I would consider it Chicago-esque, a little more industrialized in ways. But then BOOM you would see a structure very Italian and historical. As we got closer to the main plaza, though, things got much more picture-esque and less industrialized.
We ended up just walking around a bit, and then in our guidebook found a restaurant that sounded absolutely delicious and authentic. Our waiter was this cheery Italian man and I could tell this was going to be a great meal. Let’s just say my tortellini with Bolognese sauce was incredible! I forced myself to savor it, as much as I wanted to just dump the entire plate in my mouth. After relaxing at the restaurant for a while, we ventured toward the main plaza to see the Fountain of Neptune. On the way we passed some neat older structures and a very medieval style church. Neptune’s fountain was bronze and in a beautiful pyramid-like shape, but quite interesting as well (note pictures below of the lactating mermaids).
The rest of the day we spent wandering around Bologna, basically shopping and eating (which we were told were the two basics of this city). I managed to buy no clothes (check out that will power, Mom!) but still had a great day. We stopped in this really cute Greek-style café and I had what is probably my best pastry to date – it was a pie shaped mini pastry filled with delicious chocolate and crème. To die for! The place was full the entire time we were there, but the atmosphere was really relaxing and a great place to wind down.
As the day wrapped up, we decided to head back to the train station early enough to get our bags. Fortunately we did, because there was a huge line since their computer system was working slowly. One Italian man behind us ended up literally yelling back and forth with one of the workers about how ridiculous the situation was. My first witnessed Italian fight, and it was an intense verbal ones. We waited patiently, got our bags, and boarded our train back to Florence…I was so exhausted!
We ended up getting back to the Villa around 8:50 that night – just ten minutes before the Packer game.  As tired as I was, the adrenaline started to pump and I threw my bags down, put on my sweats, and headed to the basement of the Villa where the game was being projected. What an awesome way to end the weekend! I can’t wait to watch the Superbowl here in Florence…hopefully the Packer shirt my mom mailed me will arrive in time :)

Walking Into Center of Bologna 

Neat Arched Walkway

Medieval Church

Tortellini With Bolognese Sauce - SO Delicious!

Piazza 

Fountain of Neptune 

Lactating Mermaid (Symbol of Fertility?)

Awkward Fountain Photo

Subpar Street Performer 

THIS WEEKEND (Jan 28-30) has been more low key and relaxing, as I didn't travel anywhere but into Florence. On Thursday we had another Art History excursion, but nearly all of the churches were no photos allowed ☹.  That night I went into Florence with some friends to a bar called the Red Garter, where they have tribute bands every Thursday night. Much to our pleasant surprise, this week’s cover band was of Queen! The lead singer/keyboardist had a pretty awesome mustache and rocking vocals. 

Friday I went shopping with a two girlfriends in Florence. We got lunch at this cute restaurant, where I ate some delicious spinach stuffed ravioli. Oh, and I got some of the best chocolate gelato to date (it was super dark). We spent all day roaming around the city and doing some shopping, and got back to the Villa in time for dinner. After dinner I had rugby practice to prepare four our game on Sunday! That night I crashed after practice, as I started getting sick the middle of this week. My head cold and cough were progressing, and I needed to rest up for our match.

Saturday I spent literally all day sleeping away my sickness. I felt really unwell, but fortunately mustered up energy to shower and get ready for dinner around 6. We went to Sesto Pub, a place I would consider students from the program ‘regulars’ by now. It’s nearby, reasonably priced, and above all tasty. That evening I hung out with a group of people before they headed into Florence, but again my sickness and game the next day had me passed out by midnight. 

Sunday (today) I woke up early, but well rested and ready to play some rugby! I noticed it was raining pretty hard outside, but that definitely doesn’t bring down a match. Our team met at a café and our coach informed us the game was CANCELLED. Boo! I guess Bologna had gotten hit was a ton of snow and it was continuing. Well, by ton I mean a few inches but that in plenty here to call it off (in Wisconsin, however, I think it would take a few feet!). Nevertheless, I had a pastry and socialized with the team a bit, and came home to sleep a couple more hours. At brunch, everyone was asking why I wasn’t at the game and I had to explain (about 20 times, it hurt my heart a little more each time) that our game got cancelled. So, some of us decided to play some rugby here at the Villa! About eight of us met up to play in a grassy area, which ended up being the perfect number given our field size. Rules had to be modified a bit (i.e. no tackling or scrums) but we were all on the ground a ton anyway from the mud and water. It was really rainy and fun, and everyone picked up on rugby basics pretty quickly! It definitely made up for my game being cancelled ☺  

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