Verona, Italy

Verona is fun afternoon trip located outside of Venice, Italy and the home to Shakespeare's Juliet. You can get to Verona by train from Venice, getting off at Verona's Porta Nuova. The walk to the Piazza Bra is about 15 minutes, but is on a busy street, so you can grab a bus or taxi into Piazza Bra.

Ashley and I braved the rental car and had a difficult time finding a place to park. You have to pay for parking everywhere you go. Just look for the parking attendant who walks around the parking lot. You have to wave him down to pay for parking (approx 1 Euro/hour).

You definitely want to have some cool walking shoes to hang out in Verona! After walking around Venice, with everything close together, walking around Verona will seem like you are walking miles and miles.

• We were there in early August and it was hot, hot, hot! With all the concrete around, it felt even hotter! I was glad to be in a shorts, crocs, and pigtails! We also scored some gelato in the Piazza Bra to keep us cooled off!

• When in Verona, you have to visit the Roman Arena. The cost to get in is around 4Euro/person (Opening Hours: 9.00am-7.00pm Tue-Sun, 1.45-7.30pm Mon). It is a cheap and less busy option to check out Roman ruins. The arena dates from first century B.C. and is still in use! You can catch a play or opera in this old arena.
  

• You can also opt to go to the House of Juliet, located one block off Piazza Erbe. The cost to get in is 3-4 Euro (I'd rather get more gelato). There is a bronze statue of Juliet that tourists rub the breast for a better love life. Ashley and I did not go to see a fake landmark of a fictional character.

We drove to Dimaro, just outside of Verona. We grabbed some lunch in the shade at a little place called Antica Cantina. The menu had tasty pizzas, and some crazy pizzas, like eggs & bacon pizza. I had artichoke pizza. There is nothing in Dimaro, as it is a town of 1200 people, but we stopped for some lunch on our road trip through northern Italy.