Girl on a Trail - one-day trip to Verona

I guess everyone knows that feeling when you want to go somewhere for a while, but you don’t want to spend a lot of money and take day off from work. In such a situation, you can go somewhere in your beautiful country or just take a plane and within 4 hours’ time you can sit in a cafe sipping aromatic Italian cappuccino in Piazza Bra in Verona 😉

A little organisation…

How to go to Verona for just one day, saving on accommodation? On the way from Warsaw to Bergamo I used Wizzair which flies very early in the morning (plane lands in Bergamo at 8.30 am). On the way back, I used Ryanair which takes off from Bergamo to the airport in Warsaw – Modlin in the evening (at 21.20). From the parking lot at the Bergamo Airport, there are many buses in the direction of Porta Nuova Station in Verona. Travel there takes about 2 hours. You can find it here.

Verona is a rather compact city, which is why I think one day is enough to visit it. What is more, it is a very climatic and charming place, which can even compete with a beautiful Venice. To my mind, Verona may be an interesting alternative to Venice, mainly due to lower prices and a significantly fewer tourists. What is more, it is close, because only 100 km from Venice.

Although in Verona there are no channels that are typical to Venice, it can boast a beautiful location on the Adige river, at the foot of the Venetian Alps.

The tour can be started with Museo di Castelveccio (6 €) – defensive castle where the art museum is currently located.

Next to the castle is Ponte Scaligero – a bridge with an interesting view of the city.

After visiting the museum, go to Piazza Bra – the largest square in Verona, where the third largest amphitheatre in Italy is located.

The amphitheatre is perfectly preserved. It can accommodate up to 25 000 viewers. There used to be bloody gladiator fights, and now various theatre plays are performed there.

Verona’s popularity is mainly due to Shakespeare’s famous play “Romeo and juliet”. A visit to the city cannot go without visiting Julia’s House (admission fee 6 €).

Julia’s house dates back 13th century and belonged to the Cappellos’ family, which was probably an inspiration to Shakespeare for the creation of the Capultes’ family. In the courtyard there is a statue of Julia. According to the legend touching her right breast guarantees happiness in love. Julia’s house in now converted to museum in which you can go to the balcony, known form the scene when Romeo swears Julia eternal love.

Right next to Julia’s house is Piazza Delle Erbe – the central point of Verona. It’s surrounded by cafés, restaurants and townhouses ornamented in interesting way.

An excellent view of the square and Verona can be seen from the nearby Torre dei Lamberti (admission 6 €). The Tower Tower reaches 83 metres and is the tallest building in Verona.

Visit also Piazza dei Signori, an elegant square also known as “Verona Salon”, with the statue of Dante Alighieri in the central part.

Go under the Arche della Costa – a bow where a real whale’s rib is hanged. Legend has it that, it will fall on whoever has never lied, it is worth adding that it has been hanging here since the 18th century. 😉

A beautiful view of Verona is also from the Ponte Pietra bridge and the Castel San Pietro with Teatro Romano.

Something to eat

Veneto is renowned for its excellent wines. Food in Verona is simple and very rich. Most famous dishes are: risotto and bigoli – pasta typical for Veneto traditional type of pasta is gnocchi – dumplings filled with potatos, served with stew from horsemeat. A very popular dish in the Veneto area is horsemeat. It can be prepared in various ways, but the traditional version is called patisada de caval. Patisada is horsemeat stew with wine, spices and vegetables, usually served with polenta. Polenta is a kind of hominy prepared from corn flour. This Dish can be eaten at restaurant II Punto Rosa, for about 15 €.

In order to save on the tourist attractions and public transport, it’s worth buying Verona Card. Daily Card costs 18 € you can buy it via the Internet.