Italy – Day 6

Italy – Day 6 Sometimes what you expect and what you get are two different things, today was one of those days. We went to Verona with high expectations, particularly in regards to its ancient Roman history, reading the tourist blurbs we were anticipating to be enthralled by the Roman structures the city is renowned for, the Arena and the Theatre, both of these were interesting but somewhat neglected, and as they were being used for concerts and events they didn’t have that feel of antiquity that one would expect with all the extra lighting, wiring, seating and scaffolding in place. There were also huge sections closed to the public which meant we could not explore the complete structures.  No doubt if you were to visit these sites at night with the lights and sounds from the concerts then it would have a different ambiance and be quite spectacular.

It was still an interesting day and especially the size of the Arena will have lasting memories for years to come.

We didn’t enter the Castelvecchio (Old castle) but enjoyed walking around its perimeter and crossing the bridge attached to the castle.

The Arena, regarded as one of the best preserved ancient structures of its kind, with a capacity of 30,000 people

Finding a shady spot for lunch to escape the heat.

The view of the city from the ruins of the Roman theatre.

The mosaics that were on display were amazing for their detail and patterns. (Oh, and later in the day Olivia lost her second front tooth!)

Arco dei Gavi, an ancient Roman monument that was built during the reign of Tiberius in the beginning of the first century that Napoleon decided to pull apart. Underneath the stones still show the tracks of chariots and cart wheels.  Thankfully the arch above was rebuilt and completed in 1932. 

Castelvecchio was built in 1345, its bridge was destroyed by retreating German troops in 1945 and rebuilt in 1949. The castle was also a base for Napoleon ‘till the local populace got sick of him and rebelled and sent him and his army packing!