Month: February 2023

After a relatively quiet few January weeks, and with some unseasonably cold (by Rome standards) winter weather, we were eager to get back to exploring as yet undiscovered Italian gems. So, partially motivated by an enjoyable train trip to Milan in December, and mostly inspired by the possibility of spending Valentine‘a Day weekend in Verona, the home of Romeo and Juliet, we set off!

Verona is about a four hour train ride from Rome. Our usual target continuous toddler travel time is less than three hours. That being said, Aleksander is quickly maturing, better understanding certain life basics (like travelling to get to a place), and also usually pretty comfortable on Italy’s underrated smooth-riding trains where we typically spend half the trip walking up and down the aisles smiling at grandmas.

We arrived and headed to our Airbnb, which may have been on the wrong side of the River Adige that snakes it’s way through the ancient city. After dropping off our bags, we ventured back into the old city, passing through the grand piazza of the Colosseum-like, Arena di Verona. The city was alive, bright and full of wintertime lovers keen to celebrate in the city Shakespeare made so famous.

We dined, we explored and Aleksander frolicked in the largely car free centre of town.

Verona had a great buzz during the entire weekend. The sun brought us so much joy and again reminded us of just how spoiled Italy and Italians are for beauty. You could almost throw a dart at a map of the country and land on something almost unbelievably charming and beautiful. Verona, unsurprisingly, was no different.

We were captivated by a quiet, morning visit to the nearby Giardino Giusti and tried to absorb as much of the emerald green as possible. To a Canadian conditioned to dark grey and brown tones from October to April, the site was an absolute revelation.

The views from the hilltop Castel San Pietro were no less enchanting. We spent much of the time, outside of the cappuccino and cornetto, pinching ourselves at the wonder of the entire scene. And then thinking how long the city has been around, how many souls have passed through and been touched by its vibrance, not least, the eternal lovers Romeo and Juliet.

Another bucket-list destination for Dalia since arriving in Italy was Lake Garda. And conveniently the lake is just about an hour’s bus ride from Verona. So, taking our first inter-city bus in Italy, with a vague sense of where to get off and then, more importantly, eventually where to get back on, we turned our sights to the water!

We ended up getting off far too early, but conveniently the stop was right in front of a bustling Sunday morning cafe, and with Aleksander asleep, we took advantage.

Eventually we made our way to the tourist laden peninsula of Sirmione, a completely worthwhile place to spend an afternoon in Italy. We lunched, caught some rays and made sure we were back at the bus stop in time to catch the late afternoon bus to Verona.

Our lovely weekend of love in Verona was exactly what we hoped for and needed. Novelty is so important in life and maybe even more so in family life. Short trips like these are such a great way to reconnect, experience something new and see and feel what the world has to offer.

We could feel the friendly ghosts of Romeo, Juliet and Shakespeare quietly floating around the Verona streets, smiling at all the hopeless romantics passing by, including our unassuming trio.