“In fair Verona, where we lay our scene…”

“Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” (William Shakespeare)

Verona, oh my fair Verona! How delighted I was to meet you on Valentine’s Day!

As my friends and I stepped out of the train station, we were greeted by a clear blue sky, shining sun, and mountains peaking out in the distance. The chilly northern air made us thankful we brought our coats, but the bright sun did its duty in keeping us warm. After dropping our backpacks off at our AirBnb (it had a terrace!), we embarked upon our day in Verona.

We walked through a small park situated next to the Arena (built in the 1st century and famous for its opera performances) and meandered down the main stretch of shops and restaurants. All of us were in desperate need of a shopping fix, but I held off until we reached a square with artisans. Verona must have known I was coming…

Because Verona is Italy’s City of Love, the residents were putting out all the stops for February 14th. They had a whole “Verona in Love” Festival for the weekend with artisans, jewelry sellers, and food vendors. I finally got my first Italian cannoli, and I am still raving about it to my friends.

I picked up a couple handmade Italian items before we headed to Casa di Giulietta (Juliet’s house). Women posed from the balcony for a handful of Euros, and groups of all ages unabashedly groped (yes, groped) the statue of Juliet’s brass breast in the courtyard for good luck and wishes of love. It was weird, but obviously we had to do it, too.

Casa di Guilietta is also home to the famous wall where people have asked for Juliet’s wisdom for centuries. Women in love or lost in love used to put their letters asking for advice onto the rock wall of Juliet’s house, but now they have a red mailbox that love-seekers can drop their notes into. I knew of this tradition from the movie Letters to Juliet, but I did not know that people could still write letters! Madison, a recent graduate of Duquesne who was my RA freshman year and now works at the Italian Campus, said that she wrote a letter when she studied abroad as a sophomore and received a response one year later. Although I did not have any pressing questions for Juliet, I admired that they still uphold the tradition.

Next, my friends and I basked in the sun along the Adige River. Just like every time I sit by a body of water, the Adige River truly captivated me. It pulled me inward and caused me to disengage from the rest of the world. I admired how the light flickered with every ripple, and I longed to be riding a kayak across the blanket of water.

I was pulled out of my trance when we decided to walk back through the love fest to wash up for dinner. We sipped on Aperol Spritz (Prosecco, soda water, and Aperol–an orange Italian alcohol produced in Padua, a town not far from Verona), and I had penne with pesto and a side of vegetables (mushrooms, eggplants, peppers, and zucchini).

Before we turned in for the night, we bought a bottle of Prosecco (also local to the area!), gelato, and chocolate covered strawberries to enjoy while we watched the movie Letters to Juliet and had a casual girls’ night in for Valentine’s Day.

On Saturday morning, we had a leisurely morning of strolling in Verona’s park. We adventured over to the Castelvecchio, a medieval castle built in the 14th century. I climbed the marble and brick steps to the top of the fortress to gaze at the beautiful sparkling river and pretend I was a princess waiting for my private boat to take me to my other castle. Unfortunately, I was due to get on a train back to Rome… Our trip in the tiny city of Verona was coming to a close.

The whole trip was fantastic. Verona was big enough for one and a half days, but we never felt rushed with our shorter time frame. I was grateful that we were able to experience Verona on Valentine’s Day, although I missed my boyfriend Ricky quite a bit, too. Everything in Verona seemed to remind me of him.

As for now, I am back at the convent (campus) having finally completed plans for this weekend. Mackenzie, Teresa, and I are going to Venice! This is the last weekend in Carnivale (think Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday) so Venice is going to be packed, crazy, and super exciting! The three of us cannot wait to explore all that Venice has to offer, and we are so excited for our Gondola ride on Saturday! I expect this weekend to be a dream come true.