Katie & Justin

Driving in daylight (and no rain) on our way to Verona seemed much easier than our initial experience on the road. That is until we came to our first toll both. After much fumbling around trying to give the machine money, we realized all you have to do is take a ticket to get by. You pay later depending on how far you drive. Somehow the simplest things over there can become such a challenge! (“It’s OK!” as the Italians like to say.)

We also came across our first roundabout, which was harder to navigate than you’d think. At least when you are surrounded by super aggressive drivers. We went through roundabout after roundabout and still could not figure out what the rules were — who got the right-of-way and when. We came to the conclusion that you just go — every man for himself! (“It’s OK!”)

VERONA

As we pulled up to our hotel located just outside of Verona, I could hardly contain my excitement knowing Justin had no clue what he was about to walk into. The hotel used to be a villa owned by a crazy rich family that had a massive modern art collection (and, my guess, a strange sense of humor, too.) So what did they do but throw everything up on the walls! Everywhere you’d look there’d be bright colors, weird paintings, funky statues, oddly shaped furniture, etc. Our floor, for example, was covered in neon colors and looked like a scene out of PeeWee’s playhouse. Another room had three giant clown portraits, and one stairwell had a video screen displaying a bizarre clay animation sequence. Just exploring the different areas of the hotel was an interesting experience in of itself. And yes, Justin’s reaction was priceless. (“Woah.”)

The hotel offered a shuttle bus to downtown Verona so we spent the first night exploring the city, which seemed to me like a mini-version of Rome. No surprise then that I loved it! This is where we tried our first Spritz Aperol drink, too. We kept noticing everybody drinking a bright orange beverage out of a wine glass that came with ice — which they hardly ever serve there. After landing in a bar where we were clearly the only Americans, I struggled to order it, not knowing its name, and pointed like a crazy person at the woman walking out the door with one in her hand. (It worked!) The drink, which tasted bitter despite its looks, became my favorite drink for the rest of the trip.

The next day was a busy one starting first with a wine tour of the Valpolicella area. We visited a teeny hilltop town that had great views of the valley below and a church that was like a bazillion years old. (A wedding was about to take place when we arrived and we all got a laugh out of spotting the groom standing off by himself — smoking a cigarette.) We then went to a small, family owned vineyard and sat in the winemaker’s farmhouse as he brought us different types of wine to try, as well as several kinds of homemade cheese and homemade salami. Everything was fantastic and we had such a blast learning about their whole operation. (They used their position on the hill to dry their grapes naturally with air, whereas most places have to use a machine. They also don’t put any chemicals on the grapevines and instead get rid of insects by using pheromones to confuse them.)

That night I sorta tricked Justin into going to the opera. (“A show!”) I’m not necessarily an opera fan either, but Verona has a big opera festival every year and we were there for the last weekend of performances. The coolest part is that they take place inside the Verona Arena, a Roman amphitheater, so I thought it’d be neat to see anything in there, no matter what it was. The opera we saw was supposed to be one of the more elaborate ones with dozens of performers and a large set. But it was kind of a dud. They did have a ton of people, but they barely even moved around. We lasted probably 35-45 minutes (Justin thinks it was at least an hour) and then bolted during the first break. Even still, it was cool to sit inside such an old structure for a real “show.”

NEXT STOP:  Venice

To be continued…

Click here for Honeymoon Part 1: Lake Como

To see all of our pictures from Italy, click here for our photo albums and then click on “honeymoon.” Descriptions will show up when you click on a picture.