"In fair Verona where we lay our scene..."

Shakespeare may not have actually visited Verona, but he wasn't wrong about the "fair" part. Tucked into the curve of a river bend, the city retains much of its architectural heritage. Remains of the Roman theatre, amphitheatre and city gates, as well as medieval walls and fortifications. Churches which have their foundations dating back before 1000AD, jostle for position with comparatively recent buildings (1700 - 1800s) in the Venetian style. There are beautiful bridges arching over the river, and what look like mini-palaces on the two hills overlooking the city (making it easy to imagine a Capulet - Montague feud here!)

It is strange that two fictitious characters have such an influence on this small Italian town. Everywhere you go there are "Romeo and Juliet" souvenirs sold. Restaurants and hotels have been named after the famous duo, and you can even visit "their" houses. We came across "Juliet's" balcony on one of our wanderings. The courtyard below was filled with Japanese tourists and elderly Americans posing for photos with a bronze statue of a young looking Juliet. Parts of the statue have been polished brightly from all the tourists' hands laid upon her - notably her arm...and breasts (obviously not all her suitors have been as pure of heart as her Romeo!)

On our first night in Verona we discovered a pizzeria a couple of blocks from our hotel - pizzeria Liston. It was reasonably priced (being away from the tourist drag) and had an extensive menu. Dale ordered the pear, walnut, and Gorgonzola pizza (amazing!) and I went for my favourite salad (the caprese). We enjoyed the food so much we ended up eating there every night, slowly sampling our way through the menu! The matronly Italian waitress who served us was briskly efficient. By our third dinner, Dale managed to crack a smile from her (but only for a moment!). Fortunately our restaurant Italian is good enough to get us through most of the ordering process, so our tetchy waitress didn't have to utter too many unpalatable English words. From time to time there was stuff that got lost in translation - for example, one night I ordered what I thought was pasta with Aubergine, tomato and mozzarella. I ended up with layers of pastry sandwiching Aubergine, ham, and mozzarella with a tomato sauce poured over top (it was super tasty, but lucky I am not vegetarian!). Another night Dale and I ordered meals that said they were served with potatoes, instead they arrived with piles of French fries. (I couldn't help wondering whether fries are the chef's default side dish for anyone English speaking).

Irritatingly, we have found that many Italian restaurants include a cover charge on the bill - it is not clear to us whether this is in lieu of tip or as well as, so we have been covering our bases by leaving a couple of euros on top of whatever amount the cover charge has been... Either we are very generous or rather stingy, and we never stick around long enough to see which it is!

On our second day here we borrowed bicycles from the hotel and circumnavigated the city, enjoying the views from across the river. We also did some window shopping along a couple of the main shopping streets. At one point Dale thought I should buy a nice pair of shorts we saw in a beachwear store. Wanting to make the most of Dale's generous mood I went into the shop, had a casual look around, and quietly returned to my husband. "Didn't they have your size?" he asked. "Dearest, they cost 220". "What?!! $220??" exclaimed Dale. "No...not dollars, euros.". There were no new shorts that day!

We tried to visit the museu Castelvecchio one morning, but we went on the one day of the week it opens in the afternoon. Instead, we walked to the nearby Cathedral, which was open. After Dale had donned a modesty gown to cover his irreverent shoulders, we sat in the cool, dim, interior admiring the frescoes. A lot of restoration work has been done, and the result is the beautiful colours you again see in the interior decoration. We also went through to the oldest chapel attached to the cathedral where glass floor panels exhibit the Roman mosaic remnants below.

On our last day in Verona we caught the train into Venice and spent the afternoon strolling along canals, revisiting St Mark's square and the hallowed ground where Dale proposed, and catching a vaporetto up the Grand Canal. Of course the place was bursting with tourists, mostly American tourists (the very worst kind!), but it is one of those places that even with the crowds you can still find those moments of magic - like Disneyland for grown ups.