Brion and Verona

Photos in Brion Cemetery.

We were picked up in Venice to drive to Brion cemetery and then Verona at 9:30 in the morning on November 13th. The weather on this day was the worst we had on the trip; it was so cold and rainy. While the Brion cemetery, by Carlo Scarpa, was another beautiful architectural work, it was difficult to enjoy it. Virtually all outside or open to the elements, we could not get away from the weather. I spent some time taking photos, but there was no sketching that day; Frank suggested that if we got to cold, to go to one of the nearby cafes and get a coffee to warm up and dry off. We all took this suggestion. It was a work worth seeing and studying, so I am glad we went, despite the discomfort during the visit.

We continued to Verona in the afternoon. We were excited to make it to our hotel so we could change out of the wet clothing and warm up a bit. After doing so, we were re-energized and decided to walk a bit to see some of Verona before dinner. 'The girls' and I walked around some of the main streets; as it was near the end of the trip and we were pretty exhausted from seeing so much and the travel itself, we decided to have a bit of a girly afternoon and shop some. It was a really nice break! As it was getting dark, we saw the arena light up; it is similar in look to the Coliseum, but tiny in comparison.



We had the next full day, November 14th, in Verona before we returned to Riva on the 15th. We met in the morning to see Castle Vecchio. It is a museum with pieces of ruins as well as paintings, mostly of Mary and baby Jesus, from earlier than the year 1000. Originally a castle, Carlo Scarpa renovated the building to create the museum. He creates moments which not only aid in the display of the artwork, but also display the castle itself as a piece of art. Frank tells us that his work is something that no one may fully understand, but we can still enjoy the things we don't understand and that sometimes we don't need to try to.

Photos of bridge and interiors at Castle Vecchio.


Afterward, we went to see Juliet's, as in Romeo and Juliet, balcony and house. The house itself was a kind of mini-museum; it held artwork that depicted scenes from various productions of Romeo and Juliet, fake books with passages from the play, interactive computers on which you could learn about the history of the myth and play, and a mail box where you could write letters to Juliet. Apparently, there are women who write letters back to those who leave them in the mail box. It is also possible to go out onto the famous balcony from the museum. In the courtyard outside, there is a statue of Juliet whose breast people touch for good luck while taking a photo; the color of the statue has changed where people have touched it because of the oils on their hands. The tunnel/archway that leads into the courtyard is covered in signatures and tags with messages of love; there was nothing left uncovered. Post-its and little bits of paper had also been taped onto the wall everywhere. We found out, after Ashton and I signed the wall for our boyfriends, that it is not actually legal to do so... oops.

Photos of the signatures, Juliet statue and the mailbox.


We then walked by a bank by Carlo Scarpa that Frank told us we should try to see if we could. We unfortunately could not go in, but it was nice to see another of his works. The way in which he produces details is very distinct, so it is easy to recognize his projects.

Photo of detail at Carlo Scarpa bank.


It was time for lunch at this point, so we decided to go to a kebab place we saw near the arena so we could go inside the arena directly afterwards. It was my first kebab, though everyone else has had one before and the guys have been obsessed because it is usually cheap and really good! They are called 'Doner Kebab' because the meat, similar to gyro meat, is shaved off of a very large kebab. They can be on wrap bread, a roll or pita bread, and have lettuce, tomato, cucumber sauce, hot sauce, and cabbage. They don't always look pretty, but they taste wonderful; plus it was only 3.50 Euro.
The arena was really well preserved and was pretty much exactly like the Coliseum on a much smaller scale. We played around in the arena and sat for a little while there. The weather this day in Verona was absolutely beautiful and a huge improvement on the day before, so we were determined to enjoy it as much as possible.

Photos of Doner Kebab, the arena and Ashton playing in the Arena.


We headed towards to tomb of Juliet after the visit to the arena. It was not really what we were expecting, though I'm not sure what it was that I was expecting. We stayed only a few minutes and then decided to try to make it to the Teatro Romano, another amphitheater, before it got dark. It was quite a walk, but it was worth it when we got there. We watched the sunset from the seats and met a very sweet cat. It just hoped into our laps and purred away.

Photos at the Teatro Romano.


In the evening, after dinner, some of us went to a piazza with a few cafes and bars where we could go in and get a drink then go back out to the piazza to chat with the crowd of local people. It had a really nice, relaxing atmosphere; it was perfect for our last night in Italy traveling all together.