Let's mix things up a bit and go back to Verona! Specifically, let's go to the center of Verona's commercial and administrative life: the Piazza Erbe.
I love this map because it shows the most important landmarks of the city, all of which we saw.
But today's post is centered on the red numbers 2-5.
We'll start with the Piazza Erbe (#5), which was the town's forum during the Roman Empire.
Today it is a bustling market square with hawkers selling their wares.
It has 4 major landmarks:
Colonna di San Marco (1528) topped by St. Mark's Lion, symbol of Venetian rule (bottom-left).
The Fountain (1368) topped by the Madonna of Verona, symbolizing Commerce (bottom-right).
The Capitello (13th century) for ceremonies, called Tribune (top-right).
The ornate carved Aedicula (shrine) from 1410 (bottom-center).
Of the 4 landmarks, the fountain is the center-point of attraction.
The Madonna statue on top is a Roman sculpture dating to 390 AD.
We actually sat at the nearby Capitello to take it all in.
Just a wee walk away from the last column, the Aedicula shrine, we found Juliet's House (#2).
In Italian, it's the Casa di Giulietta, connected to Shakespeare's tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
Upon passing through the gateway/entrance, you enter the courtyard.
And yes, that's the balcony of legend and fantasy...where you can even get married!
And no, we didn't even try to make it through the crowd to go up.
The real darling of the courtyard was Juliet herself.
Older men and women, all the way down to young boys and girls, wanted to touch her.
No one seemed at all embarrassed to have their turn, a good-luck ritual for the unmarried.
Did you notice the gum door behind Juliet? Even the tree was gummed!
And, of course, there were enough love padlocks to sink the entire place.
How can you not have intrigue for such a place of Love and Tragedy!
From Juliet's House we walked back to the Palazzo della Ragione (#4), the Palace of Reason.
The medieval palace features an elegant Renaissance staircase,
leading from the exterior courtyard to the magistrates' offices above.
The Lamberti tower attached to the palace, begun in 1172, is 275 ft. tall (top-center).
The clock was added in 1779. and for €1 were could take the lift to the top.
How fun to zoom in on all the Piazza Erbe landmarks from above...
to say nothing for all the other landmarks we had already seen or would see later
(covering all the blue and red numbers in the map above).
You know how I always say we learn much about a people/culture from their cemeteries.
I often think the same about their rooftops!
Outside the Palace of Reason we spotted the Dante statue from 1865 (bottom-right).
He was the medieval poet who was a guest of the Scaliger family during his exile from Florence.
Speaking of cemeteries and the Scaliger family, and last but not least...
we stood in awe of the Scaliger Tombs from the 14th century, high and lifted up.
They're a group of 5 Gothic tombs celebrating said Scaliger family.
This didn't end our day but it does end this post.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Tomorrow Astrid and I fly to Cornwall, England, for 6 days of mini-vacation with friends.
You know what that means...a gazillion more images to wade through. HA!
The things I have to put up with!
