Booking the cheapest and smallest rental car on the Avis website, we were deighted to find on picking it up that we’d been upgraded and we drove away from the airport in a sparkling white VW Beetle convertible!
From the airport, deciding to wisely use our time before our hotel check-in, we headed out towards Lake Garda – ending up in the tiny town of Sirmione. Perched on a narrow peninsula protruding in to Lake Garda, we drove along it as far as we could before ending up in a large car park that mostly filled with German tour coaches.
Entering Sirmione through the gate in the old city wall, the town was simply charming. Mostly populated with gift shops, cafes and restaurants, but charming none the less.
Taking a random diversion to avoid what looked like a bottle neck of tourists up ahead, we ended up on a stony beach looking across the blue waters of Lake Garda. Quite stunning. Following the coast path along the foreshore we ambled in to a natural hot water spring and ended up walking around the end of the peninsula. The views were delightful.
Wrapping up our short visit with a swift coffee and cake stop, we found our car, lowered it’s roof and set the SatNav for our Verona hotel, Relais 900.
Relais 900 is a heritage villa situated outside the city walls, just a 10 minutes walk across the river Adige from the centre. Rooms are large and spotlessly clean but the real bonus was the tranquility. Sitting in the garden, sipping coffee whilst looking over the rooftops of Verona was delightful. Breakfast was plentiful and served in a small dining room overlooking the garden.
After checking in we set off on foot in to Verona to get our bearings and find something to eat. Crossing one of the cities many bridges we entered through an arch in the city wall.
Our receptionist had given us some of her restaurant recommendations, most of which we a little early for, but we wandered around exploring finding the Roman Amphitheater and Juliet’s Balcony, which was sadly all boarded up for restoration.
Finding a side street full of outdoor dining, we chose to dine in the first restaurant in the street, Caffe alle Fogge, named after the street it’s located in Via del Fogge, a short step from the main piazza. Our meal was ok. Nothing special. Service was swift and the waiter was jolly enough. Whilst eating we noticed the next restaurant down the street looked a whole lot nicer, one of the traditional Osteria, but it was closed when we first looked, so we earmarked it for the another evening.
Heading out after breakfast we made for the funicular railway, Funicular de Castel de San Pietro, just a short walk along the river from our hotel. Initially closed, we hung around for 10 minutes before taking the train to the top of the hill up to Castel San Pietro. Verona looked stunning in the bright morning sunshine and the few euros to ride the railway was well worth the €2 ticket price.
Further along the river we visited the Giardino Giusto a beautiful formal garden belonging to the Palazzo Giusto, with another elevated terrace to view Verona from. The old palace itself was charming and had an amazing ballroom.
Following the river we crossed the next bridge in to the city where we paused to partake in the Verona tradition of drinking Aperol Spritz sitting at a pavement cafe, in this instance the Duchi Cafe opposite the Chiesa San Fermo. Watching Verona bustle around you while you sup slowly your Aperol Spritz nibbling from a bowl of tortilla chips is quite delightful.
Fortified with Spritz we crossed to the church and enjoyed an audio tour of this double tiered building, a mix of both Catholic and Christian denominations. The lower church was the more impressive of two, especially the artwork. Sadly, no picture taking allowed.
Our afternoon was spent exploring Verona, walking around the streets and just enjoying the city. Late afternoon we took a siesta, enjoying a coffee sat in the garden of the hotel, enjoying the peace and the view across the neighbourhood.
Suitably rested we sauntered back towards the city to track down some dinner, but on leaving the hotel we noticed the amazing sunset and diverted back to the funicular railway and for another €2 we took in the evenings spectacle from the Castel San Pietro with its truly stunning view across the city and an amazing sunset.
Dinner was taken in the same street as the night before, just a restaurant further down the road, taking a table at Osteria El Bacarin, and what a treat it was too. Amazing friendly service, food that was truly tasty and a joy to eat all washed down with perfect local wines too.
Fully satisfied from our dinner we walked around the city again enjoying the lights, bumping in to the Roman Amphitheater, bathed in pink to mark cancer awareness and partaking in a gelato or two.
Our final day we enjoyed a glorious morning walking along the Adige, crossing in to the city across Ponte di Castelvecchio, a stunning bridge lined with fortifications and leading through the castle on the other side.
After a spot of shopping it was Aperol Spritz time again at our favourite cafe, time to enjoy a spot of sunshine and people watching.
Fully watered and rested we then found a Focceria, Focacceria Ponte Pietra, where we picked up some tasty fresh focaccia and farinata, a chickpea flour bread that we got the taste for on our trip to Genoa.
Late afternoon we headed back to the Amphitheater, or Verona Arena, this time to enjoy it from the inside, amazing to think it was built in Roman times and it is still standing pretty much as it did 2,000 years ago. Again, blessed with an amazing sunset, enjoying it this time from the edge of the Amphitheater. Simply stunning.
Peckish from all of our exploring and after deliberating over several other dining options we finally chose to dine back at the Osteria El Bacarin, enjoying another of their fine dishes and another variety of local wine.
And that was Verona!
We loved the fact that the good folk of Verona sort of ignored the tourists and seemed to be able to just enjoy their own city. The city was a delight to explore and we really enjoyed everything about our time in the city.
mrandmrsyoung 