Christiana + Bologna = :D

My little sister Christiana came to see me, and also to have wildly crazy European adventures, mostly in the form of eating gelato every day (and taking a picture each time). Being a most excellent big sister, and an experienced traveler of the Italian peninsula, I managed to get us to Florence, Venice, Padua, and Verona in five days. Then we stayed in Bologna and hung out, and then hung out a little longer when the poor girl was stranded by Iceland's volcano.

I sum Verona up in one word: lovely. Beyond being Shakespeare's inspiration for Romeo and Juliet, the charming city has the most intact Roman arena in the world (think the Colosseum, but shorter and complete). We made our way to that arena and were lucky enough to find an open-air market, complete with medieval crafts, local food, and plenty of Austrians. Christiana and I found the most joy in walking around the city itself, as it has several perfectly delightful piazzas and a fantastic assortment of interesting buildings. Sadly, Juliet's house was a bit of a letdown. Maybe if there had been a few people in costumes or a less tourist shops or if everyone taking a picture with Juliet's statue didn't grab her bronze breast... something in the atmosphere was missing. However, I really appreciated the beauty of Verona, from the Ponte Pietra stretching across the River Adige, to the green parks, from the classical Roman architecture to the masterful way in which the guy at Cremeria di Valentina sculpted our gelati.

"But soft, what light from yonder window breaks?
It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!"
-Romeo

Even Venetian gondoliers get lunch breaks.

Locks = Love on Florence's Ponte Vecchio.

That's all for now, folks!

Signed,
the Sengenblogger