Verona

---ADDENDUM TO VENICE---

Holy. Effing. Sh*te.
- Internal monologue of Adrienne and Marco

So, we get off the train at Padova last night at 11:30. We meet Emedio, one of our hosts. We've had a great, but tiring day and are looking forward to going to bed. Then Emedio says: "you guys know there is two-day gas strike, starting tomorrow, right?"

Dudes. We were not capable of navigating the Italian train system (we had to call Emedio twice for assistance). How the eff are we supposed to know there is a gas strike?!?!

Ordinarily, this wouldn't be a problem - we like to keep the tank full. However, we were down to 1/4 tank. The plan was to fill up before leaving Padova. If we didn't fill up, we would be totally F-u-C-T and forced to stay in Padova for the next couple of days.

The pressure was on.

Emedio drove us back to where we were staying. We immediately got in our car and started going to gas stations. It was 11:40. We had about 20 minutes to get diesel so I wasn't seriously concerned.

The first station we tried was dark and signs were up saying "Sciopero" (strike). I was not optimistic. We tried the pumps anyway but they were down. Strike out.

That's OK. There were two more stations to try.

The second station looked promising. The pumps and lights were on. We tried to fill up - no dice. They had turned off the gas. Sciopero, again.

At this point, I'm getting irritated. The strike is not supposed to start until midnight and here we are, pre-midnight, unable to get gas. Apparently, the second station had closed at 7:30 pm in advance of the strike. WTF?

We had one last station to try. The approach was promising: lights on, pumps on. We pull up, insert the credit card: it is rejected. That station is also out of commission. We are totally screwed. We have enough gas to get to Verona (our next stop) but not to get to Cinque Terre. Who advertises a strike that starts at midnight and then turns off the pumps early? Honestly, people! Let's get it together here! Do I need to make some tabs re: striking? The Tabs of Discontent?

There is nothing left to do. We drive home, dejected. It seems that we will be staying in Padova for the next two days.

Then Emedio remembers there's one more station we can try. We pull in. Lights on, pumps on. We insert the credit card: rejected. GODDAMMIT!!! We insert a 50 Euro into the machine... accepted! Oh happy day! It is 11:50. There are "10 minutes" before the pumps are turned off. We try to pump the gas... success! Sweet baby Jesus, I have never been so happy about diesel!

Longstoryshort, we fill up and are able to leave Padova this morning for the third stop on the mini-Shakespeare tour: Verona.

---VERONA---

"There is no world without Verona walls,
But purgatory, torture, hell itself
hence banished is banish'd from the world,
and world's exile is death..."

Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act III, Scene III

Verona is a beautiful city. We saw the Roman Amphitheatre, the third largest after the Colosseum and the Capua in Naples.


In the summer operas are staged here (Aida, The Barber of Seville, Carmen, etc). Unfortunately, there wasn't a show this evening. (This is an example of Bad Planning on our part. A pox on spontaneity!)

Again guided by the Unseen Hand of Celestino, we saw the statue of Dante in the Piazza del Signori. Dante stayed in Verona as a guest of the ruling Scaligeri family during his period of exile from his native Florence.

Leaving the Piazza Erbe, we passed through the Archo della Costa, (the Arch of the Rib), whose name refers to the whale rib hung beneath it, put up here as a curiosity in the distant past.


So random.

Of course, what visit to Verona would be complete without a visit to Juliette's balcony?

Unfortunately, there is no historical evidence linking the balcony to the romantic legend of Romeo and Juliette. In reality, this is a restored 13th century inn that thousands of tourists take pictures of every year. (Sorry to be a downer).

On our final stop of the day, we visited Sant'Anastasia, a huge and lofty church began in 1290.

The two holy water stoups inside are of interest. These stoupes are supported on delightfully realistic figures of beggars in ragged clothing, know as i gobbi, the hunchbacks.


According to legend rubbing a hunchback's hump brings you good luck. I think it would simply earn you a bruised thigh (where the hunchback would punch you) or an assault charge. Learning of the day: just because someone has a hump, it does not give you permission to rub them randomly.

In the evening, we headed back to the Piazza del Signori to eat at Antico Caffe Dante.

The food was delicious. More interesting was the police presence assembling directly beside our table.
Apparently, because it is Wednesday, the following happens: a bunch of rowdy youth assemble in the square. The rowdy youth play the drums (badly and repetitively) for an hour or so. They drink and generally become rowdy. There is a loudspeaker, some banners, and some speeches. No one seems particularly fussed about anything, though.

At midnight, the police eject them from the square. This protest has something to do with their right to gather in the square and make noise vs. the square's hotel right to have quiet for the guests (as far as we can tell). Just another Wednesday in Verona.

We're going to tour Verona a bit more tomorrow then it's on to Parma to sleep. See you in Chesseville!