Even if there wasn't a real Romeo and Juliet, I had to make this town a stop on my journey. There's not much to the town, just another old time Italian village. But Shakespeare put it on the map and they are milking it for all it's worth. There is a lot more history to this town, but everyone seems comes because of the connection to the star-crossed lovers.
I didn't have a reservation for a hotel, so once I got into town, I took time to wander for awhile. Being mid-December the Christmas markets were up in many of the bigger squares. After about an hour of wandering I settled on a nice hotel by the Roman arena. It was in the old town area and near many sites. After checking in and ditching the pack, it was off to explore a little more before the sun went down. The next day I toured the arena. It was pretty cool, especially if you visualize it in its prime. But I knew I still had the Colosseum in Rome on my list. We will see how this one compares to its big brother in Rome. No comparison, I'm sure, but still a cool experience. I took Rick Steve's guided walk through Verona which took me by the major streets and squares, as well as down some of the more quaint, lesser known streets.
Of course, I had to stop at Juliet's balcony. Legend has it this is the real balcony of Juliet, but there wasn't an official Capulet family in Verona, so who knows? Still loads of tourists come to see the balcony anyways. In the courtyard there is a bronze statue of Juliet. Tradition has it if you rub the breast of Juliet's statue it will help you find a lover. I don't know about that, but it does feel really weird posing for a picture with your hand on the breast of a statue. Can't say I've ever done that before. Oh well, they say "When in Rome, . . . " Wait, I'm not in Rome yet.
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