A Day in Verona

Verona never ranked high on my list of places to visit. And then, suddenly, in 2016, that changed. A mistyped Google search lead me to a Conde Nast Traveler article. And that led me down an internet rabbit hole where I ultimately discovered the Corte Realdi Suites. The boutique hotel, with rooms in Verona and Venice, immediately hit the top of my hotel wishlist. But we were planning our 2017 European adventure at that point, and our Venice trip was already booked. Verona, we concluded, would have to wait.

As it turns out, it didn’t have to wait long. Less than two years later, we booked our trip to Florence on a whim. Verona is just two hours away by train, so there was really no question: we had to take a side trip to the medieval city. I decided it would be my annual birthday treat, and booked us a night at the hotel that started it all.

The Corte Realdi Suites did not disappoint (apart from the poorly functioning air conditioner, but that was minor.) But we expected wonderful things, so that was no surprise. What surprised us was Verona itself. There is something magical about visiting a place without any expectation of what it will be like, because it opens you up to pleasant surprises. (I know I say this all the time. But it’s true, especially for me. I am such a diligent planner that surprises, especially when travelling, are rare for me. But trips that surprise me are very often my favourites.) And that’s exactly what we got when our trained rolled into the train station.

Verona is equal parts theme park for adults and quaint medieval village. I was, admittedly, shocked and a bit dismayed to discover both Sephora and Disney Store within ten minutes of our arrival. But the teeming streets of the shopping district give way to a charming, romantic town that is absolutely worthy of being the setting of Romeo & Juliet. Imagine belltowers at every turn, white marble piazzas dotted with statues and fountains, and buildings in every pastel shade. With the sun shining overhead, I fell in love with Verona immediately. I couldn’t have stumbled, accidentally, upon a better day-trip destination.

If I regret one thing about our visit, it’s the walk we took (totally unintentionally) with no camera or cell phone. We wandered off, totally care-free, in search of some local wine and found our way to the series of bridges over the river that lead out of the hamlet of Verona into the hills of Borgo Trento, Valdonega and Veronetta. Maybe the birthday champagne and late summer sun made me biased, but I have rarely seen such breathtaking views on my life – and I had no way to capture a single snapshot of them. For once in my life, I just let go of possible regrets and kept the memory as a personal souvenir, rather than rushing back to grab a camera. I may still visit Verona again, and if I do, I know the first place I’m going to take photos.

We spent less than twenty-four hours in Verona. I can’t tell you the best places to eat or where to go shopping. (We had pizza at a restaurant I can’t remember the name of. And snacks at a bar called Archivio. I am happy to report that I didn’t go into a single store.) But I can tell you that I would go back again in a heartbeat.