In fair Verona where we lay our scene

Verona is the setting for three of Shakespeare's plays. A star attraction is Juliette's House. Lyn doesn't want to go there now because:

1. Juliette wasn't a real person

2. Juliette wasn't based on a real person

3. It isn't Juliette's house

4. Shakespeare had never been to Verona. 

We didn't hurry out of the house because it was pouring rain. When we did leave, our reject shop ponchos proved inadequate so we bought umbrellas.

The only sane option was to get indoors so we visited the Castelvecchio Museum. The castle was built by the La Scala family who ran Verona in its Renaissance glory days. Their heraldic symbol was a a ladder (la scala). The modern city uses the castle as an art museum. The castle provides great views of the Adige River and the historic bridge across it.

We walked back to the apartment (via Aldi), had lunch and took the afternoon off. The rain finally stopped and by about 5.00 we were at Verona's fabled arena. It hosts opera and concerts nowadays but in 30 AD it was gladiators and wild beast hunts. It is interesting to think it originally was even bigger till a medieval earthquake made the outer wall fall down.

The acoustics are famous here. Until very recently the operas were performed without microphones. We got to listen to the workmen's conversations and hammering as they dismantled some of the hardware on the stage. It was not particularly musical.

Really, I've said this so often, the Romans were extraordinary builders.

We walked along the pedestrianised main street past all the high end fashion outlets staffed by the bored and the beautiful. Verona main square was damply impressive.

We walked the streets which are dotted with sculptures.  Lyn met this particular gentleman of Verona outside the library.

The weather promises to be no better tomorrow. It certainly won't be "fair Verona".