San Zeno

San Zeno is one of the most beautiful churches in Verona and certainly a masterpiece of the Art Roman, a phase of the medieval art, dating back the X-XI century. In this period the church was, more or less, finished as we see it now (apart from various bits such as the abside and the ceiling, finished in gothic style in 1398) but the original structure is way older: a church built on the tomb of the Saint who died in 380 a.C.

I like to visit this church and I try to imagine the scenes that may have occurred during the centuries: there are so many anectodes and legends regarding the place and the Saint, protector of Verona.

We like to come here on sunny mornings, have a coffee at a little café on the square, under the trees, while our daughter is free to run. Sometimes we also have lunch, in a typical restaurant, a few steps from the café. Once a month, on a saturday, a little antiques marquet is held here. It is very special - no furniture or big stuff - only objects, jewels, paintings, books...

Tocatì, last day

Today it was the last day of Tocatì so we spent most of the time out on the streets to see the games. Some places were really chock-a-block and it was almost impossible to penetrate the human barrier to take a look at what was going on. I liked this one, the "Back Hold": in this position the two players have to try to put the other one aground. I so much liked the skirts!
So the sixth edition of Tocatì is finished. Tomorrow the streets will be quiet again. Well, quet-ish...

Note the Borsalino sign: under the arches there is the shop, a very famous and traditional italian hat designer. They have the most beautiful hats!

Tocatì

Tocatì: veronese dialect word that in italian is "tocca a te", meaning "it's your turn".
Tocatì is an International Festival of Street Games. It begun yesterday and will end tomorrow evening. The guest country this year is Scotland. It's a veeery busy week end in town! Most of the squares of the hystorical centre host one or more traditional games. It's not only the games that make this event really interesting, there are, in fact exhibitions, meetings and conferences, music and tastes and other special events. I suggest you take a look!

The spirit of the event is to promote and keep alive the spirit of the traditional games, some of which really ancient. Like this scottish team game I saw this morning in Piazza delle Erbe, it's called "Carrachd Uibist" which I didn't really understand, but it was funny to watch. I have chosen this photo because of the set and the many colourful people playing. But there were many many other smaller games that were being played, even just with small wooden objects whose names I don't know but they seemed really sweet: the sort of games that our grand parents might have known as children...

Ham and Mozzarella

I come to this shop almost everyday. It's a tiny "alimentari" that sells fresh products and the average stuff like pasta, biscuits, canned tomatoes, wine...
Although I buy weekly at the supermarket, there is always something I need like fresh milk or some nice prosciutto crudo di Parma (special ham) or other delicious salumi, all shown in the photo. They also have a selection of cheeses from the south of Italy: my favourites are the Mozzarella di Bufala and the Scamorza (sometimes smoked).
I walk in with one item to buy and I tend to get more than that: some bread? Yes, and maybe some fresh salad? Oh yes, there is a little selection of fruits and vegetables so I often pick up some loooovely basilico (basil) for my tomato sauce... And..yes...bananas, they have the best ones! Oooh, and those black olives! Mmmhh... after all, the shop is called "La bottega delle cose buone"!

Torre de' Lamberti

This tower has been overlooking the heart of Verona for eight centuries; its construction dates back to 1172! The higher part, built in white marble hosts two huge bells which were mounted in 1295: the smaller one was used to alarm the population in case of fire; the bigger one was used to summon both the town council and the male population to fight in case the town was being attacked.

Today the tower is a much loved viewpoint and every day hundreds of tourists take a lift (although one can also mount the hundreds of steps...) to the top to admire the view, just above Piazza delle Erbe. I went up there two times and the view is just beautiful. Besides there are so many noticeable details to be spotted from such height... like the lovely, flowery, little terraces on the tiled rooftops, whose existence one cannot even imagine...

Where would you go if you want to see a view over your town?

Piazza dei Signori

I like the mix of architectural styles here. Piazza dei Signori was created in medieval times and since then it has always been the place of political and administrative power of the town. The brick building, Palazzo del Podestà, hosts the province offices, while the yellow building is called Loggia di Fra Giocondo and was built to host the town council although today it is used for art exhibitions.

The square is adjacent to Piazza Erbe and it's a favourite meeting point for moms with kids. I have made friends with a bunch of mothers so we often come here in the afternoon. We sit on the marble step just beneath the arches while our children play. We call the square Piazza Dante, (rather than dei Signori), because of the poet's statue. I like it as an alternative to the Park for my daughter: good to play among art and history treasures!

Which is a favourite moms and children place in your town?

Juliet's house and love messages

This place is surely the most visited spot in town. It's nonetheless than Juliet's house (and balcony, yes). Shakespeare's drama Romeo and Juliet was set in Verona. Some hundreds meters from here there is Romeo's home (which is private. Wow, can you imagine saying I live in Romeo's house?!?!).
This little courtyard is incessantly crowded. Can you see the bronze statue of Juliet, a bit darkened by the leaves above her? People queue to go and touch Juliet's right breast, in fact it is so polished that it shines. The gesture is meant to bring good luck in love!

What you see on the left is the final part of the arched corridor that opens on Via Cappello. It may be five meters long and the walls are covered by felt tip names and hearts and dates... Being the walls a total thick graffiti, people started attaching notes to it. Worst thing is: they stick them with bubble gums! EEwwh! A permanent problem for the town council: how cope with this...issue. I think once in a while they paint them white and it all starts again...