Europe – “Riding the Rails” – San Marino to Verona, Italy (12)

“Oh, Steven, Steven, wherefore art thou, Steven?” Steve would say that he wished we could have taken a direct train to Verona, the “city of love,” where Shakespeare chose to set his most romantic story “Romeo and Juliet.” But, oh no, it could not be that simple. . ..

Our train ride was direct but to Bologna. There we picked up a rental car and drove to San Marino as trains do not go to San Marino. Officially the Republic of San Marino, it is the third smallest country in Europe, the fifth smallest country in the world and only one of three countries totally surrounded by another country, in this case Italy. And what did we do in San Marino? We had lunch in the restaurant of the Palace San Marino. Then we drove back to Bologna, turned in our rental car after we figured out how to fill it with benzine (actually we gave up as we could not figure out how to operate the gas pumps (directions were only in Italian) and had an attendant do it) and then returned to the train station for our train to Verona.

Arriving in Verona we headed for the taxi line, which was long. The taxis came slowly. After about 15 minutes in a slow-moving line, I saw that Steve was on the phone. What was he doing. . .he called a local taxi company to tell them that they needed to get more cabs to the train station. Although he was told that the taxi line was his only option, lots more taxis started arriving. Gotta love him!

I fell in love with Verona the minute we stepped out of the long-awaited taxi and entered our hotel, the Hotel Accademia. The hotel is actually the Palazzo Samibonifaco Tedeschi with the palazzo still owned by the Family Zenatello, whose most famous ancestor was Giovanni Zenatello. He was the world-renowned tenor of the 20th century who launched and sponsored the Arena Opera Festival, which has taken place every year since 1913 except during four war years. His career took him to New York, where he had a singing school and discovered talents. Among his discoveries was Maria Callas. She lived in a DeLuxe room in the hotel for a long time. The room still exists, furnished as it was then. However, it was occupied, so, no chance of seeing it.

By the time we arrived in Verona and got to our hotel we were ready for dinner. Being a beautiful night, we ate at an outside cafe on one of the squares.

The next morning I ventured out to the Church of Santa Maria in Organo. I went specifically to see the inlaid wooden panels that decorated several rooms in the church. The church dates back to the 6th-8th centuries. The panels are so detailed and beautiful.

Verona is a medieval old town built between the meandering Adige River. As mentioned, it is famous for being the setting of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” A 14th century residence with a tiny balcony overlooking a courtyard is said to have been Juliet’s house. However, the current balcony was built in the 20th century, and, it is not notable (I went to see it). The Verona Arena is one of the best preserved Roman amphitheaters still in use. The streets of Verona are amazing as there is always a ruin or some breathtaking structure that just appears. Interspersed are shops and restaurants.

Verona needed more time than I gave it. There is history, art and architecture that deserves more time to appreciate and enjoy. The city became more endearing with each hour spent there as there is an undeniable charm to the city. There is a steady flow of strollers of all ages meandering the streets, and, they are the people who live here. Yes, there are plenty of tourists, but, they don’t “own” the city. The city belongs to the people who live here, and, they obviously know the gem of a city in which they live. And, that is what made it so appealing and such a joy to visit.