Verona: Rome, Romeo & Juliet

When we entered Verona we discovered first that the traffic was congested so that nothing could move. There is an international horse show here that has brought visitors from all over the world. Nothing is moving, so our bus driver is taking back routes to get us into the city. The other thing we discovered is that the Adige River is overflowing its banks. The city is not flooded yet, but the water is still rising. We saw the hill where the first Roman fortress was located to guard the Empire from the barbarian hordes that were overtaking this place in the fourth century. The tomb of Cangrande della Scala was magnificent. We also saw the traditional home of the Capelli and the Montecchi, who became known to the world through Shakespeare as the Capulets and the Montagues. The situation was not simply that the families of the lovers were feuding. It was that Europe was feuding. The Capelli were Guelphs supporting the temporal power of the Pope in Rome, and the Montecchi were Ghibilines supporting the Holy Roman Emperor. We finished up by visiting the ruins of the Roman Collosseum here, one of the best preserved in the world.Read more