Borgo Roma, Verona Sud, 6.8.06

Here we are in Verona Sud. It's a suburb, or as they say in Italy, in "periferia," the periphery of the Verona. We searched and searched for a place in the north and originally thought we wanted to be in Belluno, in the Dolomites but couldn't find anything affordable since that is such a high tourist destination as well. So when we found this one and it was just outside the city of Verona, within an easy bus ride, we thought, why not! It will be a completely difference experience from the last two and that is one of the things we want to do in moving around the country like this.

We arrived yesterday afternoon and met Laura and Giorgio, our new landlords and they were lovely. They even helped us up the stairs - we are on the first floor - two flights up - in a smallish apartment building. All the other people in the building own their apartments and there are geraniums spilling out of the flower boxes and everything seems well tended and cared for. There are shops within walking distance, everything we need: a grocery store, butcher, fruit & veggies, coffee bars and bakeries for bread. It doesn't have the medieval charm of Verona, but it is very quiet, especially at night for sleeping. There is a rush hour in the evening when everyone comes home from work and there is a bit of traffic for a while, but otherwise, it's very quiet and peaceful. There are kids living around us and a few babies, as we see tiny little clothes on some of the clotheslines and at the house with the big blue bow on the front door, the sound of a new baby crying. We met one of the neighbors in the building who greeted us warmly and said she was pleased to meet us and we hope to meet more.

The apartment is about the same square footage as the one in Perugia but it seems a bit larger. We think it's just the way it's laid out. It's completely modern and even has a dishwasher! The floors are stone tiles, very shiny and pretty. We also have a small balcony off the dining/living room and it's nice to be able to open the doors and have fresh air blowing through. We've been trying to find places for all of our things and there are still some piles of things that don't have a home yet. Laura and Giorgio have said we could put our big suitcases in their storage room in the garage. The building has a private parking garage, which is wonderful and something we hadn't expected.

The bus stop for Verona is just down the street from our apartment and we must then switch to another bus that takes us into centro. All of this takes at the most a half hour. We had never been to Verona before. Today we made our first trip in and we were totally awed by the beauty of this city that somehow seemed to us a cross between Venice and Florence. There is a river that winds through it, gorgeous medieval buildings, towers and churches and incredible palazzi everywhere. It is quite stunning. We can't wait to explore it further and will be able to, since we will be here a while. Today we left our guide books home and just wandered around, wherever our eyes took us. There were a lot of tourists but nothing at all like you would experience in Firenze (Florence) at this time of year. The weather was gorgeous. At every corner it seemed, the view changed to yet another beautiful one! Like every other Italian city we have been in from north to south, they also have their share of scaffolding so we will just have to deal with it, and keep reminding ourselves it is a good thing that these beautiful cities are being lovingly restored for future generations.

Now I'm feeling pretty wiped out from our first day in Verona so I will close. Thanks for keeping up with our adventure. We can't wait to explore this region and hope to have lots of photos and experiences to share!

A presto!
Rosemary e Robert