Verona Market Day 8.5.06

Last Saturday morning I took the bus and went to Verona. It's quite easy to do, as there is a bus stop right on our street that leaves you at the train station. It is then a few minutes' walk to the stadium, around which the market takes place. It is much, much larger than the little market near our apartment on Wednesday mornings and I wanted to experience it for myself.

There are many stands selling clothing, all sorts of clothing, shoes, shirts, dresses, underwear, bathing suits, socks, for everyone from babies to grandmothers and all sorts of household goods, sheets and bedding, carpets, kitchen utensils, you name it. These markets are like big open-air malls and you even see people trying on clothes, over the ones they are wearing! This one even had a stand selling pets, like birds, puppies and kittens. On every side there are also the fruit and vegetable sellers, the cheese and cold cuts, the grilled meats and the raw meats. It is a veritable feast for the eyes and I love just walking around and seeing what is on display. This is much tamer than the Ballerò or Vucciaria markets in Palermo where everything is literally spilling out all over the streets and in your face, and the meats here were more ordinary looking roasts and chops and cutlets - I don't believe I saw a single animal head or strange unidentifiable innards hanging anywhere!

I had fun though and then decided to walk into Centro, around a 10 or 15-minute walk from the stadium. It fun to just wander around on my own and I enjoyed doing a little window-shopping. The sky was a most beautiful shade of blue with white puffy clouds and I stopped to make a few watercolor sketches.

Here's a little sampling of the things I saw on my walk through the market and around Verona, which is fast becoming one of our favorite cities.

Summer Peaches


Abundant Zucchini


Colorful Pepperoncini