We made two mistakes right off the bat in Verona.

1. We should have planned to stay for longer than just one night.
2. I need to learn to communicate better in Italian

Let me explain…I have an aunt and a cousin that live in Verona. (And when I say Aunt & cousin, I mean they are somehow related to me but it’s too confusing to figure out so they’re my aunt and cousin). I have met them once or twice before but unfortunately, I have not kept in touch over the years. After Patrick and I decided to go to Verona, I contacted Zia Roberta. I tried to figure out if she would be able to have Patrick and I stay with her but it seemed as if she couldn’t so we booked a hotel.

WRONG.

well kind of.

She really couldn’t have us stay with her because she was leaving that night to go to the beach. However, she booked a B&B for Patrick and I to stay in. She also had made plans for me to stay an extra two nights and had gotten me tickets to an opera show. As you can imagine, this was a bit of an awkward conversation when we she picked us up at the train station. I felt horrible! Although Zia Roberta was disappointed, she, thankfully, understood.

After picking us up at the station (for which we were beyond grateful), she and her friend Andrea (a male name in Italy) took us to lunch and a quick tour of Verona. We saw San Zeno, a stunning church with an elaborate history. We also walked across the Roman bridge and toured the main Piazza – Piazza Erbe.

Zia Roberta, Andrea and Ornella are absolutely fantastic. They are genuine, funny and caring. On top of all that, they love Irish people. Patrick was in ginger heaven after Zia Roberta confessed that she loves red heads (Don’t worry Mom, I told her she was cray cray). We enjoyed all the time we were able to spend with them.

Pat and Zia Roberta

Ornella on her bike (yes those are wedges)…she doesn’t have have a drivers license so her bike her is her car

Andrea, Miss (the dog) and Zia Roberta

Me & Ornella

After our day of touring and eating, they drove us to our hotel to say goodbye.

Why goodbye so early? Well, because we had an opera to attend, obviously. Yes folks, an opera.

My cousin Ornella works for the Arena (an outdoor venue from the Roman era) which hosts the biggest Opera season in the world. From June-early September there is a show every night. However, the night we happened to attend was an historical event. I’m being totally serious. It was the 100th birthday of the Arena as an Opera house. (We even sang happy birthday and everything.) On August 10, 1913 the Arena opened with Giuseppe Verde’s show, Aida. On August 10, 2013 Patrick and I watched Aida in the Arena, complete with a 1913 restaging of the show. The Arena was sold out and it was spectacular to see the place full, a total of 15,000 people.

Now to the honest part: While it was AWESOME to see an opera in Verona, and especially the historic one we did, I don’t think opera is either mine or Patrick’s cup of tea. We got bored a pretty quickly. We made it through the first two acts before we left. (Opera lovers out there, please don’t hate us. I swear we appreciate as best we can!) I think that if we didn’t have to be out of our hotel so early the next day we would have stayed longer but both of us were tired and had headaches.

The next day, Ornella was kind enough to invite us over for breakfast and let us leave our luggage in her house. For the rest of the day Patrick and I just roamed the city. We stopped by Romeo and Juliet’s house and placed our hand on her breast for good luck.

We also climbed a hill overlooking Verona to see a great view of the city.

Unfortunately, Verona is also the city where Patrick and I were splitting up. He went on his way to Florence while I am heading to southern Italy. It was really hard leaving him at the train station and I’m already excited to see him when I get off the airport back in DC.

Overall, Verona was more than we could have asked for. I wish we had stayed for longer but it was great to be there for anytime we could. One of the things I love best about Italy is their strong family ties. Being in Verona is a constant reminder of this. To have these people that I barely know go completely out of their way for me and my boyfriend means so much to me. Family in Italy is a bond and I love being able to be a part of that bond every time I cross the ocean.