Verona, Italy

Wayne with Juliet - Verona, Italy

Beautiful Piazza Della Erbe - Verona, Italy

Roman Arena - Verona, Italy

Romantic Piazza Della Erbe - Verona, Italy

Romantic Verona, Italy

Pizza - Verona, Italy

Verona, Italy (7/5-6/2009) - Verona is the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and it is most deserving of the word ‘romantic’.

Although there is no proof that Romeo and Juliet ever existed, Verona has a 14th-century palazzo designed as the residence of the Capulets. Juliet’s House (Casa di Giulietta) with the famous balcony that can be visited. 

Love notes in many languages are left in the walls. Local legend has it that if you touch the right breast of Juliet’s bronze statue in the courtyard, you will have luck with love. See photo of Wayne doing more than that.

A highlight of our visit to Verona was wandering and eating in Verona's beautiful Piazza Della Erbe. This palace-flanked central square is breathtaking. Romantically lit at night, the Piazza Della Erbe should not be missed (see photo). 

A whale bone hanging over the passageway at Verona's Arco della Costa maintains a legend that it will fall only when someone who has never told a lie walks beneath. Well, it remained in place when Pat and I walked under it. Not to take too much away from us, this artifact has remained in place for centuries.

Map of Verona, Italy

The Adige River winds around Verona's old town that is a delight of well kept beautiful baroque architecture. Verona is also famous for its 1st-century Roman Arena (see photo), with is perfect acoustics still used today, 2,000 years later, for wonderful outdoor operas during the summer.

A wine-tasting day trip from Verona to the vineyards of the Veneto is enjoyable - try the Valpolicella wine.

Please see our other posts on wonderful Italy:

Venice, Italy - My Favorite City in the World

Lake District Gardens, Italy

Lake Como, Bellagio, & Menaggio - Living Around the Lake

Lake Como Villas & Villages, Italy

Lake Maggiore & Isola Bella, Italy

Pompeii, Naples, Pomero, & Taormina, Italy

Bologna, Italy

 

Tirano and Bernini Express, Italy

 

 

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Travel for half the cost for all levels of travel from budget to luxury and 100's of other unique travel tips! From a former Economic professor, experienced traveler (106 countries), award-winning travel photojournalist/blogger, featured speaker at large travel shows, host of the travel TV show Plan Your Escape® TV aired on the CW network, and travel columnist for the Huffington Post, our popular 5-star customer rated groundbreaking and comprehensive how-to world travel book Plan Your Escape, Secrets of Traveling the World for Less Than the Cost of Living at Home reveals secrets how you can travel and see more for half the cost for all trips from weekend getaways to longer vacations and trips, experience more adventure and romance, safely realize your travel dreams with comprehensive planning tools and checklists, travel the world for less than $100/day for a couple, and much more!
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Bologna, Italy

Pat Eyeing the Great Deli Food - Bologna, Italy

Shopping Old Town Street - Bologna, Italy

Spaghetti Bolognese (Yum!) 
- Bologna, Italy

Outdoor Movies in Piazza Maggiore
- Bologna, Italy

Quadrilatero - Bologna, Italy

Breast Fountain in the Fountain 
of Neptune - Bologna, Italy

Bologna, Italy (7/3-7/5/09)

We made it to Italian Foodie heaven.


A handsome medieval city, Bologna is celebrated for its cuisine. Spaghetti bolognese (see photo) was born here with other specialties like tortellini (hand-stuffed with meat & cheese) as well as other Italian delights (e.g. Ferrari autos). Not normally a fan of pasta, the wonderful pasta in Bologna won Wayne over (and over again).

Bologna also has the oldest university in Europe and we stayed in the University quarter. The vitality of the students was felt everywhere. 


The summer film festival was going on and we attended outdoor movies in the main square (Piazza Maggiore). Under a full moon, watching the full 2 ½ hour version of The Good, Bad, and Ugly was amazing (it was written by an Italian). Listening to Clint Eastwood dubbed in Italian was interesting. What a great movie when seen uncut!

Wandering Bologna's old town day and night was fun with its many delis and open markets (see photos). They do take food seriously here. Bologna's well-known food district is the Quadrilatero that is just east of the Piazza Maggiore, where the massive Baislica di San Peronio and sturdy brick palazzos surround an enormous fountain of Neptune (see photo). 

Bologna' Quadrilatero consists of a medieval labyrinth of narrow streets are lined with shops and food markets with window displays piled high with fish, cheeses, wild mushrooms, cured meats. One of Italy's most lavish food emporiums (Tamburini) is located here.

Bologna, Italy

An interesting note on our transfer travel from Croatia to Italy… we took a bus from Dubrovnik to Split, then got a small cabin on an overnight ferry from Split to Ancona and then took a train to Bologna. It was a long trip but fun and interesting.

Please see our other posts on wonderful Italy:

Venice, Italy - My Favorite City in the World

Lake District Gardens, Italy

Lake Como, Bellagio, & Menaggio - Living Around the Lake

Lake Como Villas & Villages, Italy


Lake Maggiore & Isola Bella, Italy

Pompeii, Naples, Pomero, & Taormina, Italy

Bologna, Italy

Verona, Italy 

Italy Amalfi Coast Costiera Amalfitana (Positano, Amalfi town, Ravello, & Capri)

Italy Umbria (Assisi, Perugia, Orvieto, Todi, Spello, Gubbio, Montefalco, & Lago Trasimeno)

Rome, Italy Walking Tour of the WonderfulPiazzas of Ancient Rome

Tirano and Bernini Express, Italy

 

Please enjoy 250+ wonderful places around the world, with award-winning photos, from our BLOG ARCHIVE on the right ---->

Travel for half the cost for all levels of travel from budget to luxury and 100's of other unique travel tips! From a former Economic professor, experienced traveler (106 countries), award-winning travel photojournalist/blogger, featured speaker at large travel shows, host of the travel TV show Plan Your Escape® TV aired on the CW network, and travel columnist for the Huffington Post, our popular 5-star customer rated groundbreaking and comprehensive how-to world travel book Plan Your Escape, Secrets of Traveling the World for Less Than the Cost of Living at Home reveals secrets how you can travel and see more for half the cost for all trips from a weekend getaway to longer vacations and trips, experience more adventure and romance, safely realize your travel dreams with comprehensive planning tools and checklists, travel the world for less than $100/day for a couple, and much more!
Buy this popular book on Amazon.com (also available as Ebook for $9.99), CLICK HERE

Dubrovnik, Croatia (Living in Old Town)

Open Market - Dubrovnik, Croatia

Fish Lunch at Old Harbor - Dubrovnik, Croatia

Lokrum Island Near Dubrovnik, Croatia

Banje Beach - Dubrovnik, Croatia

Late Dinner - Dubrovnik, Croatia

Night Life - Dubrovnik, Croatia

'Street' Up to Our Room
- Dubrovnik, Croatia

Wayne Drinking from Onofrio Fountain
- Dubrovnik, Croatia

Lokrum Island Near Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik, Croatia - (Living in Old Town) (6/26-7/2/09) -  

Magnificent  Dubrovnik! Walled Dubrovnik is truly so wonderful it deserved two blog posts. 

This blog post focuses on living in the old town. For more about Dubrovnik's beautiful architecture and rich history, please also see our other blog post: Dubrovnik, Croatia (History & Architecture).

We liked Dubrovnik so much we stayed 6 days. Staying in Dubrovnik's old town afforded us the opportunity to live like Europeans walking everywhere, buying fresh produce at the morning outdoor market in Dubrovnik's Gundulic Square, eating outside while listening to music, staying out late at night enjoying people watching, and letting Dubrovnik's city sights slowly unfold to us. 


Dubrovnik's entire old town is pedestrian only and beautifully lit up at night. Swallows descend from the sky forming in squadrons that gracefully swoop through the street corridors serenading us with their charming songs and adding an unique vitality to Dubrovnik.

The Dubrovnik film festival was going on at several places around town so nightly we attended artsy films at open air theaters surrounded by the stars, in medieval churches and buildings, and once in an olive tree grove - so cool! 



Strolling 'home' along Dubrovnik's white marbled streets after a late night movie made us feel at home, instead of on a trip.

We also took a small boat to Lokrum Island, a nature preserve with peacocks, gardens, and beautiful white rocky ‘beaches’ (see photos). We spent several afternoons swimming and lazing at Dubrovnik's local beach (Banje). Who know that Dubrovnik had it all!

Pat demonstrated her negotiation skills and landed us an nice place to stay right in the walled Stari Grad (Old Town) a few steps (actually 84 uphill steps - but who’s counting?) from the main pedestrian promenade (Placa). From here we wandered day and night through Dubrovnik’s restaurants and famous landmarks.

Travel tip... Spring and fall are the best to see Dubrovnik. During summer there can be many cruise ships docked and the pedestrianized old town gets crowded.

Can't Get Any Ideas - Dubrovnik, Croatia

Some history... Between 1358 and 1808 the city of Dubrovnik was called Ragusa, at one time rivaling Venice in maritime trade, wealth, and architectural beauty. 

In the recent Yugoslavia civil war (1991-2) over 2,000 shells rained down on Dubrovnik hitting 68% of the 824 buildings in Dubrovnik's famous Old Town. Among other places, fire gutted nine historical buildings and palaces. 

Map of Croatia

The home we stayed in had the front blown out. Dubrovnik has been completely rebuilt and now shows well-done newer looking construction in places as evidence of this extensive damage. See if you can tell from the photos.

For more about Dubrovnik, please also see our other blog post:

Dubrovnik, Croatia (History & Architecture)

Please also see our 4 other blog posts for Croatia’s beautiful Dalmatian coast and islands:

Croatia - Brac Dalmatian Island

Croatia - Hvar Dalmatian Island

Croatia - Korcula Island (Home of Marco Polo)

Croatia - Split & Trogir Dalmatian Coast

 

 

Please enjoy 250+ wonderful places around the world, with award-winning photos, from our BLOG ARCHIVE on the right ---->

Travel for half the cost for all levels of travel from budget to luxury and 100's of other unique travel tips! From a former Economic professor, experienced traveler (106 countries), award-winning travel photojournalist/blogger, featured speaker at large travel shows, host of the travel TV show Plan Your Escape® TV aired on the CW network, and travel columnist for the Huffington Post, our popular 5-star customer rated groundbreaking and comprehensive how-to world travel book Plan Your Escape, Secrets of Traveling the World for Less Than the Cost of Living at Home reveals secrets how you can travel and see more for half the cost for all trips from weekend getaways to longer vacations and trips, experience more adventure and romance, safely realize your travel dreams with comprehensive planning tools and checklists, travel the world for less than $100/day for a couple, and much more!
Buy this popular book on Amazon.com (also available as Ebook for $9.99), CLICK HERE