Bards and Balconies.

After a winter in San Francisco, we once again find ourselves back on our adventure. We flew back to Milan, but instead of spending more time in the city, we took a train to Verona just a little over an hour southeast of Milan. The city of Verona is, of course, home of the legendary Romeo and Juliet. And though this famous work by Shakespeare may be factious, the opportunity to catch romantic tourists is not. So of course Verona has the famous balcony of Juliet as well as her sarcophagus, though they are not located in the same building claiming to be the family home of the Capula. If someone could explain that to me, I would love to understand. But then again, how do you have an authentic sarcophagus of a fictional character. It is rumored that the legend did have its origins in fact, but Romeo was really Pietro, a handsome clerk from Florence. Juliet was born in Venice, the daughter of wealthy Bartolomeo Cappello. They fell in love and Pietro whisked her off to Florence when they were only 15. However, she did not get on well with her husband's family, who were very poor. They both died on the same day, possibly poisoned, or as some historians believe, from malarial fever. While Shakespeare may not have gotten it all historically right in the story, he did write one of the most beloved plays in history, which is all it really takes to make Verona residents happy that they have something to draw the gold coins from those making pilgrimages of love to their fair city. Verona itself is a beautiful walled renaissance city that still retains much of it’s glorious past. It is built along the banks of a fast moving river that almost completely loops around it. At one time, the homes and shops had beautiful frescos painted that covered the outside walls. Now only a few fragments remain. In the central plaza however there is a beautiful example that still remains. This must have been a very prosperous city at a time when artistry was valued and enriched the citizens every day life.