End of the Tour: Verona and the trip home

May 16, 2012

The last day, but we weren't sad. Not because we didn't enjoy the trip but because this was just the opening of the touring season, an appetizer, so to speak. A longer tour starting in July was in the planning stages.

Hotel Martini, very convenient and comfortable, but a bit spiffier on the outside than inside

Rental bikes are also available in Verona.

We packed our bags and could leave them at the hotel until we were ready to go to the train station. Our train back to Munich didn't leave until mid-afternoon which left us plenty of time to enjoy Verona. We cycled to some of our favorite spots. The first stop was at the basilica of San Zeno. It was in San Zeno's crypt that Shakespeare set the marriage scene of Romeo and Juliet. However, the church's fame is due to its lovely Romanesque facade, which served as the model for all subsequent Romanesque edifices in Verona.

Romanesque facade of San Zeno with rose window

The portal is flanked by 18 bas-reliefs dating from the 12th century. They portray scenes from the New and Old Testament, here the Adoration of the Magi.

Attached to the basilica of San Zeno is an abbey, erected in the 9th century over a pre-existing monastery. Of the original structure, destroyed in the Napoleonic Wars, only a large brick tower and the cloisters survive.

San Zeno's crypt dates to the 10th century. It has a nave with eight aisles, the arches of which are supported by 49 columns, each having a different capital.

We then cycled to the Ponte Pietra, or Stone Bridge, which crosses the River Adige and offers panoramic views of the surroundings. The bridge has undergone many reconstructions but remains one of the most important monuments of Roman Verona. The initial bridge, built in 89 B.C., collapsed as did many subsequent bridges at that location. In 1508, the construction of the Ponte Pietra was initiated. Four and a half centuries later, on 25 April 1945, the bridge was blown up by the retreating Germans. Only the first arch on the right bank remained standing. In 1957 the first stone was laid for an extremely faithful reconstruction.

The Ponte Pietra (Italian for "Stone Bridge") is a Roman arch bridge crossing the Adige River.

For our final meal in Italy we made a poor choice of a restaurant. The quality of the food was very mediocre and instead of charging us for our two small glasses of wine, they charged us for a bottle. We didn't scrutinize the bill before paying - we hadn't had any problems with being overcharged before - and it only dawned on us after we left that we had been cheated. Live and learn.

We didn't have to change trains between Munich and Verona and once we got our bicycles and bags on board and stowed away, we could settle in for a comfortable ride and a lively and interesting conversation with the passengers seated next to us. We crossed the Brenner Pass into Austria and found ourselves in the middle of a snow storm. We had left the land of early spring.

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Mike AylingThanks for another great journal Suzanne!
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3 years ago

Suzanne GibsonTo Mike AylingThank you, Mike! Glad you enjoyed it!
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3 years ago