Our first day trip was to the city of Ferrara - just a 29 minute ride on the train according to the schedule Real time about 50 minutes. Local trains here in Italy seem to have a very flexible schedule I think.
We took this trip on the 20th of April and it was our warmest day yet. Temperature rose to 77 degrees.
Your first sight as you enter the Medieval city is this castle From the Middle Ages to today the area around the Cathedral has always been the focus of the city life. The seat of the various rulers over the years and a commericial, and historical area of great importance.
Castello Estense was built by Nicolo II dEste when a dangerous revolt occurred in 1385 and it was felt he had to protect himself and his family. It was first built as a fortress against the people. Its imposing proportions, its moat, its drawbridges and its towers, date back to that remote period. Centuries went by and the risk of riots died down. So the castle became the magnificent residence of the court and was embellished with roof terraces at the top of the towers, marble balconies, the Renaissance-style courtyard and sumptuous apartments.
I don't know what holiday it was but I think ever school aged child in Ferrara was out in the city. Between the students and the bikes it's a wonder we made it back to Bologna in one piece.
The cathedral dates from the 12 th century. The outstanding facade, divided into three sections, was begun in the Romanesque style, still visible in the lower part.
Above the central door is the work of sculptor Nicholaus (1135).
The upper part was built some decades later in the Gothic Style.
Sculptures outside of the Cathedral.
Statue of Alberto d'Este, founder of the University (1391) iin Ferrara.
The origins of the Jewish community in Ferrara are very ancient and the city boasts a tradition of religious diversity. Many groups of Jews, driven out of thier native countries - Spain (1492), Portugal (1498) and Germany (1530) - were welcomed by the Este family.
Are we back in Amsterdam? The bicycle has always had an important role in Ferrara as a means of transport. With 85 km of cycle parths, 120,000 bikes and 25% of journeys being made on two wheels, Ferrara is one of the cities with the highest density of bicycles in the world.
Here's Sharon on the" most beautiful" street in Ferera! It was short but very nice.
Azaleas and spring flowers were in bloom everywhere. It was an absolutely perfect day to be out explore a new city. Because we're nearing the end of th trip and we're a little worn out at "being the tourist" we just wandered around. We skipped going in to churches and castles but still enjoyed this wonderful old city.
For centuries this was the area of the main town market. Nowadays it features a widening to the south of the Cathedral whose southern wall, together with the bell tower occupies one of its largest sides.
We wandered around until about 3:30 than headed back to Bologna on the train.
Our next day trip was to Verona
Celebrated by Shakespeare, who made it famous as the romantic setting for the tale of Romeo and Juliet is a splended ancient corner of the Veneto region, nestling between the river Adige and Lake Garda, and intimately linked to their waters. The river today flows between stron embankments, built after the 1882 flood to contain the devestating river water.
The origins of the name Verona are unknown: it maybe derivd from Vera, perhaps an Etruscan person's name or it might be galic in origin or named after a family. But according to one legend the legendaryfounder of the city, the Gallic chieftain Brenno, called the new inhabited centre Vae Roma, that is "Accursed Rome", which then over the centuries became Verona.
From the Middle Ages onwards Verona, more than any of the other small towns in Northern Italy , was always an important artistic centre with a flouishing school of painters.
After getting off the train we got on a bus which took us the Arena Piazza Bra which is the main square in Verona. The word bra comes from the German word for broad, because Piazza Bra is a very wide open square. It is surrounded by many beautiful old buildings and there are many cafes and restaurants on the square as well.
Part of the square is surrounded by Verona's old city walls and its old city gate. The square is also home to the Gran Guardia Palace, the Lapidary Museum and the town hall.
The statue seen in the background is of King Victor Emmanuel. The fountain -The Fonatna delle Alpi or Munchner-Kindbrunnen, was constructed on the the occasion of Verona's twinning with Munich and was sponsored by the Germans. In return a statue of Juliet was erected at the Old Town Hall in Munich. The people of Verona often refer jokingly to the fountain as the "lemon Squeezer" because it looks like one with its shape. Also a result of the twinning a memorial for the displaced Italians into German concentration camps was erected under the trees at the Pizaaz.
The most notable and prominent building on the square is the Ancient Roman arena. Now days it is used to stage operas and at Christmas time it houses an exhibition of nativity scenes.
More than likely props for the upcoming Opera Aida.
It is also home to the visitor center where we gathered some information and a map and began our tour of the city.
This small column right in the middle of the street, where Via Mazzini starts on Piazza Bra and high above the ground is this sculptured relief of 4 saints watching over the people passing by.
Our first goal was to see the famed "balcony" of Juliet. To get there one must walk along the pedestrian shopping street. Good planning by the city.
We are on the search for a great Italian leather purse or maybe two. Nice but we both walked out empty handed. Yeah for us!!!!
We next came to the other famous square in Verona - Piazza Erbe. Market Square or the square of Herbs occupies a good part of the area of Verona's Roman Court, where the two main roads intersected. Through the centuries the square has been the center of the city's political and economic life.
Berto Barbarani, an Italian poet from Verona. That's me capturing his name on "film".
In the middle of the square you can see a small raised canopy from the 16th century. It was here that the market surveillance, which had a good view over the square, was located. Anyone who was found guilty of cheating was chained to the Tribune and had to expose himself to the ridicule of the people. New laws and announcements were also published at the Tribuna.
An eye-catcher is the beautiful fountain “Fontana dei Madonna Verona”. In the middle of the fountain is a Madonna sculpture with a banner that celebrates the beauty of Verona. Another remarkable sight is the Colonna del Mercato, a beautiful Gothic market column, which was built by Visconti in 1401. The bronze sculpture next to it depicts the Veronese poet Roberto Tiberio Barbarani (1872–1945)
At the southwest edge of the square, in front of the Torre dei Lamberti and the Palazzo del Commune, from which you have the best view over Verona, you can find the Casa dei Mercanti. The merchants house was built in 1301 by the lords of Verona, and with its crenelated façade it is still an eye-catcher at the Piazza delle Erbe.
Juliet's house ( Casa di Giulietta) is one of the main attractions of Verona with its most famous balcony in the world. Every day crowds make their way tthrough the narrow archway into the courtyard to admire the famous balcony. All this even though the two main characters never really existed and William Shakespeare never went to Verona in his lifetime. Verona is inextricably linked with the fate of the two loves. In recognition of this factor and in order to offer the countless couples who come to Verona every year a worthy location, the city of Verona bought today's house of Juliet from the Dl Capello family in 1905. Due to the similarity of their names they declared the house to be the family residence of the Capuleti famiy - a new tourist attraction was created.
Tourists who enter the coutyard will be struck by the thousands of small scraps of paper which cover the floor to the ceiling. All who write down their love vows to their partner and stick them on the wall will- according to the popular belief - stay together with their partner for the rest of their lives and will be very happy. Even touching the right breast of the bonze statue of Juliet in the small courtyard will bring luck to all who are trying to find their true love. At one time only the right breast was "gold" from everyone touching it now everyone touches both breasts and other places on the statue so she is transforming to a "golden Juliet".
Of course there had to be a polace to put locks of love.
The archway is filled with graffit. All love notes, I'm sure!
After leaving Juliet's we walked over to the river to see two famous bridges in Verona.
We walked by which I presume to be ancient Roman ruins.
So pleasant walking along the River.
Cute little retaurant with tables viewing the river and enjoying the sun or
a shady area if desired.
Finally the first bridge - Ponte Pietra.
Finally we are on the bridge.
The Ponte Pietra, formerly also known as “pons marmoreus” (marble bridge), is one of the oldest bridges in the city. At the foundation of Verona in 90 BC a wooden bridge crossed the Adige River here, which was replaced by a stone bridge by the Romans. In the Middle Ages the bridge was destroyed several times by floods and rebuilt time and again. Having been destroyed once again in the 16th century, the five-arch bridge seen today was built. The last time the Ponte Pietra was destroyed was in 1945 when German soldiers blew it up on their retreat. The bridge was restored to its former glory in 1959.
On the left bank downstream you can see the remains of the ancient arches of the old bridge. The two central arches of the Ponte Pietra, built of brick, are remnants from the Middle Ages. The bridge’s eventful history and the preservation of elements from all periods, from ancient times to the present, have made the bridge a symbol of Verona’s history.
We had lunch at one of these little couryards overlooking the river.
Our next stop was the Cathedral, which is dedicated to Saint Maria Assunta and is the central structure of a complex of architectural buildings including the Canons' cloister and the bishop's residence.
The baistery of the Cathedral was rebuilt in romanesque forms around 1123 A.D. The octagonal Babtismal Font, a masterpiece of romanesque sculpture is situated in the center of the church. The font was carved out of one marble block and the scenes depicted on the 8 panals represent Gospel episodees from the Annunciation until Christ's baptism.
At an impressive length of more than 120 metres, the Ponte Scaligero leads from the Castelvecchio over the Adige. Two solid foundations carry the columns of the bridge’s three large arches. The castellated bridge has a very clear defensive character. But, like the Castelvecchio, it was not built for defensive purposes against an enemy from without but served only as an escape route for the hated Scaliger family in the case of a popular uprising. The members of the noble family hoped that it would provide a safe escape route over the river and a successful flight into the Adige Valley.
During World War II the bridge was blown up by German soldiers and rebuilt in 1951 using the original parts, which were lying around in the river. Today the bridge is open for everyone and connects the old town with the opposite bank of the Adige river. Many local people and numerous passers-by enjoy the view over the city from here.
The Gavi Arch. was built to celebrate the wealthy Gavia family in the 1 century A.D., because of a sign engraved in its stone for centuries it was believed to be a work of Vitruvius. It marked the new expansion of Verona outside the city walls. It was dismantled by Napoleon. The Gavi arch was rebuilt using the same stones around 1930 on this site.
Castelvecchio means Old Castle. It is located on the banks of the Adige River. It consists of four main buildings and seven towers. It used to be surrounded by a ditch.
Castelvecchio was built by Lord Cangrande II della Scala for defensive purposes between 1354 and 1376.
The castle is connected to a fortified bridge across the River Adige. This is called the Ponte Scaligero Bridge. This was built as an escape route for the della Scala family if they ever had to flee their home. It even slopes downhill so they could run down it faster.
The castle is now a museum.
Our next destination was the Basilica of San Zeno.
The original nucleus of the complex has been identified in the church and convent that rose on the Roman and later an early christian burial ground near the Via Gallica. The church and convent had been built on the spot where the Saint had been buried, in order to preserve his relics and honor his memory.
Saint Zeno, born in Africa, 8th Bishop of Verona, converted the whole town to Christianity. Nine-two of his sermons have been preserved. The large rose window is called " The Wheel of Fortune".
The cloisters.
The bronze doors which depict scenes from the New and Old Testaments.
Beautiful frescos throughout the church .
Sa Zen che ride ( Laughing St. Zeno). This statue of the Patron Saint , was once placed in a high position, probably above the keystone of the Romanesque triumphal arch.
The crypt. The venerated body of St. Zemo, the Patron Saint of Verona, is preserved in the urn in the apse.
The Bell of the Thundertorms is on the right in this case. It dates back to the VIII-X centuries and is the oldest intact bronze-cast bell of all of Christianity. It was rung to protect the population against calamities and demons.
By the time we finished here we were pretty tired from our walk so we caught a cab back to the Piazza Bra and found a place to have some water and a cold beer while we sat and did some people watching. When we finished we decided to head back to Bologna. Arrived home about 6:00 just in time for dinner. Well, not if you're Italian than you have a few hours. Sharon was tired but I was hungry so I went down to our neighborhood restaurant and got a table. I think they felt sorry for me sitting alone so they showered me with a plate of mortadella, a glass of some kind of after dinner drink and than a shot of limoncello also and sent me home with three pieces of chocolate cake for breakfast - ha!
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