Verona for Valentine's Day

“Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” Cheesy, I know. But I just want you to get the same lines Brock did when he woke up Valentine’s morning. “Please Brocky… today I’m Juliet and you’ll be Romeo.” I just get a look. That look that says, “You’re cute, but not right now.” Before we continue with our romantic, Verona, Valentine’s Day; let’s rewind to the very beginning of our morning, the way Brock was woken up; early, Valentine’s Day morning. I set the alarm extra early because I wanted to shower, do my hair, do my make up, and pick out my cute, Valentine’s Day outfit. So when the alarm went off at 7:30am, the “non-morning” grouch Lauren… guiltily had Brock turn it off (it was in the other room). I finally rolled out of bed to find that our breaker had blown a fuse. Our chilly house was colder than ever and we had no hot water! This was a major problem, to my major details to my perfect Valentine’s Day plans! But of course, my Romeo came to the rescue after hearing my moaning, groaning, complaining, and frustrated sighs!

Verona; the City of Romeo and Juliet was just as expected; beautiful. When we arrived it was as if the town knew we were coming and knew that some American named Lauren expected a romantic scene straight out of the time of Romeo and Juliet; and boy did they deliver. The town square was filled with live music, children dressed in costumes, Renaissance actors dressed the part, free wine, free hugs, people in the streets embracing their lovers, and lots of dancing. I could have stayed there all day and skipped touring the town.

The first place we stopped was Juliet’s tomb! I was thrilled. “How romantic Brocky? Her tomb! Where she was buried after dying the death of true love!” Giorgio, a coach for the Rhinos, a dear friend, and our tour guide for the day, heartlessly gave me a little piece of non-romantic information, “You know Lauren, it is probably not her real tomb. And the houses of Romeo and Giulietta that you want to see; there is no way they actually know it is their home. It is just a guess! And the town is a guess too. How would Shakespeare even know, Did he ever come before writing his story? The only reason they think it is Verona is because a family here has a similar name.” I was crushed, devastated, and I wanted to scream out, ANTHING ELSE GIORGIO, LOVE KILLER! There is no way my book on Italy and Verona could be wrong about these must see spots! My Romeo Brock saved the day of course, and whispered to me, “It’s really her tomb, and their houses you’ll see.” So for the rest of the day, the other tourists and I believed that it was all the real sites of the actual romance of the two star crossed lovers.

We spent the day walking the streets and taking in the lively atmosphere of Valentine’s Day love and the historical beauty of brilliant architecture. We entered the Church of St. Anastasia and saw breath taking Italian Gothic architecture, spiritual art and painting, and impressive sculptures that reach the sky; all inside the cross shaped building. We toured the Duomo, the Roman Amphitheater, the Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore, the Arche Scaligere, and the Piazza dei Signori. We browsed through markets where little booths and tents were set up with authentic crafts, Italian glass, and leather was sold. We gazed at the Castelvecchio; a real castle with a mot and all, and it was then that this romantic Valentine ’s Day, spent like a Princess, came full circle.

We also enjoyed partaking in the traditional lovers’ rituals of Verona. At the balcony of Juliet (yes, the real balcony where her lover comes beckoning) there are layers, upon layers, of love letters couples post before entering the courtyard outside Juliet’s balcony. There is also a statue of Juliet where it is a tradition that one must rub, grope, or fondle the breasts of Juliet for luck. (We took a picture, but because of the crowd it may be hard to see). It is also a tradition in Verona where lovers take a lock with their names written on it and profess their love by securing the lock around a light post and throwing the key into the river. For me, it added to my experience, for Brock, well…he just rolled his eyes and laughed, “It was probably a woman’s idea!”

Verona was breath taking. There was so much to see and so much to enjoy. Walking the cobble stone streets where the beautiful story of Romeo and Juliet, may have, taken place makes the town that much more magical. There was no better day to explore Verona than on Valentine’s Day.


Walking into the city of Verona.


The Valentine's Day party.


The Piazza


The tomb of Juilet.


Juliet's Balcony, love letters, and Statue


The Roman Amphitheatre





Around Verona. Notice the locks! Every so often they have to cut them down because the weight of the locks make the light posts lean.


The Church of St. Anastasia


Architecture around Verona


Castelvecchio & Ponte Scaligero. Our view as the sun was setting at the end of our perfect day.