The main gate of ancient Verona. Historically, all of the merchants would enter here to sell their wares.
One of the churches we visited in Verona.
The holy relics of the church.
I loved the balconies on the buildings. Someday I would like a balcony overflowing with ivy and flowers.
My first dinner in Verona: a duck and truffle dish. Also my first time having truffle, which is very popular in Italy. It was very delicious.
One of the arches on the walk home.
Walking through the Castel Vecchio (the old castle) on the way home from the Old City.
Crossing the Castel Vecchio bridge. We walked this all the time, nearly every time we went from our residence to the Old City.
The other side of the Castel Vecchio.
My second dinner. Lasagna. Delicious.
Our first opera (Nabucco) in the Verona Arena. Very cool to be sitting on the same seats that Roman citizens sat on 2005 years ago. The set was fantastic. And they had so many people—some of the performers even went up on the seating behind the stage for effect. It was very impressive. Unfortunately, by then it was dark, and I was unable to capture a good image of it.
I took a day trip to Florence. This was inside the San Lorenzo church.
In the vaults underneath San Lorenzo. I just thought that she was so beautiful.
Me by the Florence duomo.
Such a library. Who wouldn't want to spend a day in here?
Santa Croce cathedral. I loved this place, particularly because there are many important figures who are either buried here, or who have monuments here.
A beautiful painting in Santa Croce.
Rossini! One of the great opera composers.
A couple of incredibly lifelike statues:
Machiavelli.
Michelangelo. Probably the most brilliant sculptor to ever live.
Looking down the church. The rafters on the ceiling were painted or inlaid with different colors of wood. Unfortunately, the lighting was such that I couldn't get a decent picture. But I tried.
Galileo. A very brave man, and by my book, worthy of any honor.
A closer shot of the altar.
Sant Anastasia, where we gave our first concert.
More food. This is important to document. This is gnocchi with tomatoes. It is the first gnocchi that I have ever really enjoyed. Italian tomatoes are unbelievable. I love them, and got tomato dishes as often as I could.
Orecchiette with tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. There was some sort of grain sprinkled over it as well. Also very fresh and delicious.
Our second opera, Aida. Again, magnificent set. The singing was also superb.
I hiked up with my roommate to the Castel San Pietro, which looks out over Verona. It was gorgeous. The weather was perfect—about 80–85, and slightly rainy. It was a reprieve for us, because the week before it had been 100–105 each day.
Looking away from the city at Castel San Pietro.
The stairway leading up to San Pietro.
I loved this house. It was beautiful, and the gate in front was really unique. I'm afraid the picture doesn't really capture it.
Headed home at dusk.
I went up to San Pietro again with Sarah later on. It was much warmer that day.
We also went to Lake Garda. Very beautiful, and a perfect ending to our time in Italy.
The river running into the lake.
After sunset, back in Verona. We came back for dinner with my roommate from the opera program. It was her last evening. So we had a pretty special evening. We walked through all of our favorite places, went to our favorite restaurant, and had gelato.
On the Castel Vecchio bridge
A couple of last photos from Lake Garda. The sunset was beautiful.
In the time it took to get my camera out, the sun was already disappearing behind the clouds. But it looked like fire, and it was gorgeous.
