Verona
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Sunday, September 5, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Ahhh Verona.
The moment I arrived in Verona, I fell in love. It is a charming city complete with beautiful medieval architecture, great food, and charming people. The main shopping area will dazzle any fashionista but venture off the main tourist area away from Juliet's balcony and you will discover why Verona is often considered one of Italy's hidden treasures.
Like many cities in this area of Italy, the Adige River divides the city into two equally charming areas. We were fortunate to be there during a food festival which was held next to the forum in the main piazza. Tables were provided which allowed us to take in the activities in the area while sampling the many local flavors.
I tend to be a wanderer who enjoys immersing myself in the culture and routine of the area in which I am staying so I often will stumble across a great little shop or restaurant that is not listed in any guide book. While window shopping one afternoon, I came across a delightful little restaurant with a very unusual yet sophisticated menu. I knew that this would be the perfect spot to spend our last evening in Verona. The decor, food, and service did not disappoint and we fell in love with this spot. We were also quite surprised that the total cost was very reasonable for the quality and amount of food we received.
And here is the name and address of this marvelous restaurant:
Ristorante Antica Torretta
Piazza Broilo 1
37121 Verona
http://www.ristoranteanticatorretta.com/
+39 045 8015292
A Word of Advice regarding bathrooms in northern Italy: Many restaurant bathrooms have a porcelain fixture attached to the floor with a hole in the middle. There are foot rests on either side of the hole for feet. It is a bit tricky for women to navigate so I suggest not wearing spikes to the restaurant.
Another Word of Advice: I like to learn the language of the country in which I am traveling so I like the challenge of ordering in a language other than English. If you venture off the beaten path, you may find that the waiters may not speak much English and you may not know the local cuisine unless you have a translator or a Berlitz book. I downloaded a translator onto my IPhone which was very handy and I always use a Beritz book for various phrases. I also kept a list in my IPhone of phrases I used often which helped as I developed my Italian. The Berlitz book will also have a list of local foods which help when deciphering the menu.
Travel Caution:
My husband is extremely skilled at finding great hotels and apartments in foreign cities. Unfortunately, we had some bad luck during our stay in Verona. We booked a lovely hotel through a British travel site and discovered when we booked into our hotel that this company was bogus. The hotel was very accomodating and gave us a beautiful suite which included breakfast in their lovely dining room. It is unfortunate that we wound up paying twice for your room but we decided not to let it spoil our trip and forgot about it until we returned to Canada.
Great Hotel:
Hotel Accademia
Via Scala 12
37121 Verona
http://www.accademiavr.it/
+39 045 596222
Phony Hotel Booking website:
Moss Travel
http://www.bestbookingcentral.com/
Like many cities in this area of Italy, the Adige River divides the city into two equally charming areas. We were fortunate to be there during a food festival which was held next to the forum in the main piazza. Tables were provided which allowed us to take in the activities in the area while sampling the many local flavors.
I tend to be a wanderer who enjoys immersing myself in the culture and routine of the area in which I am staying so I often will stumble across a great little shop or restaurant that is not listed in any guide book. While window shopping one afternoon, I came across a delightful little restaurant with a very unusual yet sophisticated menu. I knew that this would be the perfect spot to spend our last evening in Verona. The decor, food, and service did not disappoint and we fell in love with this spot. We were also quite surprised that the total cost was very reasonable for the quality and amount of food we received.
And here is the name and address of this marvelous restaurant:
Ristorante Antica Torretta
Piazza Broilo 1
37121 Verona
http://www.ristoranteanticatorretta.com/
+39 045 8015292
A Word of Advice regarding bathrooms in northern Italy: Many restaurant bathrooms have a porcelain fixture attached to the floor with a hole in the middle. There are foot rests on either side of the hole for feet. It is a bit tricky for women to navigate so I suggest not wearing spikes to the restaurant.
Another Word of Advice: I like to learn the language of the country in which I am traveling so I like the challenge of ordering in a language other than English. If you venture off the beaten path, you may find that the waiters may not speak much English and you may not know the local cuisine unless you have a translator or a Berlitz book. I downloaded a translator onto my IPhone which was very handy and I always use a Beritz book for various phrases. I also kept a list in my IPhone of phrases I used often which helped as I developed my Italian. The Berlitz book will also have a list of local foods which help when deciphering the menu.
Travel Caution:
My husband is extremely skilled at finding great hotels and apartments in foreign cities. Unfortunately, we had some bad luck during our stay in Verona. We booked a lovely hotel through a British travel site and discovered when we booked into our hotel that this company was bogus. The hotel was very accomodating and gave us a beautiful suite which included breakfast in their lovely dining room. It is unfortunate that we wound up paying twice for your room but we decided not to let it spoil our trip and forgot about it until we returned to Canada.
Great Hotel:
Hotel Accademia
Via Scala 12
37121 Verona
http://www.accademiavr.it/
+39 045 596222
Phony Hotel Booking website:
Moss Travel
http://www.bestbookingcentral.com/
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