10/16 Wednesday
The big attraction in Verona is the
Roman Coliseum. It’s almost fully intact, although it was never totally
restored after a 12th Century earthquake knocked all the marble off
the walls. It’s used today for performances, and the opera series is world
famous. The photos of the full stadium and stage sets are awesome. It’s
interesting to visit, but odd as well, because it’s not unlike going into any
city arena when there’s no show, only with stone seating. There’s no line
waiting to go in, and the remnants of past events are all over the place: empty
ice-cream coolers, beverage stands, lighting set-ups, assorted litter of Pepsi
cups and wrappers. The only historical information to be had is from a
coin-operated video with a hand-held speaker, which took our Euro and didn’t
have any audio. We learned enough from our visits to Rome and Pula to
appreciate the place. Of the three, we found the best experience at Pula, where
you can walk on the actual arena floor.
We also come across some of the most
annoying buskers in Verona. They make a sort of puppety character with the
persons’ face sticking out. One, for example, is a box with a pet carrier on
it, with the guy’s head sticking out in spotted dog make-up, working puppet
dog-paws. Another guy has a onesie-wrapped baby puppet in a stroller, with his
own head on the baby, working puppet baby-hands. This baby guy uses a
radio-controlled car with a money cup on it to harass viewers for coin. The
defining feature is a horrible high-pitched squeaky voice coming from some kind
of device, making nonsense conversation “Dur de dur de dur dur de DURRRR.” Fortunately, they have limited mobility, so we can avoid them.
The Castlevecchio is the Medieval
fortress of the Scaligeri dynasty of Verona.
Most of the castle grounds are open to the public, and lead to a fortified
bridge across the river that’s a very popular stroll. We also go into the castle
museum to see the collections and the interior of the fort. There is an
extensive collection of 12th century sculpture, frescos, and
religious art, all quite beautiful work. A popular figure is a statue of a
price on horseback with the family crest on his helmet: The prince’s nickname
was “Cangrande” or “Big Dog” as the tour leaders love to say, and his helmet
has a big dog face on it. Not unlike the busker puppet guy, now that I think of
it.
1 Video Included
Verona Roman Colosseum
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