Verona

At the end of week 1, we took the train from Venice to visit the ancient city of Verona which came Roman rule in about 300 BC. This important cultural crossroads which boasts of many beautiful natural features (like the Adige river that crosses it), and man-made creations (like the famous Arena from approximately 30 AD), has a fascinating millennial history.

In order to get some historical background to our readings of Luigi da Porto's and Matteo Bandello's tales of Romeo & Juliet, we visited  Juliet's house.  Although the house is historically that of Juliet, the famous balcony is actually an ancient sarcophagus added last century.  This does not detract at all from the experience; in fact, it enhances it since we realize the levels of 'fiction' that are added to the 'real'.  From da Porto to Shakespeare, the Verona visit enhances the reading experience immensely.