“V” is for Veneto, Verona and Venezia

In northeastern Italia sets the region of Veneto and the home of Verona and Venezia. Although I have traveled to Venezia a number of times, I was rather unfamiliar with the province. As part of my autumn “tour de force” I wanted to acquaint myself with the region of Veneto outside of Venice.

I’ve talked before about the regions of Italia, but perhaps a refresher would be helpful. Italia has 20 administrative regions. They are somewhat equivalent to states (in America) or departments (in France). Each region has some independent authority over their regions for a certain amount of services and regulations. Toscana, Lombardia, Veneto, Lazio, Sicilia, Abruzzo, Calabria—these are some of the more widely known regions. Roma is in Lazio, Firenze in Toscana, Venezia in Veneto, Milano in Lombardia..etc..etc.

“V” is for Veneto and all of the history-rich cities woven into the fabric of this part of Italia. Besides Verona and Venezia, there are a number of other places where one can plant themselves for a few days or more and experience the tapestry of this part of Italia. Cities such as Padova, Treviso and Vicenza.

“V” is for Verona’s unexpected surprise

Verona consistently ranks in the top 5 for quality of life among the major cities of Italia. After spending a week there, I can understand why.

Architecturally it’s stunning, with a mixture of romanesque, gothic and renaissance architecture. It resembles a beautiful mix of Florence and Venezia with a little Roma to further enhance its beauty. The city itself dates back 2000 years with one of its most famous structures, the Arena di Verona, originating in the 1st century. It is one of the few operating open-air amphitheaters and hosts a number of operas, concerts and events throughout the summer.

The city has such architectural significance that in 2000 UNESCO recognized the entire city as a “world heritage site.” If you’re interested in the UNESCO website on Verona, you can find it here.

I found the city to be well maintained. I was impressed with the cleanliness and the evident pride from its people. The locals were friendly, tolerant of my improving language and generally open to conversing in a park or a restaurant.

There seemed to be a large international population as well. I couldn’t tell if they were tourists or residents, but the city was bustling with culturally diverse activity in October.

Verona is also the famous setting for two of William Shakespeare’s most popular works, “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Two Gentlemen of Verona.” Apparently Shakespeare was in love with this city as well. There is a symbolic ‘house of Juliet” with its balcony and even a bronze statue of Juliet in the courtyard. Tourists flock to the location every day to see the “balcony” and the statue. There’s even a tradition of rubbing the right breast of the statue to bring luck. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. (I haven’t rubbed a breast in years—I saw no reason to start doing that now.)

I left Verona with it high on my list of potential places to live. It has big-city convenience while maintaining its small-city feel. The city is easily walkable although easy to get lost in with its winding narrow streets that beg you to go deeper into their labyrinth to discover them further.

Verona also sits in a very strategic location in Italia. Many of Italia’s most famous cities are within hours by train, Milano, Bologna, Parma and Treviso. The Dolomites and neighboring Austria beckon in the distance.

I captured a number of images from Verona, but these are my favorite. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did seeing them in person.

“V” is for the veneziani and their way of life

After my overdose of Veronese beauty, I decided to throttle up my five-senses with a return to Venezia. This trip marked my seventh or eighth visit to this city. This visit was to help me determine if I could see my self living here for a period of time. My previous visit was a year ago just after the first COVID lockdown ended. You can read my blog about last year’s visit here.

Every time I find myself here, I discover something new and magical about this city. When I go to Venezia I tend to find myself among the locals. I avoid the high-traffic tourist areas as much as possible. I choose to spend my time in the more authentic neighborhoods. That’s where you find the same people day in and day out going about their daily living.

I’m fortunate to have a few friends here as well. I prefer to stay close to the hub of their life and mix with their social circles. Eventually the locals get to know you by name. Soon you’re greeted by name when you arrive and your spritz cocktail is served without even ordering it. That’s the benefit of becoming close with the locals and integrating as much as possible.

I found myself in the sestiere of Santa Croce near Dorsoduro. I stayed in a converted palazzo that a friend of mine recommended. The palazzo was turned into apartments several decades ago, but still maintained an unmistakable Venezia appeal.

There were six full-time residents: a Canadian/Dutch couple, a Belgian businessman seldom to be seen, two elderly women that were sisters, each with their own apartment and, finally, the owner of the AirBNB that I was renting. He occupied the top floor attic.

The Canadian was helpful in pointing out all of the locals places where I needed to shop. The Belgian businessman (single, attractive and about my age) would zip in and zip out with a cursory hello. There wasn’t much small talk with him. However, those two sisters, now they were the real characters of the building.

They sisters left the apartment once a day or so, always together. Whoever exited first would stand in the courtyard alone waiting for the other. Sometimes they would call to each other to make haste as they waited. I would always greet them and try to use my best formal italiano to show respect.

They sisters dressed in a “Bella Figura” style that was unmistakable. They wore dresses, stockings, scarves and hats to compliment their look. When I saw them walking arm and arm through the the streets of Venezia, they emanated that glamorous sophistication that one earns with age and life experience.

The sisters took a liking to Sofia. One of them asked if she liked to bark a lot. At first I was a bit concerned until I realized it was the same sister that was also hard of hearing. Every night she would watch her television at a volume that allowed all of the occupants of the palazzo to enjoy the program along with her. Many nights passed when I would listen to her television from my bed as I attempted sleep. The noise never bothered me. In someway it comforted me to know that in the palazzo there was always life. There was a small community of veneziani going about their daily rituals, even if that meant sharing it with all of us.

“V” is for la vita

Everyday I would take my cappuccino at the same cafe in Campo Santa Margherita. There was a woman who was always behind the counter to take my order. When it was ready, she would yell out, “Cappuccino!” She never brought it to me and she never smiled when I greeted here. Although there were other cafes, I found myself returning often. Perhaps I was trying to crack that tough exterior.

One afternoon after having my cappuccino, I was walking with Sofia in the same Campo Santa Margherita when a small poodle came running up to play with Sofia. The owner of the dog was just behind her and came up to start a conversation. Her name was Maria, and she owned the restaurant across from the cafe. I told her I was a fan of pizza, and she told me that her pizza was the best in Venezia. She invited me to dinner that night and told me if I didn’t like her pizza, I wouldn’t have to pay. Well that sounded too good to be true, so I told her that I would see her at 8:00 pm.

When I arrived that evening Maria was there to greet me. She ushered me to a table that was prepared for one person in advance. There was even a bowl of water waiting for Sofia. I sat down, and after perusing the menu I ordered a pizza.

As the pizza was being prepared, Maria came out and started a conversation with me. We talked about my travels in Italia, my desire to see Venezia as a local and the story of how I came to Europe. Maria equally shared parts of her life with me.

She asked me why I was traveling alone, a question I receive often. That question led me to telling her the story about my life with my late husband and his battle with cancer. As I revealed more details, a gentle look appeared on her face and her eyes turned misty.

Maria then revealed that she also had battled a similar cancer and was now in remission. She shared with me that she takes an oral chemotherapy everyday to prevent a recurrence. When I told her how sorry I was, she simply shrugged her shoulders and said “Ma, la vita è così.” But, life is like that.

Her statement demonstrated that resilience that I seem to find often here. The innate understanding one must live every day fully and bounce back from adversity. There are no guarantees—there is only this moment.

The pizza was good enough that I was happy to pay for it. As I started to prepare to leave, Maria returned to offer a digestivo of limoncello. She then kissed both of my cheeks and said goodbye. I knew I would see her again, but I didn’t expect her to help me bridge a connection.

The next morning, at my usual cafe, there sat Maria talking with the same woman from behind the counter. She saw me and greeted me immediately. She then picked up Sofia and put her in her lap. As it turned, the woman who I attempted to befriend with kindness every morning at the cafe was actually Maria’s daughter. She owned the cafe, and her name was Valeria.

Once I got to see the person she was and she knew more about me, we had no problems talking for several minutes every day while I drank my cappuccino. Valeria would share photos of her children, her dog, as she talked about her life in Venezia. She also would give me advice about what was happening each day in the city and where I should consider living in Italia. Surprisingly, Venezia was not one of her suggestions.

Once connections were made and stories were shared, I never had to wait for another cappuccino again. Every morning Valeria would see me coming and always deliver my cappuccino to me personally with a smile and a, “Ciao caro. Come stai oggi?” Hello dear. How are you today?

La vita è così.

Hello friends! While finishing this latest posting, I have been rediscovering the region of Puglia in the heel of the boot. This is one of my happy places in Italia. It’s where you can find a type of authenticity that I haven’t found anywhere else in Italia. I enjoy it so much, that my writing has paid the price of my distraction with this beautiful place. I hope to share with you another section of my book in the upcoming post, where I will also share with you my stories of Puglia.

Thank you for supporting The Spaghetti Diaries. If you want to follow my blog, please subscribe in the box below. If you like what you read, please pass it on to others through your social media page: The Spaghetti Diaries