Wherefore art thou, Romeo?

1. 24. 10: Verona

Last night was quite the night. It seems like even clubbing is entrenched in procedural beurocracy. To get there, we take the disco bus, which you have to pay for and then get reimbursed for once you arrive. You have to buy a card to be able to pay to get in, but thankfully Cristina let me use hers. You get a pass which you later go pay for to get a receipt which you show to the bartender to get the drink included in your admission. You have to stand in a line (but there's really no such thing as lines in Italy, just more aggressive and less aggressive clumpers) to check your coat. So, we met at 11 and did not end up dancing until after 1. The club, Fuora Orario, is really close to the train tracks, so it is modeled after a train station, and has train cars wher eyou can sit and eat. It has two separate areas, one for house and pop, one for rock, and the inbetween outside I was told was hiphop but seemed to be mostly reggae. It seemed strange to me to have rock/metal playing in a club, but watching Italian metalheads was pretty entertaining. We took the last bus back -- at 315 in the morning -- and after getting to the central piazza we started the long walk home, which ended around 430. (I now know it really isn't that far, but I guess we were being kind of leisurely, and were not 100% sure where we were going.)

Cristina invited me to go on a day trip with her and Antionio, and my mom suggested that I invite Matt, 'l'unico ragazzo' (the only boy, as everyone refers to him). An hour and a bit later, we were in Verona, home of Romeo and Juliet. The way was gray and full of fields, but we also passed an Ikea and the Barilla factory (Barilla products come from Parma; support our local economy!). Also, we passed under a bridge built by famous architect Calatrava. Apparently, you have to pay to use the highway here, so you get a ticket when you get on, turn it in at the exit, and are charged based on how far you went. Verona: what a beautiful city. Granite paving in the piazzas, and an arena like a small Coliseum that is now used for concerts and such, and everything old and ornate. It seemed as though with every step there was another picture that demanded to be taken. We started out with coffee to warm us up and wake us up, and I had a cappuccino, which I definitely prefer to straight coffee. We also got the good advice never to get a coffee in the main square, particulary in a touristy area, because it will be significantly more expensive. I have noticed that here in Italy there are often many more expenses (e. g. paying for the highway) but food is often much more reasonably priced. Next, the Arena. Of course, my camera batteries died. For the rest of the night I had to be rather judicious with my picture taking, but between restraint and letting my camera rest every now and then, I managed to take pictures of most things I liked, and the rest I can acquire from Matt.

All along the main streets were a ton of stores, from Luis Vuitton to the Disney Store to Italian clothing shops to fur stores. You know somewhere is touristy when the word SALE on the storefront is written in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and even sometimes German and Russian. It is definitely a new experience to see so many people wearing fur coats, but then again I have never been anywhere cold enough for it to be remotely reasonable. We visited Juliet's home and saw the balcony from which she and Romeo allegedly had their famous exchange. It is traditional for lovers to write their names on the wall or on a piece of paper and attach it to the wall, so it is an interesting blend of old meets new as you approach. Also, there is a sculpture of Juliet, and it is customary to put your hand on her right breast when you take a picture (I have no idea why), so it is quite worn and polished.

We walked over to the river, which at night was of course a beautiful sight. We had panzerotta, like a pizza empanada more than like a calzone (in terms of the dough), with cheese and tomato inside. Delicious, fresh out of the oven, and perfect for the cold night. Next we sought a place to partake in apperitivo: an evening drink with free snacks. We had Sprizz, some citrusy mixed drink invented in Verona.

(relief map of Verona in the Piazza, the big round thing is the Arena)

When we had been up in the Arena, we saw children scaling and sliding down this big star/comet sculpture. Walking by it on our way back to the car, we decided to do the same.



What I learned today:
A  player on the Parma soccer team lives in our building. He does Gillette commercials. He is also afraid of Jody.