We arrived in Verona on Wednesday afternoon, and found our palazzo in the Old City.
The palazzo has been in the host's family for over 200 years; she still lives there.
We had an epic meal at Pane e Vino. We started with a bottle of the Veneto region's famous Valipolicello wine.
The first course was a "welcome of starters." From top left: A flower-shaped cracker with local cheese, and fried red wine risotto chips; beef tartare in a cone, and a spoonful of raspberry jam; and chocolate balls filled with vermouth on a bed of sugar and anise.
Second course: Housemade sausage in La Pearà sauce, with horseradish mayonnaise and pickled red onion.
Third course: A little potato bread sandwich with duck liver paté and smoked goose, with raspberry jam and goat cheese. It was so delicious that I forgot to take a photo of it.
This photo is the fourth course: Potato gnocchi filled local cheese, with black truffles and potato foam.
Fifth course: Roasted guinea fowl breast with Amarone wine sauce (the wine of the region), with mashed pumpkin and mascarpone cheese.
The sixth course was bigoli pasta with rabbit, which I ALSO forgot to take a photo of.
For dessert: One of the best things I've eaten all year!! A deconstructed tiramisu, which essentially was just the yummy custard and some cake crumbs. As it should be!
Even better than one dessert: TWO DESSERTS. The one on the left was OK, but the other was chocolate and hazelnut deliciousness.
After that amazing dinner, we walked back to the palazzo through a rainy Piazza delle Erbe.
The next morning, we took a walking tour of Verona. In the main square (Piazza Bra) is one of the 5 largest remaining Roman amphitheaters on earth, built in 30 AD.
The piazza is huge, and surrounded by shops and cafés.
Despite this spectacular amphitheater, the #1 visited site in Verona is Casa Giulietta, or Juliet's House.
"Romeo & Juliet" takes place in Verona. In the 14th century, a family named "Cappello" lived in this palazzo. In 1905, the palazzo was sold to the city, and it was decided that "Cappello" sounds like "Capulet," so now everyone pretends this is Juliet's house.
Us, in the garden of Juliet's House. Everyone seems to ignore the fact that JULIET IS FICTIONAL. This whole place was just bizarre.
People come from all over the world to write letters to Juliet asking for love advice, or to graffiti their names on the walls. Again- SHE'S NOT REAL. SHE NEVER EXISTED.
But this is the most Italian thing I've ever seen: Taking the time to make a sign forbidding graffiti, then ignoring all the graffiti.
In the 1930s, they decided Juliet's House needed a balcony...so they sawed a sarcophagus in half, and stuck it up on the exterior wall. Voila.
But onto REAL things: Verona's lovely Piazza delle Erbe, and its 12th century Torre dei Lambierti.
The Torre dei Lambierti sits near the Casa dei Giudici (Judges' Hall) and Town Hall.
Verona & Basano del Grappa