Episode 9: But Never Doubt I Love

My room roommate Jordan found this trip through a student travel agency that was hosting a one day tour of Verona during the annual Verona in Love festival.  Being the evident romantic suckers that we are, with a few of my other roommates, decided to go and experience the notorious city of love.  During the orientation we recieved after signing up, the guides were telling us of all the things we could do or that is special for couples and love, one of which is you can buy a stone at Juliet's house for a discounted price of 49 euro (the orignal price being 99).  This stone is then placed at the house of Juliet and is to symbolize that the love between you and your whoever will last forever.  I then mumbled under my breath "Yeah, until you commit suicide," to the mortification of every one that heard, I immediately disovered by the number of heads that turned my way was the whole group.  I decided to then slip out before they decided to tar and feather me for my insolence - I don't think my international health insurance will cover that.  I recounted the story to my roommates who reacted with equal amount of mortification, and then later forbid me from referring to Verona as the city of love and suicide.

Three hours on a bus and we arrived to a foggy and damp Verona. However, weather did not dampen the spirit or the passion at Verona’s festival of love.  The place was packed.  Clutching an umbrella in one hand and wielding a pink heart balloon in the other, throngs of people filled the cobbled streets, sandwiched between red hearts hanging above their heads and plastered at their feet. In true Valentine’s Day fashion, snuggling lovebirds occupied every bench, arms were linked and fingers intertwined.  You could even occasionally spy a couple macking on various street corners or from Juliet's balcony, which was open for free viewing with it being the off season and Valentine's day weekend (and FYI, Juliet's house is not how the movie Letters to Juliet protrays it as). Piazza Signori housed venders stationed at stands in a heart shape around the statue of Dante sold various wares. A temporary wall hosted numerous notes of love, the most original awaiting a prize. An abridged version of Romeo and Juliet, performed in Italian. Various shades of pink and red light were cast on buildings as darkness fell and people gathered in Piazza Bra’ for Soffi D’Amore, when the sky showers down confetti hearts, or for Un Cuore di Baci, the one minute kiss on the Palazzo Barbieri’s steps. (and yes, I did steal this from the article I am writing for the school magazine here)

In our tour of the city, our guide informed us of another tragic love story connected to Verona, the story of Corrado and Isabella.  Though I couldn't exactly understand or hear the story, the basic jist is, Corrado accused Isabella of being cold, she said she wasn't that she was as cold as the water in this well, Corrado then jumped into the well, and she jumped in after him or something and they both died (which I think should allow me the freedom to call Verona the title I gave it.).  Then I went and stood in a Roman Collusium which was used for gladiator fights and then theatre and to this day still holds opera festivals (which as we all know probably have terrible sound problems).

But all in all, it was a good day.  I mean, there is much potential for a single person surfing through crowds of affectionate people to get depressed, but it wasn't.  Weirdly, the festival had a way of restoring the hope of love, that though it doesn't exist now in the coupley sense, it will some day.

Yep.

Until Next Time!
Ciao!