Fortified Verona

On the latter half of our one full day in Verona, we made for the city's vantage point and to Castel San Pietro high atop Colle San Pietro, a hill that shares its name. The castle was once an Austrian barracks and is closed to the public but the grounds around it are breathtaking. With the aid of the city's funicular, a €2 ride, we missed out on climbing 55 metres straight up. 

At the top, our view of Verona below reminded us that Valpolicella wine country was just a bus ride beyond a hill away. 

And that this fortressed viewpoint must have been an advantageous one for the keepers of the castle.

As we descended on the funicular once again and made our way back to the city, we were met with the the Adige River and various stone bridges that crossed it into the city.

The Ponte Pietra Bridge was completed in 100BC and built by the Romans. It goes without saying that it's the oldest bridge in Verona and parts of it were blown up during WWII. Today it's fully functioning and makes this entrance to the city feel quite Disneyland-esque.

Walking on the bridge feels quite regal, although claustrophobic.

And just in case you weren't sure that this city of Shakespeare didn't have a past, there's glimpses of city walls everywhere. There's three distinct sets of city walls scattered around the historic centre, dating from Roman Times, then the 12th century and finally the Scaliger Lordship of the early 14th century. The latest, and most omnipresent, walls were strengthened by the Venetians and then later fortified by the Austrians. They serve as a stark reminder to the moments in feuding Italian history.

It is possible to climb some of these walls and get the view from above. This would have involved considerably more planning than either Gemma or I were willing to do. And so, we watched the clouds roll in and took cover with a final Italian Aperol before the rain began.