We took the short drive to Garda on Christmas Eve and enjoyed the Christmas market, which included a great band doing 1950s & 1960s covers, and then strolled through the more traditional and life sized outdoor Nativity scenes. Camels, sheep, cows, shepherds, kings, baby Jesus - the lot in fact and excellent too. Congratulations to the citizens of Garda. Could that happen in England or would the drunken louts despoil it?
Christmas Day included a walk into and around Barolino and back after breakfast and then to Lazise and back after lunch. The food at Hotel Caesius was sumptuous - especially the breakfasts, though service at dinner was often a bit chaotic. However, the Bardolino Classico helped to keep us mellow. We needed another walk after dinner.
Bardolino below, where we loved the quiet. It gets exceptionally busy during the summer and we were glad that our first impressions of Lago di Garda were of a tranquil place.
Verona is beautiful but we did not see it at its best on Boxing Day because it rained almost throughout our visit.
Dante did not like the popes. He depicted them in unseemly positions and hence was exiled from his home city of Florence to Verona where he was welcomed by the republicans!
The motto on the fresco below (more or less) reads: "Don't sit blindfolded on books, read them!
Allegedly the smallest jewellers' shop in the world - it can only fit in one customer at a time. Alas, for Trsih it was closed on Boxing Day.
One of the Roman gates to the city.
The Arena - not as big as the Colosseum in Rome but where all the great opera stars and contemporary stars such as Sir Elton have performed. We will have to go and see Aida one summer - the 1913 version is the best I am told!
We all know that Romeo and Juliet is a work of fiction but somehow a balcony in Verona has become Juliet's balcony and a huge tourist attraction. There were Capulets (Juliet's family) and there were Montagues (Romeo's family) and there were many warring families in the city states, but there is no evidence that the two lovers existed. Besides, Shakespeare never even visited Italy, though he has done the City of Verona a great favour!
Castelvecchio, one of our favourite spots.
Certainly a day to remember for the bride and groom.
Smiling in the rain.
The next day we were in Brescia and it was still raining.
The C11th Duomo Vecchio contained a wonderful collection of nativity scenes from Lombardy and and around the world. They are the creations of some very talented people and humorous artisits who, for example, placed Jesus in an igloo and in a TV set.
Brescia was a very important city in Roman times. The Capitolium, a temple dedicated to Jupiter, has only been excavated relatively recently.
Despite the rain, it was good fun wandering the narrow streets and alleyways.
