Catching Up - Part 2

I know, two posts in one day...can you handle it? We finally have a few days to catch up before heading south on Thursday.

Verona - 2 days

We met a couple from Colorado Springs a few months ago who come to Italy every year or two for a bike trip. They said we could not miss seeing an opera in the amphitheater in Verona. We looked at tickets and were able to find some for opening night. We had no idea if opening night would be as big of a deal in Italy as in the US, but the timing worked for us. It definitely was! The president of Italy showed up, thousands of people came, and we brushed arms with Italian celebrities (we had no idea who they were though). Everyone even sang the national anthem before the show started. We saw La Traviata and it was spectacular! It was even more impressive because we were in an historical city, in an ancient arena, and saw a full, red moon rise behind the "stage". We rented bikes the next day and saw more of Verona including Juliet's house and famous balcony and a large equestrian center just out of town.

Lake Como/Maggiore - 3 days

Wow! I am shocked Como isn't on more lists of the most beautiful places in the world. Picture this...the "foothills" of the Alps (which are still several thousand feet high) drop right into a clear, blue narrow but deep lake with small towns scattered around the lake filled with interesting architecture and neat shops and restaurants as well as the most beautiful villas all along the water. To top it off, there are very few tourists, especially Americans and virtually no boats on the water. We rented a boat one day and felt like we were the only ones on the lake. I'm sure in another month or two the place will be filled with Europeans on vacation, but we had the lake to ourselves. Here are some pictures I have to share so that everyone can experience the beauty of this area.

George Clooney's house

Bergamo - 2 days

We had a day of relaxation in the hotel spa one day with a sauna, steam room, pool, etc. We went to Citta Alta (the part of town up on a hill) via funicular for dinner and went back the next day to look in all the shops. A very quaint, neat town that we never would have seen had we only come to Italy for a short vacation.

Arrivederci!