Verona Tuesday 13 May, Day 20

There.was a mighty thunderstorm last night with huge flashes of lightening and lots of rolling thunder. But when we woke up early this morning it was a golden dawn, and the city walls still standing on the hills were in clear relief against the sky. We had a great breakfast - where else in the world do you get fresh strawberries and crème caramel provided at the breakfast buffet ? - then headed off with our Verona passes to sample some of what the city has to offer. Juliet's house - Casa de Capulet - is as made up as Shakespeare's story, but it is right round the corner so we visited it first thing, before the crowds descend upon it. It is a 14th century Veronese house with lots of prints of different representations of the Romeo and Juliet story, and a balcony which was added in the 19th century but which looks the part.

We caught a local bus over to the Basilica of St Zeno, the patron saint of Verona whose remains lie in state in the crypt beneath. There was a funeral service in progress so we did not get to explore the church. Caught the bus back to the Castelvecchio, which was the highlight of the day. We enjoyed the collection and the remarkable restoration of the building by local architect and teacher, Carlo Scarpa.

A new favourite painting  - The Madonna_of_the_Rose_Garden - and some fascinating 14th and 15th century variations of familiar themes but in some novel and ingenious representations. The curation and display were brilliant.  And best of all, the museum was relatively empty - it seems to be off the tour group circuit.

We were a bit stunned when we emerged -we hadn't expected such a rich collection. Next activity was to get a stamp for a post card, which required the intervention of three Italian postal service employees, cost 2.5 times more than the French equivalent, and required me to sign a form. The process was so exhausting we had to stop for lunch at one of the rows of restaurants near the Roman arena.

After lunch Anne headed back for a siesta and I set off for the nearest Laundromat, located over the bridge outside the old city. "Don't go there at night" the lady from the hotel told us, and it certainly had a very different feel to the charming Verona this side pf the bridge. A couple of people seemed to be living in the Laundromat - mine seemed to be the only machine going so I guess they were there for the warmth and for the entertainment of watching honkeys like me trying to work the machines.

We had the best pizza ever for tea, then strolled down along what was once one of the main Roman roads through a succession of squares, arches and quiet carless streets back to our hotel. Mmm. We've loved Verona - definitely on the come back again list.

Tomorrow we need to be up bright and early to go to Padua for half a day, to see the Giotto frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel, then continue on to Venice.