Today we packed up and traveled north to Verona. On the way, we stopped at one of my favorite places in the world: an Italian gas station. The caprese sandwich was absolutely delicious, unsurprisingly, and I still stand behind my statement that Italian gas station food is some of the best food in the world.

Once we checked in to the hotel, we went on a walking tour of the city. The city of Verona is very compact in comparison to Milan and Florence, so it all most seemed as if there was a new historical site around every corner. I learned today that Verona is an ancient Roman city, and the opera amphitheater was built during the time of the first emperor, Augustus. Fun fact: the arena in Verona is older than the colosseum by almost 60 years and is still in use for 6 months out of the year, but the colosseum is still more well known. I would love to come back in the future for the opera festival that is held every year in August and September.

On our tour, we passed by a square with a bell tower that is 84 m tall and has a great panoramic view of Verona, so we will definitely be back to go to the top. We also passed under an archway with this gigantic rib bone of a whale. I didn’t hear why or how the people of Verona acquired this bone all those centuries ago, but it was cool nonetheless.

We finished our tour by passing over the only bridge from ancient Roman times that is still here today. The houses and villas on the side of the hill combined with all the beautiful greenery and the river made for a perfect picture. There was also a set of steps on the side of the mountain that I want to climb later that also gives a good panoramic view of the city.