On Wednesday, we visited Verona again. We parked near the Basilica of San Zeno and toured from the cloister to the crypt. San Zeno made an impression on Lauren, Taylor, and Greta, partially because Zeno is an easy name to remember, but also because of his story. Saint Zeno was born in Africa and was a happy priest. He started the church in the 300's and it grew so much, a larger church was built in the early 800's. San Zeno was beautiful, with the interior covered in colorful frescoes and Saint Zeno's remains are preserved in the crypt.
We walked from San Zeno along the river, through the Castelvecchio, and to the Roman Colleseum, where we had lunch at a nearby table. Some shopped for souveniers at Piazza Erbe and we checked out Juliet's Balcony once more. We made our way back to San Zeno, stopping for a gelato. Before going back to the villa, we stopped at Brunelli Winery within a short walking distance for a bit of wine tasting. Alberto Brunelli served our wine and we learned a bit about the local wine business, which has been going for centuries. Brunelli just won the 2017 International Award for best Amarone Reserve. Dan bought several bottles to ship home.
Wednesday evening, we walked to a nearby restaurant for a fancy dinner. The restaurant is next door to the church up the street and we enjoyed organ music, a nice breeze, and an incredible dinner. It was our first experience in miscommunicating rather badly and after stuffing ourselves, we somehow ordered eight desserts rather than two. Yes, we ate the whole thing! Delicious!
We walked from San Zeno along the river, through the Castelvecchio, and to the Roman Colleseum, where we had lunch at a nearby table. Some shopped for souveniers at Piazza Erbe and we checked out Juliet's Balcony once more. We made our way back to San Zeno, stopping for a gelato. Before going back to the villa, we stopped at Brunelli Winery within a short walking distance for a bit of wine tasting. Alberto Brunelli served our wine and we learned a bit about the local wine business, which has been going for centuries. Brunelli just won the 2017 International Award for best Amarone Reserve. Dan bought several bottles to ship home.
Wednesday evening, we walked to a nearby restaurant for a fancy dinner. The restaurant is next door to the church up the street and we enjoyed organ music, a nice breeze, and an incredible dinner. It was our first experience in miscommunicating rather badly and after stuffing ourselves, we somehow ordered eight desserts rather than two. Yes, we ate the whole thing! Delicious!
We returned to Lake Garda on Thursday late morning, to the village of Lazise. The girls found a small carnival next to a playground, so for E6 each, they played until they were tired and had the carnival mostly to themselves. They loved it! We had dessert before lunch... gelato. We had lunch and then Papa and I drove Whitney and Greta to the Verona airport, while Audrey and Dan stayed at Lake Garda awhile longer, so Lauren and Taylor could get in the lake. We made dinner at the villa. It was terrific! We are having a wonderful time!
