@ChiaralTravels

Location: Verona, Italy

Currency: Euro

Language: Italian (Many people speak English)

Hey SoarFare Travelers,

One of the most challenging parts of any trip is booking the flight. Let SoarFare help get you that flight to Italy and then it’s up to you to decide how to spend your Italian get away! Italy doesn’t just have great food, incredible art and amazing history, it also has its own famous love story! As we move through the month of February, we are bombarded with Valentines, candy hearts, love and a lot of pressure, let’s talk about a city of love! When you hear Verona, what typically comes to mind is Romeo and Juliet. Whether you think of the 90’s film with a young (extremely good looking) Leonardo DiCaprio, or the classic romantic tragedy written by William Shakespeare, or Letters to Juliet where it is never too late to find love or find it twice, Verona is very real and a wonderful place to visit.
Travel hack: Once you book your flight with SoarFare and if your Italian vacation leads you to the canals of Venice, you must plan a day trip to Verona. You can take the train to Verona from Venice and it is only little over an hour ride. While you are on the train be sure to write your letter to Juliet. Once in the romantic city, find a cute place to eat in the Palazzo near Juliet’s house, do some shopping and then take the short train ride back.
How I ended up in Verona was, I was leaving Venice, and getting ready to go up through Austria, this quick day trip was very much worth it. When I arrived in Verona, it felt like a smaller more intimate Rome with its own mini coliseum right in the middle of the city. To this day they still hold events in that coliseum. If you are there in the summertime, you can try to catch a concert or play.  

My first stop was to drop off my letter to Juliet. I had seen the movie “Letters to Juliet” and had heard stories that women (and some men) from all over the world would write a letter to Juliet asking for advice on love, relationships and much more. Millions of people write letters each year and if you are lucky, you could potentially receive a response back. Although it was a few years ago, I vaguely remember writing a pretty dramatic letter about a guy I was interested in dating and a guy who was interested in dating me. Unfortunately, they were not the same guy... Classic, right? I asked Juliet what she thought I should do, who should I pursue, tips on love and anything else I could come up with. (I got really into it, but hey, I felt like I was in a movie). When I got to Verona, I walked through the main street into the Palazzo and headed down towards Juliet’s house. I wasn’t totally sure what to expect. When you walk under the archway the first thing you see is the statue of Juliet. Legend is if you rub the statue of Juliet’s breast it will bring you good luck in your love life. I personally think that is a little weird. Who came up with the idea that groping a statue would bring you luck in the love department? Probably the same people that started the e-mail chains “if you don’t forward this e-mail to 86 people in the next 30 seconds, you’ll have a dairy allergy for the rest of your life!” Okay.. probably not them. Anyways, after checking with statue Juliet that she was okay with it, I made sure I would get some good luck!

The next thing I noticed was the beautiful balcony up above the statue. The whole area was very pretty and romantic. I don’t think you are allowed in to go on the balcony yourself, but it’s great to imagine standing up there while someone below professes their love to you (or asks you to leave because it’s not actually your balcony 😉). The whole experience of being there is really a lot of fun, and for any hopeless romantic, it is a must see. So mission accomplished, I dropped off my letter in the box and then headed off to lunch.

There are lots of places to eat in the Palazzo. If you are looking for something quick, try Pizza Al Taglio Zio Lele. They have over 50 kinds of pizzas! A few of the people I was traveling with ate there because it is known for interesting toppings on their pizzas. You can order a couple of different ones and share them with friends, and you can try as many as you feel up to. If you are looking for more of a sit-down meal, Verona overflows with nice restaurants and cafes. Most of their food comes fresh from the Veronese Mountains, so you know it’ll be good! Make sure you get an Italian espresso after your meal; they are delicious and will keep your energy up for exploring the rest of the city. After lunch I had time to do a little shopping in the Piazza Delle Erbe. The whole area is filled with medieval architecture and takes you straight back to the Renaissance. You can see a lot of Verona in a day, but if you have the time, I would stay 2-3 days to really get the full Renaissance experience. Keep in mind, in the summertime it can get really hot, so plan accordingly. At the end of my day in Verona I was full of pizza and very happy. I was sad to say goodbye, but was on to my next wonderful destination.
 

Five months later and back home in December, I received a letter in the mail. It was from Club di Giulietta and glancing at it, I had no idea what it was. As I started reading this handwritten letter my first thought was, why is someone writing to me about a relationship that wasn’t working, and maybe I got it by mistake? I had completely forgotten about that previous summer. The more I read, I realized that the letter was from Juliet or “Giulietta” in Italian. I was so excited and could not believe that I received a response back. Sadly, nothing came from either of the guys I had written about to Juliet and we all had moved on. I guess I should have rubbed the statue’s breast a little more when I was there or maybe I should have rubbed both.. haha.. Either way, I was happy to have received a response and will hold onto the letter and my memories of Verona forever!

Visiting Verona was such a unique experience and something to check off the bucket list. It is a romantic place I will never forget. SoarFare will help you save and get you to your destination, which like I said earlier, is the hardest part. Let them help you book that flight to your dream city, then it is up to you to make it not just a trip, but a whole experience. Pop the champaign, eat the pizza, pour your heart out in a letter to Juliet and see where your next adventure will take you!

@ChiaralTravels