Hairgrove's in Hungary: Verona, Lake Garda and Sirmione

You can never wake up in a bad mood when traveling in Italy. Even though the previous day had tired us out and Ben's foot was still hurting from the cut he had gotten in the Adriatic, we decided to take full advantage of the day. We started the day off with a great plan for sightseeing some of the Northern Italian countryside.

Our first stop was about 40 minutes away in a little city called Verona. Sound familiar?

"Two households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,"

--From Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Luckily we did not find any families fighting in the streets, I think it was too hot for that nonsense. I think the best part about Verona is that it wasn't packed with tourists. It was crowded, but not on the scale Venice had been the day before. If you are looking for the quintessential Italian city, I think Verona may fit the bill. It has Roman ruins, a Roman Arena, bell towers, rolling hills with cyprus trees dotting the landscape, churches, cafes, women driving vespas and plenty of romantic balconies. The list is endless. Everyone should visit the big cities in Italy, but if I were to choose where I would actually want to live in Italy it would be Verona.

Entering into the main town center of Verona.

The Roman Arena.

Romeo, Romeo.

Oh no, I'm in trouble!

View from the Bell Tower.

Stairs in the Bell Tower.

People dressed up in costume.

Lunch is served. Look Ben is eating a salad.

Museum.

Leaving Verona.

We spent our morning and lunch time in Verona and then left for Lake Garda and Sirmione.

If I were a billionaire with a lot of time and money to burn, this next area would be one of my top places to visit while on a holiday. Lake Garda is so beautiful it makes you forget that you are even in Italy. Have I transported back to Croatia? Have I transported to the French Rivera? Nope you are at Lake Garda, Italy's most popular and biggest lake in the country. The many towns surround the lake, its as if each town were personally trying to get the most picturesque award.

We traveled to the town of Sirmione, which is a town favored by artists and poets, plus it has its own medieval castle. It almost feels ridiculous how beautiful these towns are sometimes. The Sirmione peninsula has ruins of the family villa of Catulla, a writer or senator of the Roman empire. This site is surrounded by olive and lemon trees. The ruins make a wonderful contrast with the deep blue lake. Its no wonder poets and artists have been inspired by Sirmione. If I had more time there, I too would have been tempted to paint the landscape. Hopefully, my photos do this little town and ruins justice. Now just sit back and squint your eyes (while looking at the photos) and put a heat lamp on top of your head and then you will almost feel like you are there!