Verona: my home away from home

Every once in awhile, I stumble upon something great. Something that makes me wonder how I have lived without it for so long. Usually it is a certain kind of food, a new store or some other minor perk in life. It has never been a city. Until now. 

Verona is appropriately chosen as the setting in Shakespeare's famed Romeo and Juliet. With the Adige River winding through the Veneto region of green hills and beautifully preserved buildings, I can't imagine anything more picturesque. Often overlooked because of the nearby cities of Milan and Venice, Verona does not receive the attention it deserves. 

I can honestly state that I would have made the same mistake as most other tourists if my studies did not take place in this wonderful town. Thankfully, I didn't because Verona is easily one of my favorite cities in the entire world. 

Verona's bell tower is the perfect place to get a feel for the city as a whole. I gasped when I reached the top- mostly from excitement but also from the physical exhaustion finally catching up to me after climbing hundreds of stairs. 

Once at the top, it becomes apparent how the city is mapped out. Small squares, known as piazzas, form from the narrow cobblestone streets that run along the river. Nothing is even slightly close to the height of the bell tower- most buildings are only a few stories high. 

The ancient arena is the third largest in Italy and houses operas during the summer season. The inside of the arena resembles Rome's Coliseum with its similar architectural styles. If you walk to the top row of seats, you can see Castlevecchio, an ancient castle that lies along the Adige River. The street Via Roma will take you directly there from Piazza Bra, and there is a wonderful geletaria just before the water. 

I could write about all the sights Verona has to offer for pages and pages, but part of the fun in discovering a new city is discovering it yourself. I realized that when I put down the guidebooks and maps (which, if you know me, is incredibly hard to do!) I discovered the cutest little corner bakeries, tiny alleys and breaktaking views that seemed to pop up from nothing. Part of the fun is getting lost and discovering something new. Try it! 

I finally caved. After working with social media for my campaigns class, I decided that it was well past time for me to start a blog. After all, this era has shifted towards a digital media world as we are in constant contact with one another every second of the day! 

I guess there are pros and cons to this style of living, but as for me, I can pretty much only see the positive. It's hard for me to imagine life before the cell phone, internet and texting. These advancements make it possible for us to stay in touch with those we love most. 

My daily use of interactive media was brought to a screeching halt last summer when I studied abroad. Verona, Italy was a world away from social media considering our internet never once worked and cell phone plans were extremely expensive and deemed unnecessary for the group. Is it ironic that I chose to use new media to write about life without it? Possibly, but the lessons I have learned both with and without new advancements in technology have shaped the person I am.

So here goes my attempt to pull my jumbled thoughts together and tell the stories that I love most: spending days in new places across the nation and world, discovering the distinctive cultures and wonderful memories that accompany them while using the wonderful advancements of online blogging and photo sharing.