Joe and Patricia Gartman have spent the Christmas seasons from 2017 to 2019 in Italy. Here are photos from their time in Verona in 2019
A prosperous modern city of medieval squares, Verona has several historical claims to fame. It’s the town where Romeo and Juliet lived, loved, and, alas (spoiler alert) died.
It’s where Dante, during his exile from Florence, found a friend and patron in Verona’s greatest Lord, Cangrande I della Scala. It’s home to an enormous Roman arena where, instead of watching gladiators battle to the death, you can now watch opera heroines like Tosca and Aida (another spoiler alert) die.
The arena is also the source of an 80-tonne, steel “comet’s tail” that arches over the lip of the stadium to land as an exploding star in Piazza Bra every Christmas season.
In the picturesque squares of central Verona, Christmas markets – mercatini – spring up every Holiday season. Here, you’ll find both tourists and Veronese mingling among wooden booths that offer an endless variety of food and drink, souvenirs, toys, ornaments and gifts.
We enjoyed the splendid tree in ancient Piazza Erbe, and the galaxies of glowing stars and globes that floated above city streets like Corso Porto Borsari and Via Mazzini.
Words by Joe Gartman, Photos by Patricia Gartman.
See more photos of Italy in our archive.