Out and About in Verona

 

Buon giorno,

I had planned to go on a day trip, but the forecast was for bad weather, so I didn'tt. As it happened all we got was a little light rain, and I could have gone without a problem. I had prepared, too. I went to a Tabachi for bus tickets. The man spoke little English. That's ok. I speak very little Italian, but I managed to make my wants understood. The man laughed a little and told me my Italian was enough, He said this in Italian, and I understood.  I also scouted out the nearest bus stop. Oh well. There's always tomorrow.

I had one more church on my inclusive ticket so I made may way to San Fermo. The martyrs Fermo and Rustico were killed on the banks of the Adige, and a church dedicated to them was built in the Fourth Century. That church is long gone, but I visited the Benedictine Monastery (later run by the Franciscans) built in the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries. If you ever find yourself in Verona, do not miss these churches. Everyone of them is magnificent, and you will find yourself enraptured by the beauty and history.

San Fermo comes in two parts. There's a lower church which is pure Romanesque. Like other churches in Verona it displays remarkably well preserved frescos.

Climb the stairs to the upper church, which was advertised as Gothic. It's not. It's in the Renaissance Style with some Baroque add ons, and it is gorgeous. As with the other churches I opted for the audio guide and found it very helpful and informative.

The skies had cleared when I emerged, so I strolled around seeing parts of the historic center I had not seen before. Verona is so beautiful that just walking around is a pleasure.

But I also had a goal. I determined to return to that fun food store to obtain goodies. This I did. I came away with some more pasta--some for me and some for a non-blog reader. I also got some goal cheese--a big old hunk, and a local sausage. As these all featured first class ingredients, it cost me, but when I'm on a trip indulgence is my middle name.

And speaking of indulgence, I supplemented my usual apero of olives and almonds with Bresaola. This is cured beef from the Valtellina on the borders of Switzerland. If it exists in the United States, it's hard to find and expensive. That's why I'm eating it here and now.

For dinner I broke into the bag of short pasta, shell-like shape called lunache. This is made exclusively from wheat grown in the Veneto and is made according to traditional methods including using a bronze extruder. I've dressed it with some jarred sauce I got from the store--Amatriciana--which is from Central Italy. Italians use much less sauce on pasta than Americans typically do. I used the Italian way, and it's very good.  I'm using high quality pasta, so I need to let it shine through.

Ciao for now