11 Things That Happen When You Don’t Plan Your Holiday in Italy

“Come on, it’s Italy! Just walking in the streets is amazing. We’ll easily find cool things to see and great places to eat.” And with that sentiment we set off for our holiday to spend three nights in Verona before flying to Albania (more on this in another post) and three nights in Milan on our way back from Albania. No guidebook, no agenda, and only the vaguest idea of what the cities had to offer. We had planned our other city trips (Brussels, Munich, Lyon) nearly to the minute, so this was quite a departure. But I wasn’t nervous. I knew I just wanted to wander around, drink wine, eat great food, and most important, practice my newly acquired smattering of Italian.  But of course, two fools strolling about without smartphones or a guidebook leads to some unexpected consequences.

1.       You take a spontaneous trip to Venice

Having not really looked at a map, I had no idea that Verona was so close to Venice. S’s brother said we could get there easily by train, so on our second day, realizing that we had seen most of what Verona had to offer on the first, we just got on a train and went (though this time we bought a map at the train station). It was a cold, foggy day, but that didn’t make the city any less amazing. You could spend days exploring the narrow little streets and crossing over the canals. It’s a touristy place with way too much shopping and overpriced restaurants, but it’s a place you fall in love with at first sight.

2.       You get to go to a football match

In Milan, we saw a brochure for a tour of San Siro stadium and I agreed, somewhat reluctantly, to go. When we got arrived, there were a ton of food carts and stalls selling the AC Milan gear. Whilst eating a sausage sandwich, it dawned on us that there was a match on that day so when S said, “If we go to this match, it will be the best thing that ever happened.” I had to agree.  It was my first match ever and though I had no idea what was going on (will somebody please explain “offside” in a way I can understand??), I had a blast being surrounded by the big crowd of hard-core fans who also bought the cheapest seats. There was so much shouting and gesticulating (Italians!). There was also so much smoking. Good lord, I must have inhaled the equivalent of a pack of smokes.

3.       You almost get divorced

One of our main objectives was to eat good food so choosing the restaurant was critical. But the restaurant has to “feel right”. Many an establishment was passed over one day because it was too bright, the waiters were overdressed, the prices were too high, it was too touristy, it was too full, too empty, it looked too mediocre, etc., etc. We spend ages walking around and around, getting more annoyed with one another and wondering how we had ended up marrying such a monster.  Finally, we went back to a place that we had been to before that was quite amazing. A plant was on the table and we put in the middle so we didn’t have to look at each other. But after some bread and wine, the plant was moved to the side and we were smiling and talking and stuffing our faces as contented as ever.

4.       You spend an afternoon drinking in a wine bar and not going to churches

It was freezing in Verona and so foggy you could barely see a few feet ahead. Going outside was torture and churches, though beautiful and full of God’s warmth, did not contain any actual heat. We found two great wine bars. Glasses are so cheap and there are so many to choose from! In one place, S discovered his love for spritz (white wine, Aperol, soda water and maybe something else). To me it tasted like baby aspirin. Ick. Sitting in a pub all day, whilst fun, has a bit of the sad, Leaving Las Vegas vibe. Drinking all afternoon in a wine bar, on the other hand, is classy.

5.       You sleep late and watch reality TV

Did I mention it was cold as hell? Because we didn’t have places to go or any agenda, it was great to sleep late. After a year of waking up at 5:00 a.m. every morning, sleeping until 9:00 or later was heaven. Then I made coffee and we watched some reality show in which a family had to choose whether to have their house renovated or buy a new house. It’s an American show and was dubbed in Italian. It ended up being a great way to work on listening skills because it wasn’t complicated language (“It’s beautiful. I like it. I don’t like it. I want a bigger kitchen” etc.)

6.       You walk in circles and see the same damn bridge, castle, and arena 5 times in one day

Verona is famous for its Roman and medieval architecture and for being the setting of a few of Shakespeare’s plays. The Ponte Scaligero, is part of the Castelvecchio (“old castle”) built by the Della Scala family in 1356. The Roman arena built in the 1^st century is right in the center of the city and completely oblivious to the restaurants and shopping that surround it. Both of these major attractions are amazing but when walking in the freezing cold looking for a restaurant (see number 5), it was a tad frustrating to be reminded that we were just going around and around the city and not getting anywhere.

7.       You eat great food. It’s Italy after all

Ok, I confess, I did take a quick peak at the internet to see what the famous local dishes were of both Verona and Milan. In Verona, it’s braised horsemeat, which tastes like a deeply flavourful lean beef, as well as several dishes made with purple wild chicory, which is a bit bitter but tasty. Polenta is also common as both an antipasti or served alongside meat like mash. In Milan, risotto was the star. I had a cheesy risotto with a local wine reduction sauce drizzled on that was so good that I forgot to take a picture.

8.       You cry on top of a duomo

I knew that Milan had a big cathedral. I didn’t know that it’s the 5^th largest church in the world and took six centuries to build. I also didn’t know how spectacular and truly awe-inspiring it would be. You can buy tickets to climb up several winding stairs and walk on the top where the view of the modern factories is visible between every gothic turret. It took my breath away and I actually got a bit teary-eyed at the first glimpse from the top. Or was that just the bitter cold?

 

 

 

9. You get to see opera without having to actually see an opera

We didn’t check any luggage to save both time and money, so our wardrobe was rather limited. Though I’ve always wanted to see an opera on stage, I knew I didn’t have the appropriate attire or the willingness to spend loads of money and likely be bored and confused for a few hours. Again luck was in our favour when we went to the Scala Theatre museum and were able to watch the performers practice. It was actually more interesting to see the director stop them mid-scene, gesticulate a bit, and see them carry on and not implement her suggestions. I could have stayed in our little booth and watched for hours, but alas, there were others who wanted the privilege too.

10.   You don’t get sucked into tourist traps

A random, prettier balcony.

Verona is the location of the fictional story of Romeo & Juliet so in the 1940s someone thought it would be great to polish up a random balcony and make a tourist site called Casa di Guilietta and charge people money to go in the house and see some props from the original film. Granted the house is an old house from the 14^th century, but the whole thing has a fake Disney touristy feel about it. We just walked to the courtyard took a picture (free) and went on our merry way.

 

11.   You get to continue celebrating Christmas

We went to Verona on December 26 and Milan on January 4 and in both cities, there didn’t seem to be any rush to remove the lights, trees, or markets that filled every square and laneways. It made the cold less bitter and definitely brightened up the fog.