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We took this trip to Italy March 30-April 2nd of 2018. Our visit to Verona, Italy was on March 31st and it is a must see in Europe!

We started off our day with breakfast in Vicenza, Italy and then drove to Verona. Although I would much rather have taken the train, gas in Italy is expensive. If you go and aren’t already in the city, the trains are very affordable and worth taking!

Discovering Verona

Our lunch- Steak and Shake

Being American, as soon as I heard that there was a steak and shake in Verona, I added it to out list! I had no clue what we were getting into. Whether the food would taste the same or if it was worth the drive but it was completely worth it! We were so surprised by how massive it was! I also heard a rumor that they make “cocktail milkshakes” on the roof. But we didn’t go up there, instead we enjoyed playing in the children’s room! (Because we’re all children at heart and we had four kiddos with us.)

We try to incorporate something for our children to do each day, and this was a wonderful surprise. Especially since they had been in the car for an hour to get there.

There were so many things in this room for them to do! They had giant blocks, some sort of computer screen with lots of games loaded on it, and an interactive play game that projected onto the floor. They didn’t even want to sit down to eat, that was of course until they saw our milkshakes! I’ll include a picture of the menu and what we ordered. But most importantly- I got a banana nutella shake. And it was the best shake I’ve ever had. It’s not on the menu, I asked for it, because I mean when will I be at a steak and shake again? I got the cheesy burger with added bacon and my hubby got the jalepeno burger. Everything was delicious!

Now if you follow my blog closely, you know I’m a foody. And my favorite is sweets. There was a bakery down the street from steak and shake, but we decided not to go because of how full we were! If I can give a tip, just go. Go to all the bakeries. Italian “pasticceria’s” are amazing. The pastries are unforgettable. The one we went to in Vicenza stole my heart. Italians eat pastries and coffee for breakfast. They’re my people. But everyone that went on the trip with us wasn’t about that life. So we only went to a “pasticceria” once.

The Verona, Italy Arena

Next we headed straight to the arena. If you’re driving, just look on google maps for parking places, and you’ll find one within walking distance. The arena was built in AD 30. It was amazing to see. We didn’t go inside, it has been renovated, not that that would deter us. But we didn’t have much time. If you’re interested in going inside, there is a stand where they collect your entrance fee and you can head inside! 

It was beautiful. When we got close to it, we saw people taking pictures and just had to have one. They of course, work for tips so be prepared to have a few euro on you! They’re really fun, and take silly pictures too! You can see that picture on the left of the collage. On the right is another photo opportunity. It’s a sculpture of a heart and it’s on the side of the arena where you walk into the main city.

Walking around the city of Verona

The streets of Verona are spectacular. There were so many people around because we were there during Easter weekend. But it didn’t make a difference in our day. I took this picture when we first started exploring. It was my “selah” moment. Seeing the children all walking with their dad and exploring Europe. I’m so grateful to God to be able to have these experiences and share them with our children!

Juliet’s Balcony in Verona

This is what it looked like everywhere we walked. Some of the buildings were really old, some really new and there were shops everywhere. As we explored around we headed towards Juliet’s balcony. You can’t go to Verona without seeing it right? It’s from the Shakespeare tragedy Romeo and Juliet. It’s interesting to know that Juliet may be a fictional character. But Romeo and Juliet was based off of two feuding families in Verona. So they erected a balcony on the 13th century building that is under the Capulet’s emblem. The balcony opens up to a small space where people from all of the world come to view it. There is also a small shop where you can buy custom love gifts as you’re exiting. You can also go in there to buy tickets to go up onto the balcony!

As you enter and leave, you pass under a tunnel where lovers from all ends of the earth come and write their names on it. The wall is well covered, but I found a teeny tiny place to write Tj’s and my name on it. And Alexander wrote a little “A”. It was the sweetest!

The Marketplace of Verona

After Juliet’s balcony we continued exploring and reached a marketplace. There were vendors selling all types of things. What I was interested in the most were the Venetian masks. I’m not sure why I didn’t take pictures of the market, but if you look in the right side picture of this collage you can see the tents. I didn’t get a mask there, I wanted to bargain with them and they refused. I didn’t realize that the masks were hand painted. So I bought one the next day in Venice.

On the way back from the marketplace we stopped and got gelato. It was really good, but this gelato isn’t creamy. If you’re American I would relate it to sorbet. Really, good, better than you’ve ever had sorbet. But I was after the creamy stuff. I found the best the next day in Venice.

Shopping and food at Adigeo Shopping Center

After this, we decided to head where I really wanted to go if we had time. Primark. Primark is a clothing store, that has super cheap clothes. And I went a little crazy in there. When we went I had no clue it was inside an amazing mall. The mall is called Adigeo Shopping Centre and it’s the best mall we’ve seen in Europe so far.

So back to Primark. Their clothes are super adorable, and mega cheap. The little shirts for Sarai were 1.75 euro each. And I got an entire outfit for myself for less than 20 euro for the next day in Venice.

There was a huge lego play area that the children loved. And there were also little cars and things made out of legos.

After my small shopping spree we decided to get something to eat. In the eating center, there’s a place for the children to play. I love how child friendly Europe is. So while they hubby watched the children I went and got pizza because, it’s Italy. The pizza place there charges by the weight. You pick how much you want and they cut it off and throw it in some sort of oven, cut it up and give it to you. And it was so yummy!

Conclusion

We were there until the mall closed. All of the children we worn out and we decided to head back to our airbnb in Vicenza. Verona was absolutely awesome. If you’re planning a trip to Italy, do not skip it. Almost anywhere you eat will taste amazing. And if you stop at any pastry shops please let me know and post pictures in the comments!

Have you been to Verona? Let me know your favorite place in Italy in the comments! We’ll for sure be going back to Italy before our stay in Germany is over!

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