Back Up Blog

I have been worrying about losing the content of my old Italy blog. Turns out it is one click away. Just went to settings and clicked back up. Has all the coding but now it is on my computer in its entirety. If it goes away, the tech site said all I have to do is go to same setting and hit import and it will pull it back into blogger from my computer. Cool.

Shopping Verona

A 10-minute walk from our flat along September 22 brought us to the Piazza Bra. Right of the Piazza is the beginning of the pedestrain shopping street, along the Liston and Via Mazzini. It is usually thronged with tourists.

I liked this skirt which looked like a burlap bag.

Synagogue in Verona

Directions to the Synagogue:
Leaving from Piazza Bra on the Liston, continue  toward the end of  Via Mazzini where the old Jewish ghetto once existed. Turn left at the corner just before the building with the Excelsior awning. On the right side, the street is named Via Portici and on the left side it is Vicolo Sanitana. The Synagogue is left at the next corner (second building).

Prior to the 1500's, Jews were not allowed to live in the city of Verona. They lived in villages around Verona, some of which still have their Jewish names. Jews were allowed to lend money or sell used clothes.  The tour book gave examples of a few identifiers; Jews had to wear yellow caps, merchants wore blue arm bands and prostitutes wore blue caps. 

The ghetto was founded  when Venice had to pay a ransom to the Emperor for Verona. To raise money they sold the right of settlement to the Jewish community.

At this time, the Synagogue is always guarded.

Piazza dei Signori Verona

Piazza dei Signori is a more serene environment with a statue of Dante.

Dante at Scalieri Palace and chapel Verona

Dante arrived in Verona in 1304, an exile from his home in Florence. Bartolomeo della Scala, the Lord of the city gave him space to write. (See Canto XVII of il Paradiso) He lived for a time in the palace and became good friends with Cangrande, Scala's younger brother. He engaged in some diplomatic missions for Scala and participated in the Verona palio horse race which he describes in the Comedia. 

           

Mastimo II had the horse statue commemorating his uncle, Cangrande, installed at the time of building his own monument. His son, Cansignori, took control of the city by assassinating his two brothers. The Arc of Cansignori in the corner is elaborate and quite a testament to his opinion of himself. Formed in a hexagon with six saints and six episodes from the Bible, the niches at the base have representations of the four cardinal virtues and two theological virtues (hope and charity). Cansignori himself represents the virtue of faith.

The Santa Maria parish cemetary (now called Santa Maria Antica), which had also been the chapel of the Scala family, was tranformed into a monument to the Scalieri family between 1200-1300. The first lords were entombed in red marble sarcophagi with peaked roofs. Bartolomeo and Cangrade are buried here. Mastimo II, a nephew, brought Cangrade's body back from Trevisio where he had died from poisoning. The sarcophogus has scenes depicting battles that Cangrande had won in Padua, Vicenza, Feltre and Belluno. 

       

Verona sights along Nazarra

From Piazza October 16 we have two routes to the river and the historic center. This is along Nazara.

 Guisti Gardens entrance is enticing. Plan on that for another day.

Directly across from the Guisit Gardens is a set of doorways with sculpures above each.

 The wysteria was in bloom all over town

Dropkick Murphys

Judy intoduced me to Drop Kick Murphy. Love the lyrics. These guys should come to the Irish festival in Butte.  Enter this in your browser to check them out.

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/dropkickmurphys/cruel.html