Well we are finally leaving Florence once and for all. It’s felt like home for the last few months but there’s more to see. With a 6:15am alarm, we were standing at the car rental counter when it opened at 8, ready to go. Not knowing how far we would get, we made no hotel reservation for that first night, and let the day unfold. We started towards Bologna where you can find Lamborghini, Ferrari, Pagani, Maserati, and Ducati (motorcycles) all within about 60 miles of each other. We started with a quick walk-through of the Pagani showroom and then headed off to a small town called Maranello. This town is all about one thing, Ferrari. The factory, testing centers, gift shops, and full F1 track, dominate the town. We were surprised to learn that Ferrari produces over 5,000 cars per year. (I thought the number would be a lot smaller.) On top of that, they employ 2,500 people of which over 800 work exclusively on the Formula 1 team. After spending a few hours around the complex we finally got our fill of fast cars. Next it was on to Verona, where we were pleasantly surprised by the charm of this ancient town. For a town over 2,000 years old, the streets were clean, wide, pedestrian-only, and full of unique architecture. The main sight here is the Roman Arena, the third largest in the world. It dates to the first century and seated over 25,000 for the great gladiator battles. Still in use today, it hosts numerous theatre and opera productions each summer. Aside from the numerous squares we fell in love with, another must-see was the homes of Romeo and Juliet. Although fictional characters, Shakespeare used two Verona feuding families, the Montecchi and the Capellos, to write his play about the Montagues and Capulets. While visiting Juliet’s balcony, we were treated to an actual scene acted out from the play. This is one town we’ve vowed to return to and spend more time. As night started to fall, we headed towards Lake Garda, landing in a little town called Lazise. From here it would be a quick 60-minute drive north along the lakeshore to our next hotel in Malcesine.
...then on to Ferrari.
Four out of five people you saw walking around town were dressed in their Ferrari work uniform.
The Verona Roman Arena.
Oh Romeo...
A little Lazise sunset.
A little pool time is a must before getting back in the car.
