13. Italy here we come, first stop Verona

With little sleep, but eager excitement to start our three weeks in Italy we checked out of the hotel and headed down to the station for our train to Verona. This time we caught the tram and despite it being Monday commuter peak hour other passengers happily assisted us on and off with our bags while I popped Dickey up the step in his chair. Bavarian's are a truly lovely bunch!  We were early at the station and 'checked ourselves in' at the info desk being advised to keep an eye out for the platform information and that the assistance lift would be there waiting. Time for breakfast we sat back and watched the world rush by, not a care in the world....

When we arrived at our platform 30 minutes early there were two trains there. One saying 'Budapest Keleti', the other saying 'Bologna'. Our guess was we would be on the second in line being the Bologna train, but doing the 'right' thing Dickey checked with a passing conductor. He shook his head and pointed us to the front train, some 400m up the platform. There was no wheelchair lift to be seen, so who were we to doubt his directions. Bags in tow we took his word for it. Things didn't feel right and we both couldn't work out how a Budapest bound train would be going via Verona, but hey we certainly weren't locals. Getting the bags to the far train and seeing that its departure time was 15 minutes prior to the time we had been told I went off to seek a second opinion. This time I found a female conductor on the Bologna train and with lots of pointing and stilted English managed to confirm that we were indeed booked on the Bologna train and our second class wheelchair seat booking had scored us the first class carriage! Dragging the bags back again we passed the original conductor asking why he sent us to the wrong train. He informed us and the nearby female conductor that Dickey had stated Vienna, not Verona and proceeded to argue the point! By this time there was still no assistance lift, the train was due to leave in 10 mins and it became very apparent that our male conductor had never had any intention of getting it, thinking he could just lift Dickey up in to the train. To our surprise/ bemusement the conductors had a heated dispute, in German with the eventual result being the male conductor moving off quickly, head hung low to get the assistance lift he was clearly supposed to have collected earlier. Finally we were onboard and barely in our seats as the train left the platform!! It was becoming VERY apparent that there was a pattern to our arrivals and departures!

The journey was just stunning and between naps we watched the rivers, snow capped Dolomites and Prosecco vines flash by. It was truly the most picturesque journey and is highly recommended. Arriving in to Verona all went perfectly and we were off the train on our way to our hotel which was located right next to the Station. It was a fantastic old station building that had been converted to a hotel and apart from being a little hard to find it was a great spot and fully accessible. With the friendliness of a B & B, they even offered an unspoken incentive not to over-indulge while enjoying our stay - the shower chair was only 30 cm wide!

When planning our trip I had insisted we stop off at Verona on our way down to Tuscany as when I'd been here in 2007 I had adored this Shakespearian city so much I had skipped going the Venice, so I could stay on longer. Thankfully Dickey, not being as much of a romantic agree'd and I was getting the opportunity to return.

We took in all the main areas wandering the Castel Vecchio area and the banks of the Adige River on our first night, ending up at the Arena for our first experience of Appertif's and Apperol Spritz. The Italians really do have their lifestyles on track taking time out every afternoon to meet with friends over a drink or two and some olives.

The whales rib hanging in the Piazza

The Arena and main Piazza are just stunning and the dusty pink stone the Arena was constructed with makes it more beautiful than the Colosseum in my humble opinion. We took in the Corso Porta Nuova, main Piazza, gazed in at the most expensive shops alongthe opulently marbled retailed street Via Mazzini and zig zigged our way along the narrow cobbled streets. At Casa di Giulietta, Juliet's Tomb, my romantic bubble was deflated briefly as the crowds of silly teens and tourists hung over Juliet's statue groping her breasts. Thankfully last time I had been here it had been quiet and magical just as I had hoped. We took our time along the river banks and then on in to Piazza Erbe with the hanging whale rib and fantastic market place. Here we ended up the subject of some Chinese tourist photo's when they caught me feeding Dickey strawberries from our fruit cup. Who knows where those photos ended up! There was Lamberetti bell tower (lift access to the top), a church every few blocks, the Citadella area, city gate's and Giulietta's Tomb, the Shakespeare statue and quote I so loved. Everywhere was just stunning inside the city as well as the surrounds and it was the perfect start to our Italian stay.

 

"Eyes look your last, Arms take your last embrace...."

We loved just wandering in Verona, taking in the sites and beauty, but also enjoying the friendliness of the locals and other tourists. We enjoyedsome entertaining conversations in the street and were spoilt by staff at a gorgeous restaurant by the Arena on our last night. Verona was just as beautiful as I remembered and we left happy and excited for our pending two week staying in a Tuscan Villa.

                      The accessible lift down to the public toilets in the main Piazza Bra'

For the next 16 days we had decided to get a hire car, allowing us to follow the Giro di Italia (17 stage bike race) around Tuscany and maximize our sight seeing opportunities. Dickey was aware you could hire cars with hand controls and on many sites they were listed as add on accessories. We had spent many hours searching and emailling what was possibly every hire car company in Italy. Some suggested we book and pay and then they could confirm if the controls could be supplied (yeah right!), while others just came back with a 'no', end of conversation. After months of going back and forwards we eventually got final confirmation only one month out from our initial departure that there was NOWHERE in Italy that offered hand controls as a hire car add on. This was a bit of a hiccup in our planning as we had always assumed Dickey would do the driving. Even though I can and do drive I am a far happier passenger and he is most comfortable behind the wheel. After a night of thinking it over I announced that I was booking a car and I would be our driver, much to his surprise. We were not missing out on the main part of our trip, even if we were both a bit nervous about me being behind the wheel on crazy Italian roads!

We collected our brand new ford festiva hatch at Verona Airport and headed off towards Florence driving on the 'wrong side of the road'! My first driving day provided us with safe arrival at our accommodation in Tuscany, many wrong turns, laughter, tears, 140 km/hr cruising speed down the freeway, managing to stay on the correct side of the road all day, a reasonable degree of fear at certain points of the day, pouring rain, as well as gorgeous sunshine. It was an incredible day of stepping out of my comfort zone, and possibly Dickey's as well, but we had made it safe and were checked in at La Pressura, Chianti for two weeks of Tuscan bliss.

Verona Mon 9/5 - Wed 11/5