On my very first morning in Verona I felt ecstatic – full of optimism and joy! I enjoyed my breakfast in my lovely apartment and went to explore the old city with the assistance of Google Maps. I can tell you that December in Italy is quite a bit warmer than in Helsinki and a down jacket was not the optimal choice of outdoor wear in + 13 degrees and sun. Mind you, it is not an urban myth that Italians are stylish day in day out; I am suddenly pleased I seem to have taken my entire business casual attire with me when I had frantically packed for my long-term trip. A crisp shirt and heels are definitely just right when it comes to regular day-time wear over here, I can tell.

The city is beautiful with a capital B; the pretty Adige river, the big old churches and narrow streets with cute balconies, windows, as well as colourful flower arrangements, plenty of cafés, bars, pasticcerias, restaurants and little boutiques simply radiate a peaceful and romantic atmosphere. Even for winter season, there is loads going on and the main streets are full of people – tourists mostly from Italy it seems. Yet, in the side streets one can find some more quiet areas and less populated cafés and restaurants.

From Giuseppe’s apartment it takes only about twenty minutes to walk to town – super convenient! Verona is definitely a walkable city, but on many days when I have been “just quickly out and about” I have been surprised to discover I had been walking for 15 + kilometres! So comfortable (even if stylish) shoes are a must. 

River Adige, a typical building in Verona old town and a piazza

The church of Saint Fermo, a street view from old town on my way to yoga in the morning and Ponte della Vittoria bridge at sunset

My mission for the day was to get an understanding of my new surroundings and to find a yoga studio for me to practice at and I really enjoyed the stroll around town. I walked around for a good while, accidentally finding and viewing the most famous balcony in the world at Casa di Giulietta (the fictive setting where Romeo and Juliet from Shakespeare’s tragedy swore their love for each other) and the impressive Roman Amphitheatre Verona Arena, the third largest amphitheatre in Italy, where still today operas, concerts and other shows are hosted. Wow! One thing I would love to experience is the opera in the Arena – adding that on to my to-do list for next spring / summer. 

Verona Arena from the outside (am planning a visit inside to view the premises and museum properly another day this week) - impressive!

After failing in my attempts to visit the yoga studios I had looked up beforehand (one of them simply did not exist where it was supposed to be located and the other one was closed), I found a little park and sat down for a bit. This is when I started to feel the anxiety rising inside of me. What. Was. I. Doing? WTF? Where was I going, what are my plans in general and most importantly, who the hell am I? This was a typical new start panic attack, when it finally hits you that you have travelled all the way to Italy to do you own thing and suddenly you have no idea what your thing is. Or who you are.

This is the type of panic – much like a full-blown existential crisis we’ve probably all experienced at some point in our lives – where everything feels like a major disaster and all sort of irrelevant little crises pop to mind: “Why did I only take 15 panties with me to this trip? (Vappu, I love you dearly, but I should never have listened to you when I asked how many pairs of underpants you would take with you to a long-term trip.) Frantically I tried to figure out the maths around clothes washing frequencies in this desperate moment of weakness. What a disaster!”

“Will I manage to find parking in Venice? “A large piece of my yoga mat tore and the other end has a hole in it (after using it twice – clearly a quality bargain). Do I need to bring one to the yoga class I haven’t even started yet? Where to purchase yoga mats from in Verona? What is yoga mat in Italian?!” and finally: “Why am I completely unable to formulate any sensible sentences in Italian, even though I’ve been practicing?"

I decided to do what anyone in midst a new start panic attack would do. I returned home and went to bed to lie under my blanket, only shifting the duvet to sip on my wine glass once in a while. After some much-needed communication with close ones and a trip to the supermarket to buy more wine (I paid at the self-service check-out to avoid any humiliating language barriers), I felt a bit better. I realized that this was only a first – I reckon there will be more meltdown-moments during this trip.

However, one thing that the first attack taught me was that I will get through all of them (+ wine helps. And friends & family). I took it easy the next day, focusing on regrouping my energies and speaking some more with my support network. This is a prime example of what I mean when I say I couldn’t do it all without my support network ❤️. Eventually I cooled off and felt ready to face Verona and life again.

It really was the first moment during this journey that I actually stopped to think of what had happened, what I had done. I have taken an extended leave from work, I have packed up my belongings, emptied my flat and left my home country with a one-way ticket. I have driven through two countries to get to Italy to explore and live a little. Yowza! That’s pretty crazy. And cool. And brave. When stripping down ones’ comfort zone of familiar surroundings, people and activities, all sort of emotions are much more strongly present. This is my time to shine, but in order to do so with all the shimmer and glitz, there would inevitably be low moments and phases to overcome. Perhaps part of the lesson is to feel all of the feelings.

In the end I found a terrific yoga studio: Yoga Shala Verona: https://www.yogashalaverona.com – a wonderful place and an instructor called Elisabetta. FYI there are extra mats to be used, so all good there, too. With the decreased urgency around the subject matter, I never found out how to say yoga mat in Italian, but I could always ask Elisabetta next time I see her. The learning Italian situation is still very much work in progress - these stories require their own blog post.

I followed my mom’s advice and found myself a cozy café close to my home, which has become my new favourite place to hang out; Caffé Trento. I have been there a couple of times, and am intending to become a regular – great vibe and beverages! I sat there last week and read the entire Verona section of my Italy guide, making notes of what I still want to see and do here. Yes, there are a few sights on my list (a couple of churches, the Castelvechhio museum, Castel San Pietro, Verona Arena from inside and a day-trip to Lake Garda), but quite honestly, I have figured that the best thing to do here, is walking around and soaking in the atmosphere, as well as sitting in cafés while people watching and consuming heavenly food. It took me a while to get it, but I have now understood that there is nothing I need to achieve here. If this is what I feel like doing, then so shall it be.

As a nature lover, I am also a big botanical garden fan and visited the park Giardino Giusti last week. It was incredible! I spent a few hours in this magical place and could have stayed even longer, if the sun hadn’t set and the park wouldn’t have closed. It wasn’t so much the landscape of the actual garden (which was quite interesting, too), but the amazing view from up there - especially in the beautiful winter sunlight and the sunset. You could see entire Verona from the upper gardens and there was hardly anyone else around. This is why I did a little photo shooting session up there. You’ll have to get used to my selfies, as before I make reliable friends, or someone visits me over here, it will be all up to me to work the magic behind the camera lens. See the views, the park and me for yourselves:

Breath-taking views from the upper gardens from Giardino Giusti and the labyrinth park

Selfie photo shoot in the warm winter sun with Cass

This week I have more writing to do, my sights to visit, a language to learn and my hanging around to do. I’m also going to a choir concert at the Church of Saint Fermo (I was invited by Giuseppe) in the late night and am already planning the day-trip to Lake Garda - I can’t wait! Speaking of learning Italian, I have a few stories to tell… Keep an eye out for my next blog post!

Stay well & bacio! Cass 💋