Big plans...

The plans for tonight include an opera and some fun times. Last time we went to the opera we brought along some red wine and prosecco (a sweet Italian white wine). We perched on the edges of the Arena seats (the Arena is an enormous open-air stadium, built by the Romans centuries ago and still intact). We skinned our knees walking up the slippery stone stairs and hurt our behinds sitting on the stone risers, but we got a world-renowned production of Aida. This week it's going to be Cavalieri Rusticana. I'm looking forward to it, if only because it's rumored to be a lot more interesting than Aida.

Tomorrow I'm going to be shopping and seeing cathedrals in Milan, fashion capital of the world (or so they claim). From there it's on to Tuscany, Florence, and finally Rome. I'm looking forward to it. Growing up I thought I was a city girl. In college, I began to think maybe I would like a small town, somewhere intimate and safe. But now, having seen several small towns in Italy, I realize I'm hankering after some time in the city. I want someplace international, where the streets are full of foreign languages and ethnic cuisine, and the public transport runs all night. Maybe I wouldn't be satisfied in a small town after all. All I know is I crave diversity. If I can't find it where I live, I want to go somewhere else. So it's not Verona's size that bothers me, it's the homogeneity. There's no Chinatown, Greektown, Little India. The boutiques sell similar clothes for roughly similar prices. I'm sure there's a thriving nightlife somewhere around here, and fascinating authentic shops, but having wandered around and talked with locals and spent time with them, I think Verona really is the small town it appears to be. And while I love the tranquility of it, the fact that after a few weeks I know the place so well I won't get lost, I'm still excited for the upcoming cities.

If I can find an Internet cafe while I'm gone I will write, but if not I'll be putting up plenty of photos and updates when I get back.