Last week we spent three nights in Verona. It was exhilarating to visit and inhabit the city’s interior after having used it as a transit hub for more than two years. I had felt intimately acquainted with the station. Last Thursday, around noon, we took the train from Auer to Verona, and within an hour and a half arrived and excitedly walked into the city towards our Bed & Breakfast, encountering, almost immediately, the new gate, Porta Nuova, constructed between 1532 and 1540, after which the station is named.

We’d wanted to visit in August or September, when we had a bit of time on our hands, but we’d felt daunted by the prices, between 200 to 800 Euros a night. It felt outrageous to spend so much to visit a city that was in our backyard, so to speak. The river that flows through the ancient city has its origins in South Tyrol. We postponed our desire to visit until October, thinking we would do it to commemorate my partner’s birthday. But then we all fell prey to COVID. Finally, last week, my partner ‘had’ to take a day off to use up his remaining leave before the year ended. Rooms were more affordable since it is now winter.