Carnivale in Verona

On Thursday, before our Opera mid-term, our art history class went to Castelvecchio for tour through the castle. I had walked pasted this castle about a million times, but never had a chance to go inside of it. Another perfect day, Andrea told about the history of Verona and how the Scala family built this castle as their home way back when. The courtyard was so nice, surrounded by the castle walls, and a fountain and little patch of grass with a few benches and plants on the border. It seems like a great place for a royal family to live.

We walked throughout the castle and viewed several statues and paintings along the way. One of my favorites was the crucifixion of Jesus. It was very detailed and a very moving statue.

My favorite painting was of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus, surrounded by saints painted on gold paper. It was so colorful and really caught my eye.

The last statue we saw was positioned so you could see it as the focal point in the courtyard we started off in. It was of Cangrande della Scala. Or the “Top Dog of Scala.” He had this huge smile on his face (since we was the “top dog”) and it just makes you laugh since this expression is unusual to see in art.

Before leaving the castle, Andrea asked us if we want to see heaven. He’s such a funny guy and we all obviously say yes. He took us up this narrow stairway and through a tiny tunnel to the top of the castle over looking the river and much a Verona. So heaven it was.

The next day was the first day of Carnivale, a huge celebration in much of Italy for the preparation of the Lenten season. We attended the kick-off parade and it was incredible! There was confetti everywhere, huge floats, every dressed up in crazy costumes – kind of like Halloween – and lots of food and music playing through the city. It was similar to Mardi Gras, but of course not as crazy. It was so fun to see how the Italians celebrate.