Milan was on strike the day we were traveling to Verona, so we were a bit held up at the train station. The train we were planning to take was canceled, and we were nervous about getting on the one train that would get us there in time.
We got on the train 30 minutes early and sat in 1st class. A friendly lady started talking to us in Italian, but we didn't understand her and she stopped talking. About 5 minutes before the train left, we were confronted by 2 people with reservations for our seats (reservations unavailable to us a few hours earlier). Nervously we walked through a very full train until we found a couple of seats, and the train left the station.
Many passengers stood and crammed into the lounge cars. The person checking the tickets was evidently on strike as well, and we rode for an hour and arrived in Verona.
After a tour of the town, including a lovely cathedral and some ancient city walls, we ate a wonderful multi-course fixed price Italian meal on a patio near the amphitheater. The fruit and vegetable course was abundant with antipasti and melon and cheeses, followed by risotto and tortellini, and a plate full of roasted meats and sausages. We had to leave before the dessert course, but were sated for the 3 hour opera ahead.
We got to see Aida! I was glad I'd seen it twice already so I could follow the plot. Italians don't need subtitles for Verdi.
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