Discoveries in Verona

I've visited Verona around 5 times now and each time see that there is more and more that I want to see and understand. At first, the impression of Verona is that it is a huge old city. Layers of history lay in Verona sort of like a lasagna of time: 89 BC inhabited by the Romans, then it was a vital place during the 500 BC's Gothic Wars (sounds like a video game), the Lombards marched on over around 550 BC, then some dude from Bavaria (a very important king for sure) took over around the 850s but it was still part of Italian Lombardy...we still have a way to go before Romeo and Juliet. Skip till 2011 and Verona is an antique lasagna filled with flavors of history that differ like basil and olives: they come from the same area but taste totally different.

Verona has layers of tasty history.

It is of no wonder then that I find one thing that spikes my curiosity each time I go to Verona. Last time it was a beautiful old window in a building painted bright yellow with a window full of flowers. I should have picked something with deeper meaning, but that window could have lots of meaning depending on how you look at it: its simplicity, or you can imagine all the people who have passed by it, who built it and who repainted it over the years...etc. It just takes a little more imagination.

I love it.

Two things took my affection and thoughts this time. They were both statues in a tiny little chapel that could seat around 30 people. This chapel is called Santa Maria Antiqua and has a few things that are fascinating. Firstly it has some of the most showy graves complete with Gothic towers, spikes and a raised body. The people who died wanted the living to know they were important even if they were rotting and pungently dead.

Yes, that is a grave.

Step in the chapel and there is this incredible picture of Jesus after his death. The perspective is one not usually seen in churches because it shows him from the view of his feet first.

I took this without flash, but you can still sort of see it.

But then I saw two things that I really enjoyed and made me think. There was a sculpture of Jesus suffering, just his head, his view down, and he looked so sad and heavy. It was a small sculpture around one foot tall. But so full of meaning: life is not easy, people are not naturally good.

My other favorite thing was a statue of Saint Rita of Cascia. This lady was born around 3 hours away from Verona but is pretty popular among the local retired women where I live. They all inform me that I should pray to her. Saint Rita is the Saint of the Impossible Causes. As a little girl she wanted to be a nun but her parents had other plans. They sent her off to be married at 12 (great childhood, right?), to an abusive jerk who hit her, cheated constantly and gambled (happily ever after) but she prayed for God to protect her and change him. Apparently it worked and the her mean husband turned into a faithful sweet Prince Charming. One day he was murdered (surprise, other people didn't like him), and her kids looked for revenge. Saint Rita tried to convince them that revenge was wrong but they felt angry. She finally prayed to God to stop them...and they died. As a young widow she decided to become a nun as she always wanted. As a nun she asked God to let her feel his suffering and she developed a wound on her forehead (like His crown of thorns) that never healed.

Santa Rita, Patrona dei casi disperati, pregate per noi.
Santa Rita, Avvocata dei casi impossibili, intercedete per noi

She eventually got sick and lived for the last 4 years of her life only by the Eucharist (communion).  During her bedridden illness she would often ask for a rose from her parents garden. In the middle of winter a rose would grow, seemingly just for her. So Saint Rita is the saint for marital problems, spousal abuse, and impossible causes. I think she was a nice person and would love to get her a bunch or roses to make her smile. These days her incorruptible body (it won't decay) is often surrounded by roses.

I ended my trip with a nice cappuccino before heading back on the bus.

Che bello.