Italy 2013 by bogdymol

[bogdymol]

The view from the Castle's main tower was superb. Here's the entrance gate into Sirmione seen from the tower:



As I said, the view from the tower was... Here's the view from the tower to the 4 cardinal directions:

Looking south, you can see the peninsula on Lago di Garda



West, Lago di Garda with its beautiful blue waters



North, Sirmione town on the end of the peninsula



North-West, Lago di Garda and the southern part of the Alps

[bogdymol]

Some pictures from the streets of Sirmione town:

[bogdymol]

Few pictures with the beautiful Garda Lake (Lago di Garda):





There were a lot of people renting/using boats in this area:



I liked this man's hairstyle, so I took a picture of him & his boat



Locals...

[bogdymol]

Another interesting thing in Sirmione was the traffic. Cars are not allowed into this city, but there are exceptions (local people & tourists that have a reservation at a hotel located there).

All cars that enter Sirmione have only one way of doing it: through the main gate of Scaliger Castle:



Because of the narrow streets, traffic goes slowly between all the tourists.



There are some one-way streets, but...



... there are also some parts where only one narrow street is available, so they installed a traffic light and the traffic goes in one direction at a time. Yes, cars pass through that small pedestrian way under the building:



Driving in Sirmione it's an adventure... especially if you drive anything larger than a Fiat 500:

[bogdymol]

Next pictures are from Verona, a beautiful town that's like a magnet for tourists.



Piazza Bra:





Narrow streets congested with a lot of tourists:

[bogdymol]

Some nice looking buildings:









And a man playing the piano for the restaurant's customers:

[bogdymol]

Verona Arena:



There are still concerts organised here. Check arena.it if you want more details.







Inside the walls of the Arena:

[bogdymol]

Casa di Giulietta (Juliet's house... from Romeo & Juliet) is the brick house from the left





The inner yard was crowded with tourists:



The famous balcony of Juliet:



Juliet's statue:

[bogdymol]

After such a crowded place I walked a little on the non-touristical streets of Verona:

[bogdymol]

Adige river in Verona:



Ponte Pietra:



Castelvecchio:



Castelvecchio Bridge:





Next pictures will be from Castello di Miramare.

[bogdymol]

Last pics from my trip are from Miramare Castle.

Adriatic Sea near the castle:



Miramare Castle on the edge of the Adriatic Sea:









The castle has it's own port:



And in that small port there were a lot of fish:



One of them wanted a picture

[bogdymol]

Some pictures with the castle's interior:



Maximilian's bed, a wedding gift from Pope Pius IX, was never slept in:







The royal bathroom:



From the castle you can see Trieste and the ships heading to that port:





This was my last post with pictures in this thread. Every place seen in this thread was visited in one week time by me last summer, in August. If you have questions feel free to ask.