Getting A Christmas Passport In Verona

In 2017, I lived in Italy for 6 months. Since I had never been there during Winter before, I had never seen Christmas in Italy. That year, I decided to experience as many Christmas Markets as possible. At the end of November, I went to Verona, not only to see the Christmas markets, but also because the city was advertising a Christmas Passport.

Verona

Before I start this article, you have to know that Verona is one of my favourite cities in the whole world (yes, I love it that much!). It’s one of the first cities I visited in Italy, and it has always fascinated me. First, there’s the city center. It’s beautiful, with its majestic arena, the Casa di Giulietta (Juliet’s House) and the bridge I will always remember as the one with love declarations carved or painted on it (Ponte Scaligero). The entire city center is lovely and filled with statues, magnificent buildings adorned with details.

But there’s more than just the center! After crossing the Ponte di Pietra, you arrive in a different part of the city: the Castel San Pietro area. To me, that hill feels more romantic and intimate than the center (except the Scaliger Bridge at night). Its small streets go up, there are a few steps to climb and you can run out of breath a little. However, what’s really breathtaking is the view when you arrive at the top. That’s where you can really see how magical Verona is! From the platform, you can see it all and on that Winter day, in the crisp air, I just felt like the luckiest girl.

Chasing Stamps For My Passport

The Christmas Passport was mostly for children, but I had no shame taking one, and I was not the only adult doing this. It was a great way to explore the main attractions of the city, some kind of treasure hunt in Verona. You had to collect stamps in various places: Via della Costa, Piazza dei Signori, Cortile Mercato Vecchio, Lungadige San Giorgio, Castel San Pietro and Piazza San Zeno.

It took me the whole day because I would stop everywhere to enjoy the views and take pictures. Or to drink a real Italian hot chocolate, look at the Christmas decorations or at Santa sitting patiently with excited and shy children. There was a Christmas carousel in the shape of a Christmas tree. It was the first time I saw one, but I have since then seen similar ones in many places, including in Toulouse.

The Christmas Markets Of Verona

The Christmas markets did not disappoint. They were filled with yummy food and with cute objects that I could not buy. That year, I was not celebrating Christmas in Italy, and same as usual, I couldn’t buy too many things, because it had to fit into my luggage. But I still ate nice food, drank good hot chocolate (even managed to put some on my coat) and looked at pretty things. I particularly liked the wooden decorations. Many Christmas cribs also. The scenes were very fine and beautiful. Italians love these.

Plus, imagine these Christmas markets in the middle of squares and streets that are, on their own, already looking incredible. This was perfect. I recommend visiting Verona anytime throughout the year, but it gets really special during this time of the year.

So, Did I Get All The Stamps?

I did! But I didn’t get the prize… Why? Well, the prize was only given from December 1st, and I went on November 26th. The prize would have been a professional photo on the background of a Christmas decoration in Verona. It was all dark when I reached the last destination, where the prize was supposed to be given, but they let me take a picture with what the background would have looked like. I won’t lie, I was a bit disappointed. But I had a wonderful day and I still managed to get all the stamps. Plus, it was my first time in Verona at night, and it was so pretty with all the lights.

I hope you enjoyed this article and that, despite the lockdown, it got you into the Christmas spirit. ❤️🎄🎅

To see more photos of Italy, you can visit the gallery Italy.