There was only one stop I had to make in Verona: Giardino Giusti.

Created towards the end of the 15th century, the structure of the gardens largely still remains the same today. They were designed as backdrops for the Giusti Palace, and are terraced, so on the way up, you consistently get better and better views of the city.

Some pretty famous names, including Mozart and Goethe have walked through these gardens, so of course, I wanted to do it as well! Unfortunately, rain was forcasted the entire week, so I realized I’d just have to suck it up and visit the gardens in the rain if I was going to see them at all.

We walked over to Giardino Giusti in the rain, stopping along the way to buy a second umbrella since our first was just not doing the job. Once we got there and bought our tickets, we walked through the front gate with one other couple. We made almost a silent pact, and they went one way, we went the other.

The gardens were EMPTY. Completely empty, except us and the other couple!

It was a real pleasure to get to see such magnificent gardens without anyone else puttering about.

I commented to Jer that my photos almost make it look sunny – in most of them you can’t even tell it’s raining!

Soon enough, the muddy paths and trickling rain left our minds and we just enjoyed having the park to ourselves.

We climbed ever upwards until we got to the top of a spiral staircase and were blown away by the view!

After our fill of gardens, the same couple met us at the gate. They kindly snapped an adorable photo of us (brought about with a demand of, “now, KISS!”), we gave a little head nod goodbye, both going our separate ways, but sharing a secret of our day alone in the most beautiful gardens in Verona.