I have always been a fan of Sam Smith’s music so when my husband, son and his girlfriend surprised me at Christmas with an eight day trip to Verona and lake Garda PLUS tickets to see Sam Smith playing live in concert in the Verona Arena I was absolutely delighted!
I love Italy and had visited the amphitheatre on a day trip from Lake Garda a few years before so I knew it was going to be an incredible experience!
Well I wasn’t disappointed!
We had an amazing time! Verona is a beautiful city and the weather was for the most part glorious.
What made the trip even more incredible was while sightseeing in the old town in the afternoon on the day of the concert we just happened to bump into Sam Smith outside the Duomo!
He was there to record a promotional video for his song “Baby you make me crazy”. (Now available for viewing on YouTube search for “Sam Smith- Baby, You Make Me Crazy (Acoustic))
He was so nice taking time out of his busy schedule to chat and take “selfies” with us before heading off with his entourage up a side street where he played two songs from his latest album.
We were able to listen and watch from just a few feet away while Sam recorded with his amazing guitarist and backing singers.
When they finished recording (about an hour later!) Sam insisted on mixing with the crowd that had now gathered. However the camera man kept filming and my hubby and son are on the end of the video having yet another selfie taken with him! (I do hope fame doesn’t go to their heads! Haha!)
We were all buzzing for the rest of the day! Talk about being in the right place at the right time!
The concert in the evening was spectacular and one of if not THE best I have ever been to! (And believe me I’ve been to plenty!)
The Verona Arena is an amazing venue for music be it opera, classical, pop or whatever. It has a totally unique atmosphere, everyone no matter where they are sitting gets a great view of the stage and because of the design (all hail to the Romans!) the acoustics are incredible plus if you get great weather like we had then……all I can say is WOW!
The rest of Verona is worth a visit too! Beautiful sights delicious food and of course wine!
If you are thinking of visiting Verona or indeed anywhere in Italy, have the confidence and are good at searching on the internet, I strongly suggest booking everything yourself rather than booking a package holiday. You will save yourself a fortune and by doing it yourself you can avoid all the “touristy” places, be among the locals, soak up the atmosphere and immerse yourself in the local culture.
Italy is so easy to get around. Public transport is very good, accommodation is usually of a very good standard and the Italians are very friendly and welcoming.
We flew into Bergamo (another beautiful city) rather than Verona because it was so much cheaper. Although a little further away it was so easy to get to Verona- we simply jumped on the bus which stops right outside the airport and takes you right into the centre of Verona.
Then for the final part of out adventure we moved on to Garda (again using public transport) where we spent the rest of our holiday (another beautiful place)!
Happy travels everyone!
