CASTEL SAN PIETRO 

I was up early this morning to catch the sunrise and enjoy one of the most-visited photography spots in Verona, sans touristes. It took AGES to walk up the 235 steps from the Ponte Pietra entrance to the piazza surrounding the nineteenth-century military fortress, because every few steps revealed a new and even more beautiful angle or frame of the panoramic views beyond. Arriving at the top had my jaw on the floor, as I was greeted with almost a 360-degree view over the entire city. I spent about two hours up there by myself (glorious when you know how busy it gets later in the day!), watching the shadows retreat over the bend of the Adige, the historic bridges and towers, the Arena, and the surrounding hills.