Verona
"Fair Verona, where we lay our scene" hasn't changed much since William Shakespeare wrote those words in the prologue to Romeo and Juliet. Of course many people simply come to follow in the footsteps of the starcross'd lovers, but for everyone else it's fair Verona and not fair Juliet that captivates their attention.
What defines old Verona from modern day Verona is the city walls, erected by the Scaligeri family in the 14th century. Over 10km in length they encompass the ancient part of the city and its Roman remains as well as the more modern constructions that gradually replaced the city through the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
The epicentre of the city is Piazza Bra, with its Roman coliseum, known simply as the Arena. The world's largest opera house, the 22,000 seat amphitheatre is still in use today, during Verona's world famous Opera Festival. Elsewhere in the ancient city the Piazza dell Erbe is a feast of medieval architecture, containing several of Verona's distinctive "fish-tail" topped buildings, as well as baroque and classical styles. Just off the square you can see the house of the Capulets, where tourists gather under the balcony where Romeo protested his love to his Juliet. This is far from the only thing to admire however.
The Loggia del Consiglio in the Piazza dei Signori is a fabulous example of Renaissance architecture, while the city cathedral combines Gothic motifs with Romanesque and Renaissance features. The cathedral also contains the city's premier work of art - Titian's moving Assumption altarpiece. The castle and its fortified bridge on the edge of the old city, meanwhile, are 14th-century defences and still imposing structures today. It's a veritable wealth of style and architectural forms that is hard to match anywhere.
Although Verona lies in the shadow of Venice and Milan, the two great cities it is situated between, it has also benefited from being overlooked. It is arguably the most Italian of the three, and although the centre is compact, there is space to relax and admire the architecture in a way that you can't afford in crowded Venice or bustling Milan. In fact if it hadn't been for William Shakespeare, you'd even possibly have the place to yourself.
ARENA
The third largest and best preserved Roman arena in Italy is Verona's centrepiece and the first thing on most people's itineraries. Each August the arena hosts world-class operatic productions, but if you can't make it for these then concerts and events are held year-round.
You can visit when performances aren't being held and admire the Roman architecture, still a formidable achievement by modern standards. When the arena was built in about 30AD, Verona's entire population - over 22,000 people - could watch gladiators fight wild beasts from its tiered seats. Later citizens took refuge here from invading barbarian hordes.
Piazza Bra. Open: Mon 13h30-18h30, Tue-Sun 08h30-18h30. Admission: EUR4, adults; EUR1, children. Tel: +39 045-800-3204
JULIET'S HOUSE
It's pure fiction, but Shakespeare's story draws tourists like a magnet, and Verona obliged by creating a home for Juliet, complete with balcony (added in the 1930s), in a restored medieval building off a once-quiet courtyard.
More carnival in atmosphere today, the courtyard is jammed with tourists and the walls disfigured with graffiti, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the most popular, and most photographed sights in the city. The house now belongs to the city and is open to visitors who come to follow the Romeo and Juliet legend, and stand on the balcony themselves. The bronze statue of Juliet has become something of a landmark in the city, with passers-by rubbing one of its breasts for luck - it isn't hard to see which one. If you want to continue the trail, "Romeo's House" is at Via Arche Scaligeri, 2, and is now a restaurant.
Via Cappello, 23. Courtyard always open and free. Open: Mon 13h30-19h30, Tue-Sun 08h30-19h30. Admission: EUR4, adults; EUR1, children. Tel: +39 045-803-4303.
PIAZZA BRA
The large open square of Piazza Bra is the focal point of Verona's old city. The Roman arena forms one end, flanked by the neo-classical municipal building and a row of 19th-century buildings, under whose awnings is a succession of the city's most expensive cafés. The 14th-century Palazzo della Gran Guardia and the arched gateway, Portone della Bra (see the Shakespeare quote carved into its side) with its adjoining octagonal tower complete the ensemble. This is the place to promenade, or to watch the Veronese do so
PIAZZA ERBE
More intimate than Piazza Bra, and even older, this square with its frescoed buildings has been a market site for at least 2,000 years. The fountain at its centre was the work of the architect Cansignorio in 1368. The Madonna that stands as the fountain's centrepiece is a Roman statue converted to the Christian figure, and predates the rest of the feature and the buildings that surround it by several centuries. The same architect was responsible for the Gardello Tower that stands in one corner of the square.
A column at the end, surmounted by the Lion of Saint Mark, is a reminder that in the Renaissance Venice ruled Verona. Behind it, Palazzo Mafei is a 17th-century construction, despite the Roman gods on its façade. It is one of only a very few baroque buildings in the city, although today it is a tourist office rather than a museum.
The square is still home to a market, which takes place against the free-standing 15th-century tabernacle, a symbol of Catholicism and just one of several around the city.
PALACE OF THE COMUNE AND LAMBERTI TOWER
The Palace of the Comune stands between the Piazza Erbe and the Piazza dei Signori. The building with its distinctive layers of bricks and pale limestone now functions as the city law courts. An outstanding Gothic stone staircase, the Scala della Ragione, rises to its entrance from the Old Market Place (Cortile Mercato Vecchio) a small square just off the Piazza dei Signori.
The 83m Lamberti Tower in the corner of the palace is the tallest building in Verona. Its octagonal top section housed two massive bells, which were used to warn the population of impending invasion, fire or flood. The clock that faces the Piazza Erbe was added in 1779. From the top of the tower, accessed by stairs or lift, you can obtain fantastic views over the city to the Dolomites.
Piazza dei Signori/Piazza Erbe. Open: Mon 13h30-19h30, Tue-Sun 08h30-19h30. Admission: EUR3 (lift), EUR2 (stairs). Tel: +39 045-803-2726
PIAZZA DEI SIGNORI
Stucco palaces of the medieval Della Scala family and the splendid Renaissance Loggia del Consiglio make this Verona's most elegant square.
In the centre of the square stands a statue of Dante, who once lived in Verona. The Loggia del Consiglio is considered one of the city's finest buildings. It was built in the 15th century and is believed to be the first genuine Renaissance building erected in Verona. Over the colonnaded ground floor the upper wall is decorated with frescoes and statues of prominent Veronese. Look for the denunciation box on the wall facing Dante.
The square arches lead to adjoining piazzas, and Costa's Arch (also called the Whalebone Arch) which leads back to the Piazza Erbe contains one of the most quirky of Verona's landmarks. A whale's rib suspended from the arch will, according to legend, fall upon the first "honest" person to walk underneath. Needless to say, it's still firmly in place.
SCALIGERI TOMBS
Behind Piazza dei Signori rise the fantastically ornate stone tombs of Verona's leading medieval family, the Della Scala. Atop the mausoleums are effigies, fully armoured, on horseback, which indicate the importance and wealth even in death of this prominent aristocratic family.
Almost hidden behind the tombs is the 12th-century church of Santa Maria Antica. The Scaligeri style dominates Verona's medieval architecture, particularly the fish-tail-shaped decorations on the walls and towers.
Via Arche Scaligeri. Open: Tue-Sun 10h00-18h30. Admission: EUR4.10, adults; EUR2.10, children. The exterior of the tombs can be viewed at all hours. Tel: +39 045-800-7490.
CATHEDRAL OF SANTA MARIA MATRICOLARE
First a Roman temple, then a 5th-century church stood on the site of this largely 12th-century cathedral. Several additions since that time have resulted in the church displaying a progression of styles, from Romanesque to Gothic to Renaissance.
The statuary and carvings on both exterior and interior betray the same eclectic mixture of styles, and the detail is delightful, especially around the porticos where you enter and leave. The best-known artwork is Titian's Assumption, which dominates the altar in the first chapel on the left. Dating from the mid-16th century it is as moving a piece as his earlier, identically titled work in Venice's Basilica dei Frari.
Piazza Duomo. Open: daily 10h00-17h30 (Mar-Oct); Tue-Sun 10h00-13h00 & 13h30-16h00 (Nov-Feb). Admission: EUR2.50, adults; free under 18. Tel: +39 045-592-813.
SAN ZENO MAGGIORE
Among the finest examples of Italian Romanesque churches anywhere, San Zeno was built in the early 1100s, in alternating pink brick and white stone stripes.
A century older than the church itself, the 48 bronze-relief door panels illustrate biblical scenes and the life of Verona's first bishop, San Zeno. An outstanding wooden arched ceiling above the nave was painted in the 14th century. A colonnaded cloister adjoins the church.
Piazza San Zeno, west of Piazza Bra, near Porta San Zeno. Open: daily 08h30-18h00 (Mar-Oct); Tue-Sun 10h00-13h00 & 13h30-16h00 (Nov-Feb). Admission: EUR2.50, adults. Tel: +39 045-592-813.
ROMAN THEATRE AND ROMAN BRIDGE
The semicircular amphitheatre overlooking the Adige River is simply known as the Roman Theatre, and is surprisingly intact for something that's been there for two millennia. The Shakespeare festival is a highlight in the summer, along with ballet and jazz concerts.
The former monastery above the theatre now houses the city's small Archaeological Museum, filled with Roman statues, reliefs, columns, mosaics, pottery and glass.
Both of these lie on the opposite bank from the rest of the old city, connected by the "Roman Bridge" (named Ponte Pietra after St Peter). One of the most remarkable Roman remains in the city it was heavily damaged in World War Two but was painstakingly restored using the original stonework dislodged from the structure.
Teatro Romano, Regaste Redentore, 2. Open: Mon 13h45-19h30, Tue-Sun 08h30-19h30. Admission (non-performance): EUR6, adults; EUR1, children. Tel: +39 045-800-0360.
CITY WALLS
Located squarely in the path of every wave of invasion from the East, Verona took advantage of the river as a natural moat and built strong walls around its centre. Dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, the city's defences are still largely intact and following them around the city makes a great afternoon's walk.
The five monumental gates are of later eras: At the south, Porta Nova, at the end of corso Porta Nuova, is of white marble; 16th-century Porta Pailo is brown stone and Porta San Zeno (1542) matches the nearby church, in white stone and brick. The north and east gates are Porta San Giorgio (1545, rebuilt in 1838) and Porta Vescovo, completed in 1520. Follow the walls around the city on the outside for the best views.
TRANSPORTATION
Catullo Airport
Catullo airport is in Villafranca, about 10km south-west of the centre. Tel: +39 045-809-5666.
Taxis
There are taxi ranks in front of the airport. Expect to pay between EUR15 and EUR20 for a cab into the centre of Verona.
Buses
A shuttle operates every 20 minutes daily from 06h35-11h35, running between the airport and the railway station at Porta Nova. Tickets: EUR4.50. Tel: +39 045-805-7911.
|
2:09 Events E-Newsletters Your e-mail address will not be passed to a third party and you can unsubscribe at anytime. |