VERONA
WELCOME TO VERONA
This is the view of Verona from Castel San Pietro, a large imposing building that used
to be the headquarters of the Austrian Army during their period of power in Verona,
which ended in 1866 when Verona was annexed to Italy. The first settlements dating
back to the Neolithic period were on this hill in the form of castilliere. A camp with a
fortified wall made of stones and concrete.
1. We can see Verona from the hill. Just underneath there is Teatro Romano with to
the right Ponte Pietra, a bridge dating back to the Roman period. Inside the curve of
the river lies the Roman part of Verona. Two bell towers can be seen: the one on the
right belongs to the Duomo, the Cathedral. The one on the left belongs to Santa
Anastasia. There are four famous churches in Verona: The Duomo, San Zeno,
dedicated to the Patron Saint of Verona, San Fermo and Santa Anastasia.
2. PALAZZO BARBIERI. This beautiful NEOCLASSICAL building was built in
1848 and takes its name from the architect that designed it. It is now the Town Hall.
The Danish will be welcomed by the Veronese authority in Palazzo Barbieri and
exactly in the Council Room where the Mayor and the Councillors vote the laws of
Verona.
3a. The ARENA of VERONA is the most important building in Verona and dates
back to the first century after Christ. It is the third largest in the world after the
Coliseum in Rome and the Arena in Capua. In Roman times the Arena could hold the
whole of the population of Verona that is as many as 25,000.
3b. The Arena used to have another layer of arches but the terrible earthquake of 1117
made the outer layer collapse and only the North Wing called the Ala now remains
of the outer wall. The Arena has an elliptical shape and is made up of 72 arches
arranged in two levels. The Cavea is made up of 44 concentric tiers. Today operas
are held here in summer and millions of spectators come from all over the world to
see them. It seats 17,000 spectators but in Roman times it could hold as many as
25,000. This is because the stage for the Opera and the orchestra takes up about a
quarter of the space.
4. VIA MAZZINI, leading to Piazza Erbe, is an elegant pedestrian walkway full of
boutiques and cafés. There are beautiful shops, which sell designer clothes and
objects. The shops are very expensive and we usually shop at the large shopping
centres as La Grande Mela and Galassia.
5a. PIAZZA ERBE was the centre for business during Roman and Medieval times. It
is now a herb market as the name suggests. In the middle, there are four important
monuments:
- The beautiful fountain of Madonna Verona consisting of a Roman pool and
statue;
- Saint Mark’s column with the Lion of Venice to remind the period Verona was in
the Repubblica Serenissima;
- The Berlina where public investitures and a Shrine.
5b. Piazza Erbe is surrounded by very important places. Clockwise from the left is the
Gardello Tower, which housed he oldest bell clock, then the beautiful Palazzo
Maffei with statues on the top and the Case Mazzanti with beautiful allegorical
frescoes and the Domus Mercatorum with the Ghibelline battlements.
6. This is the famous balcony of JULIET´S HOUSE. The story is true but was
attributed to the famous families: Juliet of the Capulet and Romeo of the Montecchi
who were enemies at the time. In the courtyard, there is a statue of the young heroine
and it brings good luck to caress her breast.
7. TORRE DEI LAMBERTI is the highest building in Verona. We will go to the top
of it either by climbing the steps or by lift and get a beautiful bird’s eye view of
Verona, especially of Piazza Erbe under neath. It houses two historic bells the Rengo
that used to announce council meetings and the Marangona, used to announce
danger. It was rung to warn people of World War II bombings. The last time it was
rung was at the funeral of two Veronese soldiers killed in Lebanon.
8. PIAZZA DEI SIGNORI was the seat of government, which contained the political
and administrative buildings of the town. The important Scaligeri buildings are set
here:
1. The Palazzo Cangrande house of the Scaligeri family before Castelvecchio was
built;
2, The Loggia del Consiglio;
3. The Palazzo del Capitano,
4. In the middle there is the statue of Dante, the first poet to write in Italian and one
of the most important and
5. The Arche Scaligere.
9. The ARCHE SCALIGERE are the tombs of the Della Scala Family. It was the
most important family that ruled over Verona in the 12th and 13th Century. The Della
Scala cemetery is surrounded by a magnificent wrought-iron fence and gateway
incorporating their symbol the Scala (a ladder).
10. The DUOMO is the Cathedral of Verona. It was built in ROMANESQUE style.
by the Benedictine friars in 1065. It was later transformed into GOTHIC style. The
entrance is made up of a twin canopy, the bell tower that houses the second largest
rotating bell in the world has never been completed as it did not have to be higher
than the Torre dei Lamberti the political power of Verona.
11. The PONTE PIETRA is the only remaining bridge of the two Roman bridges built
the 1st century After Christ. It was bombed by the Germans, like all the bridges in
Verona, and was rebuilt after the war with the original stones that could be retrieved
from the River Adige.
12. The Teatro ROMANO formed an imposing monumental structure that rose in tiers
up to the summit of the hill. The area used to be covered by buildings, but thanks to
Andrea Monga who believed there were Roman remains underneath, they were pulled
down and the Roman building was found.
13. The CASTELVECCHIO castle was built by Cangrande the II Della Scala to
defend the Lord of the city from popular uprising. The beautiful bridge built over the
river Adige was built entirely in cotto and was devised to enable the Lord to escape in
case of an attack from the Veronese people.
14. The SAN ZENO Basilica in beautiful ROMANESQUE architecture was built to
hold in the vaulted crypt the tomb of Saint Zeno the patron saint of Verona. It was
built between 1123 and 1135. On the High Altar is Andrea Mantegna´s triptych
painted in 1457. We shall visit the church during the stay of our Danish friends.
15. The GIARDINO GIUSTI is a private garden but is open to the public. It has an
Italian garden and a maze. Couples on their wedding day have photographs taken
here, as it is so beautiful.
16. We will definitely visit the beautiful LAKE GARDA, the largest lake in Italy. The
water mitigates the climate of the surrounding land; in fact, the mild climate makes it
the northernest point in which olives are grown in the world. The most beautiful place
is Sirmione and especially the Grotte di Catullo, which we will certainly visit.
17a. This is a MAP of Verona. The River Adige makes an S curve in the city. You
can see where the Roman part is in the bend of the river. The area was then extended
in the Scaligeri period. The four most important periods in Verona are:
1. The Roman Period - 2. The Scaligeri Period - 3. The Venetian Period and
4. The Austrian Period.