Location: Veneto Region, Verona Province Map
Verona is an Italian town of 257 683 inhabitants,
the capital of the homonymous province located in Veneto. It is the
second largest city in the region by population after the capital,
Venice , and the twelfth nationwide.
Known to be the site of
the Romeo and Juliet tragedy, Verona has developed progressively and
continuously for two thousand years, integrating high-quality
artistic elements from the different periods that have followed one
another, including the Della Scala family's government between the
thirteenth and sixteenth centurie , and that of the Venetian
Republic between the beginning of the fifteenth and the end of the
eighteenth century; for its art and architecture and its urban
structure, "an excellent example of a fortified city", Verona has
been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Though close
to the more popular tourist destination of Venice, many people
consider Verona a more relaxed and pleasant place to visit. There
are many tourists, but the number of tourists per square metre is
lower.
IAT Verona (Tourist information), Via Degli Alpini, 9
(Piazza Bra), ☎ +39 045 8068680, e-mail:
iatverona@provinciadiveronaturismo.it. M-Sa 10:00-13:00,
14:00-18:00.
1 Arena di Verona, Piazza Bra, ☎ +39 045
8003204. Full ticket €6; reduced ticket for groups of more than 15
people, students between 14 and 30 and seniors €4.50; reduced ticket for
school groups between 8 and 14 years €1.00. Mon 1.30pm-7.30pm, Tue-Sun
8.30am-7.30pm. It is a Roman amphitheater located in the historic center
of Verona, an icon of the Venetian city. It is one of the large
buildings that have characterized Roman playful architecture and is the
ancient amphitheater with the best degree of conservation, thanks to the
systematic restorations carried out since the 1600s. In summer it hosts
the famous opera festival and many international singers and musicians
stop by. The lack of written sources about the inauguration of the
amphitheater makes it very difficult to provide a certain chronology, so
much so that in the past, from various studies, very different dates
have emerged, a period of time ranging from the 1st to the 3rd century,
although by now it is shown that it cannot have been built after the 1st
century, so it was built between Emperor Augustus and Emperor Claudius.
2 Juliet's House, Via Cappello 23, ☎ +39
045 8034303, fax: +39 045 8062652, castelvecchio@comune.verona.it. Full
ticket €6; reduced ticket for groups of more than 15 people, students
between 14 and 30 and seniors €4.50; reduced ticket for school groups
between 8 and 14 years €1.00. Mon 1.30pm-7.30pm, Tue-Sun 8.30am-7.30pm
(last entry at 6.45pm). The site is one of the major attractions for
tourists visiting Verona. This attention often makes the courtyard of
the house very crowded, on which moreover souvenir shops have been
opened for tourists. The passageway that gives access to the courtyard
is entirely covered in graffiti and love-themed tickets left by many
visitors.
The building, which certainly already existed in the 12th
century, derived from the union of several houses around a central
courtyard.
3 Tomb of Juliet, Via del Pontiere 35. Mon 1.30pm-7.30pm,
Tue-Sun 8.30am-7.30pm. It is located in Verona inside the former convent
of the Capuchin friars dating back to the 13th century, today the "G.B.
Cavalcaselle" Museum of Frescoes. Tradition and imagination want it to
be the burial place of Giulietta Capuleti, protagonist of Romeo and
Juliet by William Shakespeare.
4 Roman Theater,
Rigaste Redentore 2, ☎ +39 045 800360. Mon 1.45pm-7.30pm, Tue-Sun
8.30am-7.30pm. The Archaeological Museum of Verona can be visited with
the same theater access ticket. It rises in the northern part of the
city, at the foot of Colle San Pietro. It was built at the end of the
1st century BC, a period in which Verona saw the monumentalization of
the San Pietro hill. Before its construction, between the Pietra bridge
and the Postumio bridge, walls were built on the Adige, parallel to the
theater itself, to defend it from eventual river floods. Only the
remains of the work remain visible, because over time it has undergone,
in addition to natural events, also burial under dilapidated buildings.
The "discoverer in modern times" of the theater was Andrea Monga
(1794-1861), a wealthy merchant, who after having bought the whole area
carried out extensive demolition and excavations. Only in 1904 was the
whole area purchased by the municipality of Verona, which continued the
work. Today the cavea and the steps remain, many arches of loggias and
important remains of the scene. The load-bearing walls of the stage
building also remain. On the top of the hill, in 1851 the remains of the
temple that crowned the magnificent original structure of the theater
were found; the complex rose from the bank of the Adige to extend with
various terraces up to the top of the hill with a drop in altitude of
about 60 metres.
5 Piazza delle Erbe (Piazza
Erbe). Square that stands on the site of the ancient Roman forum. Square
known for its market and for the fact that well-known palaces overlook
it, such as Palazzo Maffei with the Torre del Gardello, the Case
Mazzanti, the Domus Mercatorum (merchant's house) and the Torre dei
Lamberti with the Palazzo della Ragione (or Town Hall). At the center of
it are the Fountain of the Madonna of Verona, the Capitello (or Tribuna)
and, in front of Palazzo Maffei, a column with a statue of the Lion of
Marciano on top.
6 Piazza dei Signori (Piazza
Dante). Many buildings overlook it, such as the Palazzo della
Ragione (where the Veronese podestà resided, today a museum of modern
art) with the Torre dei Lamberti, the Palazzo del Capitanio, or the
court or Cansignorio (built in the Scaliger age by Cansignorio was
originally a palace-fortress, then in the Venetian age it became the
seat of the Captain. Under the Austrians it became a court and finally,
in the post-unification period, it became a prison. Today it is set up
for various exhibitions), the Loggia del Council and the Palazzo del
Podestà (now the prefecture). At the center of the square is the statue
of Dante Alighieri (hence Piazza Dante). To the north-east of the square
are the Scaliger Arches, tombs of some Veronese lords, all of the Della
Scala family, and the church of Santa Maria Antica.
7
Scaliger Tombs, Via Santa Maria Antica
4. €1. Tue-Sun 10am-1pm and 3pm-6pm. They are a monumental Gothic-style
funerary complex of the Scaligeri family, intended to contain the arks
(or tombs) of some illustrious representatives of the family, including
that of the greatest lord of Verona, Cangrande della Scala, to whom
Dante dedicates Paradise. The arks were made in the 14th century by
various sculptors. Arriving from Piazza dei Signori, leaning against the
wall of the church of Santa Maria, is the tomb of Mastino I della Scala,
with a simple sarcophagus that recalls Roman use. A little further on is
the isolated tomb of Alberto I della Scala which, richly historiated,
architecturally repeats that of Mastino I. Next to the external wall
there are then three simple tombs, probably belonging, in order, to
Bartolomeo I, Cangrande II and Bartolomeo II della Scala (the latter
perhaps by Bailardo Nogarola). Above the side door of Santa Maria Antica
is the magnificent ark of Cangrande I, the greatest Scaliger lord. The
sarcophagus of Cangrande is supported by four dogs holding the Scaliger
coat of arms: three statues can be seen on the front, while Verona can
be seen on the back. Above the sarcophagus is the reclining statue of
Cangrande. Four Corinthian columns support the canopy, which soars
upwards, culminating in the remarkable equestrian statue of Cangrande
della Scala. Then there is the ark of Mastino II della Scala: his
sarcophagus rests on four pillars, and above it the statue of him lies
stretched out. At the top of the ark is the equestrian statue of the
Lord, enclosed in solid armor. Finally the last ark, that of Cansignorio
della Scala, the richest and most animated. The tomb of Giovanni della
Scala was instead moved here in 1831 from the church of Santi Fermo e
Rustico to the Navi bridge, and is now located at the end of the
cemetery, on the outside wall of a house. The original statues of
Cangrande and Mastino II have been transferred to the Castel Vecchio
museum, so there are copies in the cemetery.
8 Basilica of San Zeno, Piazza San Zeno,
info@basilicasanzeno.it. Winter: Mon-Sat 1.30pm-5pm, Sun 12.30pm-5pm.
Summer: Mon-Sat 8:30-18:00, Sun 12:30-18:00. It is considered one of the
Romanesque masterpieces in Italy. It is spread over three levels and the
current structure was set up in the X-XI century. The saint's name is
sometimes reported in two other ways, and thus the basilica of Verona is
sometimes named: San Zeno Maggiore or San Zenone. Among the many works
of art, it houses a masterpiece by Andrea Mantegna, the San Zeno
Altarpiece.
9 Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria
Matricolare), Piazza Duomo. It is the main Catholic place of worship
in the city. The cathedral is located in the medieval area of Verona,
inside the loop of the Adige, not far from the Ponte Pietra, and on the
southern side of the bishop's citadel. The current structure stands in
the place where it was built in the 4th century (of which some mosaics
can be seen in the cloister and in the nearby church of S. Elena)
probably by Bishop Zeno, the first Christian church in the city. The
construction of a new cathedral was begun only three years later, in
1120, and ended in the year 1187; on 13 September of that same year, it
was solemnly consecrated by Pope Urban III. Over the centuries,
especially in the 16th and 16th centuries, the church has undergone
various alterations which, however, did not concern either its plan or
its orientation. The current arrangement of the façade dates back to the
sixteenth century, previously lower and without the rose window and the
two large lateral mullioned windows. Inside there are numerous works of
art, of particular importance is the painting depicting the Assumption
of the Virgin (1535) by Titian.
10 Church of
Sant'Anastasia, Piazza Sant'Anastasia 2. Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun and
holidays 1pm-6pm. The present church was begun in 1290 and was never
completed. Some believe that the drawing and the project dates back to
fra' Benvenuto da Bologna and fra' Nicola da Imola, but there are no
documents on the matter. The church of Santa Anastasia takes its name
from a pre-existing church, from the Gothic era, dedicated by Theodoric
to Anastasia of Sirmium. The facade structure is divided into three
sections which correspond to the internal naves. The facade is
unfinished and is mainly in terracotta. The church was built by the
Dominicans and has a similar structure to the basilica of Santi Giovanni
e Paolo, which also belongs to the same order and was built almost
simultaneously. The symmetrical façade has a central hut with the upper
part having in its center a simple rose window with an external circular
sector and the internal part divided into six sections divided by a
horizontal diameter. The lower part is occupied by the 15th century door
divided into two sections with two pointed arches above and around the
Gothic portal of 1330 with a series of five overlapping pointed arches.
The arches are supported by ornamental columns made of red, white and
black marbles. Above the arches stands the portal. Inside numerous works
of art, including the Monument to Courtesy Serego, the Pellegrini Chapel
with the fresco-masterpiece by Pisanello San Giorgio and the princess,
from the mid-15th century, the Cavalli Chapel with the Adoration
altarpiece, the only work certain of Altichiero da Zevio.
11
Church of San Bernardino, Stradone Antonio
Provolo, 28, ☎ +39 045 596497, fax: +39 045597305,
info@sanbernardinoverona.it. Free entry. Mon 15:00-18:30, Tue-Fri
8:00-12:00 and 15:00-18:30, Sat and public holidays 8:00-12:00 and
15:30-18:00. The building, annexed to a Franciscan convent, dates back
to the 15th century and is in Gothic style, but the current appearance
is affected by numerous interventions carried out over the following
centuries which have led to an extremely rich sedimentation of artistic
styles. The most important of the side chapels added from the late 15th
century to the end of the 16th century are: the Pellegrini chapel
(designed by the famous Verona architect Michele Sanmicheli, it was
begun in 1529 in a classical style and has a central plan surmounted by
a dome; thanks to the references to ancient architecture, the great
harmony of the parts and the limpid distribution of light, is considered
one of the masterpieces of the Veronese architect), the Avanzi chapel
(it is a small art gallery, enriched with numerous paintings by Morone,
Cavazzola, Caroto , Giolfino and Paolo Veronese; the canvas painted by
the latter, the ''Resurrection of the daughter of Giairo'', was taken to
Vienna and replaced with a copy), the great chapel of San Francesco
(frescoed in 1522 by Giolfino with scenes from the life of the saint).
The walls inside the church, albeit bare, are noteworthy for the
combination of decorative elements of discordant styles: the organ with
a slender line dating back to 1481 (one of the oldest in Europe); the
Renaissance altar from 1572, inspired by the architecture of an ancient
temple; the painted wooden pulpit, contemporary to the organ; the
Baroque altar, added in 1725 and in strong contrast with the other
decorations of the church. On the main altar is a triptych inspired by
Mantegna by Francesco Bengalino dating back to 1462, which depicts the
Madonna and Child enthroned with Saint Bernardino, Saints Peter, Paul
and Francis and Saints Jerome, Louis of Toulouse and Anthony of Padua .
Inside the convent, the Sala Morone, built starting from 1494 and used
as a library, is worth a visit. The walls are covered with about 300
square meters of frescoes by Domenico Morone (according to others
Giolfino, Paolo Morando or Girolamo dai Libri). The room is now owned by
the municipality of Verona and is used as a conference room.
12 Scaliger Bridge (Castelvecchio
Bridge). The bridge was built between 1354 and 1356 under the
lordship of Cangrande II della Scala in order to ensure the
Castelvecchio fortress under construction an escape route towards Tyrol
in the event of a revolt by one of the enemy factions within the city.
The sturdiness of the bridge allowed it to pass five centuries of
history unscathed until, in 1802, the French, following the treaty of
Lunéville, cut off the tower on the countryside side and eliminated the
battlements, as previously done for the towers of the castle to place
batteries of cannons, used in the infamous Veronese Easter, rebuilt by
the Austrians in 1820 on the orders of Emperor Francis I of Austria. The
bridge was blown up on 24 April 1945 by the retreating Germans, together
with all the other bridges in Verona, including the Roman Ponte Pietra.
Immediately after the war it was decided to rebuild it together with
other important monuments of the city lost during the Second World War.
The first works began at the end of 1945 and saw the clearing of the
rubble from the bed of the river Adige, while in the second phase, begun
in 1949, the stone ashlars found intact were relocated to their original
position, thanks to the photographic documentation and the survey built
shortly before the destruction of the Scaliger bridge. Furthermore,
thanks to the study of the chromatisms of the stone, it was possible to
trace the quarry from which the blocks were extracted in the Middle
Ages, located in the territory of San Giorgio di Valpolicella, from
which the new stones were thus extracted to replace the damaged
originals.
13 Castelvecchio, Corso
Castelvecchio 2, ☎ +39 045 8062611, fax: +39 045 8010729,
castelvecchio@comune.verona.it. Full ticket €6; reduced ticket for
groups of more than 15 people, students between 14 and 30 and seniors
€4.50; reduced ticket for school groups between 8 and 14 years €1.00.
Mon 1.30pm-7.30pm, Tue-Sun 8.30am-7.30pm. It is a castle currently used
to house the Civic Museum of Castelvecchio, it is the most important
military monument of the Scaligera lordship. The new castle was located
between the head of the wall to the right of the Adige, near the Upper
Chain, and the head of the wall to the left of the Adige, near the Porta
San Giorgio. The functional and architectural essence of its position is
that of constituting an element of urban defense inseparable from the
river, and at the same time predisposed to project its action beyond the
river itself. The bridge, for the exclusive use of the castle, served as
an escape or access route for aid coming from the Adige Valley, thus
preventing the river from becoming an insurmountable barrier. But within
the complex urban defense system it could be used to organize sorties in
order to operate tactically on the opposite river banks. The castle was
conceived as the fulcrum of the entire defensive system, and its main
tower as the center of visual control of the city, to the left and right
of the Adige, and of the surrounding landscape.
14
Castel San Pietro (Castel San Pietro tax
office). The revenue barracks of Castel San Pietro or more simply Castel
San Pietro, originally called Aerarialcasernen Castel San Pietro, is a
military building located on the San Pietro hill in Verona, in an
elevated point and characterized by a wide panoramic view of the
Scaliger city, and for this reason it is a privileged destination for
tourists and Veronese who can also reach the square in front of the
castle via the Castel San Pietro funicular. The building was designed by
k.k. Austrian Genie-Direktion Verona stationed in the city and built
between 1852 and 1858, when the remains of the curtain wall of the
pre-existing castle, built at the end of the fourteenth century, were
also restored.
15 Porta Borsari. Known in antiquity
as the Iovia gate due to the presence of the nearby temple dedicated to
Jupiter Lustral, it is one of the gates that opened along the Roman
walls of Verona. The construction of the structure dates back to the
second half of the 1st century BC. however the part that has remained
intact dates back to the first half of the 1st century. Porta Borsari
was the main entrance to the Roman city, entering the important via
Postumia on the decumanus maximus.
16
Porta Leoni. Porta Leoni is one of the gates that opened along the
Roman walls of Verona. Built in the 1st century BC. and restructured in
the following century, it connected the cardinal point of the city with
the vicus Veronensium, or with the branch of the Via Claudia Augusta
which continued towards Hostilia.
17 Arch of
the Gavi. The Gavi arch, located along the ancient Via Postumia in
Verona, just outside the walls of the Roman city, is a very rare case of
honorary and monumental arch for private use in Roman architecture. It
was in fact built around the middle of the 1st century to celebrate the
gens Gavia.
During the Renaissance this was one of the most
appreciated of the Veronese antiquities, also thanks to the presence of
the signature of a Vitruvius, which recalls the well-known Roman
architect, author of the treatise De architectura. The monument was then
described by humanists and antiquarians, reproduced in detail and
studied in proportions and decorations, finally taken up as a model by
architects and painters, such as Palladio, Sangallo, Serlio, Falconetto,
Sanmicheli, but also Bellini and Mantegna. He had a great influence in
particular on Veronese art, as the overall scheme for the construction
of portals, altars and chapels in the main churches of Verona was
copied.
The arch no longer stands in its original position as it was
demolished by the French military engineers in 1805, however the
numerous reliefs that had previously been produced made it possible to
reassemble it by anastylosis and restore it in 1932, when it was
relocated to the small square of Castelvecchio. where it is today.
List of events in Verona: Events in Verona.
Events
Vinitaly,
Viale del Lavoro 8 (c/o Verona Fiere), ☎ +39 045 8298111. It is an
international exhibition of wine and spirits, which has been held in
Verona since 1967, on an annual basis. Vinitaly covers over 95,000 m²,
has more than 4,000 exhibitors a year and registers around 150,000
visitors per edition. The show brings together producers, importers,
distributors, restaurateurs, technicians, journalists and opinion
leaders. Every year it hosts over fifty thematic tastings of Italian and
foreign wines and offers a conference program that addresses the main
issues related to the supply and demand of the wine market.
Fieragricola Verona (c/o Verona Fiere), ☎ +39 045 8298111,
fieragricola@veronafiere.it. International fair of agriculture,
agricultural machinery, animal husbandry, agro-supplies, renewable
energies and services.
Fieracavalli (c/o Verona Fiere), ☎ +39 045
8298119, info@fieracavalli.it. It is a trade fair dedicated to horses
and riding which takes place in Verona annually from 1898 to the
beginning of November. It is considered the largest equestrian event in
Italy.
Parties
Verona Carnival, Piazza San Zeno (held on
Gnoccolaro Friday), ☎ +39 045 592829. Dating back to the late Middle
Ages, the Verona Carnival (the original name is Bacanàl del Gnoco) has
its roots in the times of Tommaso Da Vico, a 16th-century doctor who
left in his will the obligation to annually distribute food and food to
the population of the San Zeno district (where the homonymous Basilica
is located). At least this is what the popular tradition tells us.
Lamberti Tower. Climb to its top or take the lift to enjoy a splendid
view of Verona.
Take a short walk to Castel San Pietro to admire the
viewpoint over the city centre.
Hire a tour guide for a guided
sightseeing tour or a "wine tour" in Valpolicella or Soave.
Visit the
Christmas markets during the winter holidays.
Guided tour of the
historic centre., info@veronissima.com. Take a guided tour of the
historic center of Verona.
The area on which Verona stands has been inhabited
since the Neolithic , when there was the probable presence of a
village near the southern area of San Pietro hill along the Adige
river , one of the few wading points of the river. The hill of San
Pietro is in fact an area rich in finds, and there were even found
the remains of the houses that formed the old village. During the
protohistoric period in the Verona area came the Cenomani Gauls ,
which settled in the west, up to the Adige River, and most probably
the hill village was inhabited together by the Cenomani and the
Venetians.
The Latin historians have accredited to Euganei ,
Reti , Veneti , Etruschi or Galli Cenomani the origins of Verona:
the historian Polibio states that in his time (II century BC) the
Venetian ethnic group was still numerous among the population of the
city, and indeed the Venetian presence is well documented,
particularly at the San Pietro hill, and this assertion is based on
the Venetian foundation hypothesis; the hypothesis of the foundation
by the Reti and together of the Euganei was instead formulated by
Pliny the Elder (of the first among other things the presence is
ascertained by the numerous findings in the Veronese territory of
their ceramics ); that by the Cenomani Gauls was instead supported
by Tito Livio.
The first contacts between Rome and Verona are
documented around the III century BC: there were immediate relations
of friendship and alliance. Probably the first contacts were in 390
BC, when the Gauls of Brennus invaded the same Rome: perhaps thanks
to a diversion of the Venetians, the Gauls may have been forced to
come to terms with the Romans. Cenomani and Veneti Gauls helped the
Romans several times, even in the conquest of Cisalpine Gaul. In 174
BC, following the subjugation of Gallia cisalpina and the beginning
of a new period of colonization of the Po Valley , the great
strategic importance of Verona began to reveal itself. The Roman
senate asked Cenomani and Veneti for the extension of the fortified
castrum they had granted him on the San Pietro hill, while Roman
settlers and indigenous peoples laid the foundations for the
construction of a new city within the bend of the Adige.
Thanks to Cesare Verona, he obtained, in 49 BC, Roman citizenship
and, through the Lex Roscia, he was given the rank of a city and
granted fields of 3,700 km²: the town could then boast the name of
Res publica Veronensium.
During the Republican period Verona
developed and its economy grew: in this period the city, now moved
in the bend of the Adige, began to grow and modernize. During the
imperial period the city became an even more important strategic
node, as it was used as a temporary base for the legions. Under the
emperor Vespasiano the city reached the peak of wealth and splendor:
the last great work, in the first century, was the Arena, built
because the city, which had now exceeded 25,000 inhabitants, needed
of a large building to allow all the inhabitants to attend the
shows.
Verona then found itself also invested by the
barbarian invasions, being the first bastion of Italy to descents
from northern Europe. For this reason the emperor Gallieno, in 265,
had the city walls enlarged to include the Arena, fortifying it in
only seven months.
The city became important because it was at the
intersection of several roads. Stilicho defeated Alaric and his
Visigoths here in 403. But, after Verona was conquered by the
Ostrogoths in 489, the Gothic domination of Italy began. Theoderic
the Great was said to have built a palace there. It remained under
the power of the Goths throughout the Gothic War (535–552), except
for a single day in 541, when the Byzantine officer Artabazes made
an entrance. The defections that took place among the Byzantine
generals with regard to the booty made it possible for the Goths to
regain possession of the city. In 552 Valerian vainly endeavored to
enter the city, but it was only when the Goths were fully overthrown
that they surrendered it.
In 569, it was taken by Alboin,
King of the Lombards, in whose kingdom it was, in a sense, the
second most important city. There, Alboin was killed by his wife in
572. The dukes of Treviso often resided there. Adalgisus, son of
Desiderius, in 774 made his last desperate resistance in Verona to
Charlemagne, who had destroyed the Lombard kingdom. Verona became
the ordinary residence of the kings of Italy, the government of the
city becoming hereditary in the family of Count Milo, progenitor of
the counts of San Bonifacio. From 880 to 951 the two Berengarii
resided there. Otto I ceded to Verona the marquisate dependent on
the Duchy of Bavaria.
In the years following 1000, northern Italy was
devastated by numerous wars, but Verona remained loyal to the
emperors of the Holy Roman Empire during the long investiture
struggle with the Papacy. The birth of the Commune took place in
1136 with the election of the first consuls, while two parties were
emerging which would later be called Guelphs and Ghibellines. Verona
was at first particularly struck by the struggle between these two
factions, also because in the countryside there were the main forces
of the Guelph party (with the greatest exponents the Counts of
Sambonifacio), while the city was predominantly Ghibelline (among
the major exponents of the Montecchi, made famous by the drama Romeo
and Juliet by Shakespeare).
Verona was also the papal seat
for five years. Pope Lucius III in 1181 established the Pontifical
Curia in the city and in his death, in 1185, was buried in the choir
of the Cathedral . In the Conclave that was held in Verona in the
same year Pope Urban III was elected. Urban was determined to
excommunicate the emperor Federico Barbarossa but the Veronese,
fearing retaliation by Federico, protested against such a procedure
taken within their walls to the point that Urban, in 1186, decided
to move together with the Curia in Ferrara, where he died a few
months later.
When Ezzelino III da Romano was elected podestà in
1226, he converted the office into a permanent lordship. In 1257 he
caused the slaughter of 11,000 Paduans on the plain of Verona (Campi
di Verona). Upon his death, the Great Council elected Mastino I
della Scala as podestà, and he converted the "signoria" into a
family possession, though leaving the burghers a share in the
government. Failing to be re-elected podestà in 1262, he effected a
coup d'état, and was acclaimed capitano del popolo, with the command
of the communal troops. Long internal discord took place before he
succeeded in establishing this new office, to which was attached the
function of confirming the podestà. In 1277, Mastino della Scala was
killed by the faction of the nobles.
The reign of his son
Alberto as capitano (1277–1302) was a time of incessant war against
the counts of San Bonifacio, who were aided by the House of Este. Of
his sons, Bartolomeo, Alboino and Cangrande I, only the last shared
the government (1308); he was great as warrior, prince, and patron
of the arts; he protected Dante, Petrarch, and Giotto. By war or
treaty, he brought under his control the cities of Padua (1328),
Treviso (1308) and Vicenza. At this time before the Black death the
city was home to more than 40,000 people.
Cangrande was
succeeded by Mastino II (1329–1351) and Alberto, sons of Alboino.
Mastino continued his uncle's policy, conquering Brescia in 1332 and
carrying his power beyond the Po. He purchased Parma (1335) and
Lucca (1339). After the King of France, he was the richest prince of
his time. But a powerful league was formed against him in 1337 –
Florence, Venice, the Visconti, the Este, and the Gonzaga. After a
three years war, the Scaliger dominions were reduced to Verona and
Vicenza (Mastino's daughter Regina-Beatrice della Scala married to
Barnabò Visconti). Mastino's son Cangrande II (1351–1359) was a
cruel, dissolute, and suspicious tyrant; not trusting his own
subjects, he surrounded himself with Brandenburg mercenaries. He was
killed by his brother Cansignorio (1359–1375), who beautified the
city with palaces, provided it with aqueducts and bridges, and
founded the state treasury. He also killed his other brother, Paolo
Alboino. Fratricide seems to have become a family custom, for
Antonio (1375–87), Cansignorio's natural brother, slew his brother
Bartolomeo, thereby arousing the indignation of the people, who
deserted him when Gian Galeazzo Visconti of Milan made war on him.
Having exhausted all his resources, he fled from Verona at midnight
(19 October 1387), thus putting an end to the Scaliger domination,
which, however, survived in its monuments.
The year 1387 is
also the year of the famous Battle of Castagnaro, between Giovanni
Ordelaffi, for Verona, and John Hawkwood, for Padua, who was the
winner.
Antonio's son Canfrancesco attempted in vain to
recover Verona (1390). Guglielmo (1404), natural son of Cangrande
II, was more fortunate; with the support of the people, he drove out
the Milanese, but he died ten days after, and Verona then submitted
to Venice (1405). The last representatives of the Scaligeri lived at
the imperial court and repeatedly attempted to recover Verona by the
aid of popular risings.
From 1508 to 1517, the city was in
the power of the Emperor Maximilian I. There were numerous outbreaks
of the plague, and in 1629–33 Italy was struck by its worst outbreak
in modern times. Around 33,000 people died in Verona (over 60 per
cent of the population at the time) in 1630–1631.
In 1776 was
developed a method of bellringing called Veronese bellringing art.
Verona was occupied by Napoleon in 1797, but on Easter Monday the
populace rose and drove out the French. It was then that Napoleon
made an end of the Venetian Republic. Verona became Austrian
territory when Napoleon signed the Treaty of Campo Formio in October
1797. The Austrians took control of the city on 18 January 1798. It
was taken from Austria by the Treaty of Pressburg in 1805 and became
part of Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy, but was returned to Austria
following Napoleon's defeat in 1814, when it became part of the
Austrian-held Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia.
The Congress of Verona, which met on 20 October
1822, was part of the series of international conferences or
congresses that opened with the Congress of Vienna in 1814–15 - and
marked the effective breakdown of the "Concert of Europe".
In
1866, following the Six Weeks War, Verona, along with the rest of
Venetia, became part of United Italy.
The advent of fascism
added another dark chapter to the annals of Verona. As throughout
Italy, the Jewish population was hit by the Manifesto of Race, a
series of anti-Semitic laws passed in 1938, and after the invasion
by Nazi Germany in 1943, deportations to Nazi concentration camps.
An Austrian Fort (now a church, the Santuario della Madonna di
Lourdes), was used to incarcerate and torture Allied troops, Jews
and anti-fascists, especially after 1943, when Verona became part of
the Italian Social Republic.
As in Austrian times, Verona
became of great strategic importance to the regime. Galeazzo Ciano,
Benito Mussolini's son-in-law, was accused of plotting against the
republic; in a show trial staged by the Nazi and fascist hierarchy
at Castelvecchio (the Verona trial), Ciano was executed on the banks
of the Adige with many other officers on what is today Via Colombo.
This marked another turning point in the escalation of violence that
would only end with the final liberation by allied troops and
partisans in 1945.
After World War II, as Italy entered into
NATO, Verona once again acquired its strategic importance, due to
its closeness to the Iron Curtain. The city became the seat of SETAF
(South European Allied Terrestrial Forces) and had during the whole
duration of the Cold War period a strong military presence,
especially American, which is decreasing only in these recent years.
Now Verona is an important and dynamic city, very active in terms of
economy, and also a very important tourist attraction thanks to its
history, where the Roman past lives side by side with the Middle Age
Verona, which in some senses brings about its architectural and
artistic motifs.
on the plane
Verona-Villafranca Airport (Valerio
Catullo, IATA: VRN), Caselle di Sommacampagna (VR) (The airport is
located within the municipal boundaries of Villafranca di Verona, but is
only 12 km from the city centre), ☎ +39 045 8095666, fax: +39 045
8619074. Valerio Catullo Airport of Verona-Villafranca is connected by
domestic flights with Rome-Fiumicino Airport, Naples-Capodichino
Airport, Bari-Palese-Macchi Airport, Crotone Airport,
Catania-Fontanarossa Airport, Palermo-Punta Raisi Airport, Olbia- Costa
Smeralda, Alghero Fertilia Airport, Cagliari Elmas Airport.
It is
easily accessible thanks to the bus service (called the Aerobus) that
connects the airport to the Verona Porta Nuova train station. The
service, which costs 6 euros, is guaranteed every day, with connections
every 20 minutes from 5:20 am to 11:35 pm.
By car
Verona is an
important motorway junction, so the city is easily accessible by car:
the A4 motorway connects the city to Milan and Venice, while the A22
motorway connects it to Bologna, and thus to southern Italy, to Trento
and then to northern Europe.
The easiest way to reach the city
center is to take the exit at the Verona Sud junction, located along the
A4 motorway, since from here you immediately head towards the center
along the long straight axis of the road, which bears the name of viale
delle Nazioni in the first section, therefore, viale del Lavoro. Viale
Piave and finally Corso Porta Nuova. Shortly before the end of Corso
Porta Nuova, you can park your car in two large covered car parks
located next to Piazza Bra, Cittadella and Arena. Parking fees in these
car parks, which are open 24 hours a day, are EUR 2 for the first hour,
EUR 4.50 for the second, EUR 7 for the third and EUR 15 for daily
parking. sabait.it - Arena Parking. apcoa.it - Ciutadella car park.
Along Viale del Lavoro, opposite the Verona Exhibition Center, there
is also an exchange car park that allows you to park daily for 5 euros.
The daily stop also includes a return bus ticket from the city center,
guaranteed by ATV lines 21 and 22, which runs from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm,
every 10 minutes. portale.comune.verona.it - Exchange car park in a
former fruit and vegetable market.
On the boat
The nearest
naval port where large passenger transport ships arrive is in Venice,
from where you can easily reach Verona by train from Venice Santa Lucia
FS station, getting off at Verona Porta Nuova FS station.
By
train
Verona Porta Nuova station, Piazzale XXV aprile, ☎ 892021.
Verona Porta Nuova station is the main railway station of the city of
Verona, located on the lines Milan-Venice, Verona-Brenner,
Verona-Bologna, Verona-Mantova. Verona Rovigo. In addition, the train
station is easily accessible from Rome with 10 high speed connections
operated by Frecciargento, while Frecciabianca connects the city with
Milan and Venice with 42 daily connections, with Udine with 2
connections, with Trieste with 6 connections and with Turin with 14
connections. connections, always daily.
Station Verona Porta Vescovo.
By bus
Bus station. There is a network of suburban buses that
connect Verona with various cities in the province.
By train
Verona Porta Nuova station, Piazzale XXV aprile, ☎ 892021. Verona Porta
Nuova station is the main railway station of the city of Verona, located
on the lines Milan-Venice, Verona-Brenner, Verona-Bologna,
Verona-Mantova. Verona Rovigo. In addition, the train station is easily
accessible from Rome with 10 high speed connections operated by
Frecciargento, while Frecciabianca connects the city with Milan and
Venice with 42 daily connections, with Udine with 2 connections, with
Trieste with 6 connections and with Turin with 14 connections.
connections, always daily.
By car
Verona can be reached by
road:
SS11 Milan-Venice (Brescia-Verona-Padua-Mestre)
SS12 from
Abetone or from Brenero: Brenero-Pisa
(Bolzano-Trento-Verona-Modena-Lucca)
SS62 Verona-Parma
SS434
Verona Rovigo (Legnago)
A4 "Serenissima": Milan-Venice (exit Verona
sud)
A22 Modena-Brenero (exit Verona Nod)
By public transport
Within the city, you can easily
get around using Verona Transport Company public transport or ATV. The
terminus of many vehicles is at the Verona Porta Nuova railway station
square, where the departure and arrival area of almost all city and
suburban buses is located: not all lines have a stop here.
The
city ticket costs €1.30 and is valid for 90 minutes from the time of
validation, allowing you to travel throughout Verona's city network.
Otherwise, for 4 euros, you can buy a city day ticket, which allows you
to make an unlimited number of trips on the same day. There are also
booklets with one-way tickets. Urban network of Verona
The Verona
Urban Transport Network is the local public transport system in the city
of Verona and its urban area. It consists of 23 bus routes on weekdays
and 10 on public holidays, which capillary cover the entire city and the
municipalities of the hinterland (Negrar, San Pietro Incariano,
Bussolengo, Lugagnano, Caselle di Sommacampagna, Alpo, Castel d'Azzano
). , San Giovanni Lupatoto, Stallaven).
Most of the lines make
radial north-south and east-west connections and run along the main
lines through the historic center, passing through major landmarks such
as Porta Nuova Station, Piazza Bra, Castelvecchio, San Fermo and Borgo
Trent Hospital.
Opening hours
The service schedule varies
depending on the line: it starts in full at 5.10 and ends around 21.20
(the departure time of the last flights). The service is provided 364
days a year, except May 1st. There is a discount for Christmas, New Year
and Easter. Schedule includes 3 types of schedule type:
weekday hours
Saturday schedule (with cancellation of some flights)
holiday hours
(with reduced travel frequency)
The winter timetable is valid
from September to June, while the summer timetable is valid during the
summer months (also in this case with a reduction in the frequency of
flights or rerouting of some lines). On school days, various specific
services are provided, as well as an increase in the capacity of some
lines. For several years, the timetable has also been featured on Google
Maps through the Google Transit program and a dedicated smartphone app.
Evening service
At the end of the daytime service, the evening
service is switched on, consisting of 9 lines connecting the most
important areas of the city with the historical center, railway stations
and hospitals. Evening service is open from 20:20 to 01:00 from Sunday
to Friday, and on Fridays and Saturdays the service is open no later
than 02:50.
Meaning
The color of the buses is mostly green,
with a blue stripe under the belt and a special color that changes
shades depending on how the sunlight hits it, in the part above the
windows. Some buses have special liveries for promotional purposes. All
buses are equipped with an external route indicator indicating the line,
destination and important intermediate stops.
Inside the most
recent cars, there is a display that informs the user which bus stop is
coming next. In addition, the latest buses put into service have video
surveillance on board to make the journey safer for both users and
traveling staff.
Information for passengers
Information for
passengers and notices of any changes in the service are published on
the company's website. In addition, public transport schedules have been
published on Google Maps, and therefore, in addition to being able to
calculate routes and routes, it is possible to view the schedule of the
stops you are at through Google Now.
At all poles of city lines
there is a schedule showing the average time to the main stops, which is
in the range of 3-7 minutes. At various stops, especially in the
historic center, there are poles or sheds equipped with LED displays
that show line waiting times in real time, as well as service messages
and dates.
lines
Each line is identified by a number and the
destination it leads to (some lines, even with the same number, have
routes that end in different places).
11 Bussolengo/Chievo → San
Michele Norte (Borgo Frugose)
12 Borgo Nuovo → San Michele Sud (Via
Dolomiti)
13 Lugagnano/Croce Bianca → Montorio/Mizzole
21
Negrar/San Pietro Incariano → Palazzina/San Giovanni Lupatoto
22
Villa Monga → Polyclinic/San Giovanni Lupatoto
23 Avesa → Santa
Lucia/ZAI
24 Quinzano → Sant'Elisabetta/Caselle di Sommacampagna
30 Saval → Via Carinelli
31 Saval → Markana
32 San Massimo → San
Felice Extra
33 Basson → Santa Croce
By taxi
Unione
Radiotaxi Verona provides transport services in ordinary taxis, as well
as taxis for the disabled, collective taxis for important events at the
Verona Fair, connection to Verona-Villafranca Airport and rental cars
with a driver, and operates 24 hours a day. day, every day of the year.
The main taxi ranks are located at the Verona Porta Nuova and Verona
Porta Vescovo stations, at Piazza Bra, Piazza Erbe and Piazza San Zeno,
at Castelvecchio, at the Verona Fair, at the Passalacqua car park, at
the Borgo Trento Hospital. and the Borgo Roma hospital, and in the car
park in front of the Valerio Catullo airport.
TAXI (switchboard)
+39 045 532666
By car
On this site you can rent a car in
Verona.
Parking for campers, Via Gianattilio dalla Bona, 8. 24
hours 10 euros. The recreation area is very popular among vacationers,
also because of the relative proximity to the city center.
The shopping streets of the historic center are:
Mazzini street
Via Sant'Anastasia
Corso Portoni Borsari
Markets of Santa Lucia,
Piazza Brà. From 10 to 13 December. Market of stalls linked to the
traditional feast of Santa Lucia. In the background is the illuminated
Christmas star, which stretches out from inside the Arena towards the
square.
Modest prices
Gusto Piadinerie, Stradone Porta Palio 4, ☎ +39 389
654 5684. Piadine with ingredients to compose but also pizzas and other
products. It can be eaten on the spot, even if there are few tables and
there is the possibility of home delivery.
Gelateria Savoia, Via Roma
1/b, ☎ +39 0458002211, savoiama@email.it.
There are numerous fast
food chains in the city:
Burger King Verona, Via Carlo Montanari 10
above the Saba Arena car park, ☎ +39 045 8033839. Mon-Sun 11am-10pm. The
services are: King Drive, Play King, Wifi, Parties.
Burger King
Verona, Piazzale XXV Aprile 4. Mon-Sun 10:00-22:00. This Burger King is
located at the Verona Porta Nuova station. The restaurant offers its
customers a WiFi internet connection. Home delivery available.
KFC
Verona Adigeo, Viale delle Nazioni 1, ☎ +39 045 8532155. Mon-Sun
09:00-23:00.
KFC Verona Corso Milano, Corso Milano 92. Mon-Sun
11:00-23:00.
La Piadineria, Via Nizza 6, ☎ +39 045 9299246.
La
Piadineria Adigeo, Viale delle Nazioni 1, ☎ +39 045 580029. Mon-Sun
11:30-15:00 and 18:30-21:00.
McDonald's Verona Porta Nuova, Corso
Porta Nuova 14, ☎ +39 045 597422. Sun-Thu 07:00-24:00, Fri-Sat
07:00-02:00.
McDonald's Adigeo, Viale delle Nazioni 1, ☎ +39 045
2095134. Mon-Sun 09:00-22:00.
McDonald's Verona Corso Milano, Corso
Milano 62, ☎ +39 045 8103241. Mon-Sun 07:00-24:00.
McDonald's Verona
Fiera, Viale del Lavoro 25, ☎ +39 045 581462. Mon-Sun 07:00-24:00. The
services are McDrive and McCafé
McDonald's Verona Preare, Via Preare
52, ☎ +39 045 2094990. Mon-Sun 07:00-24:00. The services are McDrive and
McCafé
McDonald's Villafranca, Via Borgo Bello 29 (12 km away), ☎ +39
045 2095035.
Subway Verona, Corso Cavour 50, ☎ +39 045 2222489.
Sun-Sat 11am-10pm, Tues 11am-10am.
Average prices
At the
Duomo, Via Duomo 7, ☎ +39 045 8004505. edit
Roadhouse Restaurant
Verona, Via del Lavoro 23, ☎ +39 045 8230546. Sun-Thu 12:00-14:30 and
18:30-22:00, Fri-Sat 12:00-14:30 and 18:30-22 :30.
Modest prices
1 StraVagante Hostel, Via Gianattilio dalla Bona, 8
(600 meters from the station), ☏ +39 045 554 7968. Check-in: 2pm-8pm,
check-out: 8am-10am. A design hostel with the quality of a hotel. There
is also the possibility to have lunch or dinner in the attached
restaurant. best quality.
Average prices
2 Il Ghiro B&B, Via
Luigi Negrelli 21 (10 minutes from Porta Nuova station: behind the
church on the left via Palladio, at the traffic light on the right via
Albere, 100 meters on the left Via Negrelli. 20 minutes from the Arena.
The airport is about 7 km away and is served by shuttles from the
station), ☎ +39 3294959620, ghiro@ilghiro.net. Double 40/60€. Check-in:
to be agreed, check-out: 10.00. Two beautiful large and bright double
rooms with double bed or single beds with a choice of shared or private
bathroom. An abundant and varied breakfast is served in the breakfast
room and is included in the price, unless otherwise specified. Access to
the rooms is autonomous and independent. The familiar but discreet
welcome. Wi-Fi in the room is free. In a very convenient position for
the motorways, outside the ZTL and with free parking.
High prices
3 Hotel Villa del Quar, Via Quar, 12, ☎ +39 045 6800681,
info@hotelvilladelquar.it. 5-star hotel housed in an ancient
16th-century Venetian villa and located a few kilometers from the center
of Verona. Inside the hotel there is also the Arquade restaurant and a
well-stocked wine cellar. Thanks also to the natural setting in which it
is inserted, the Hotel is suitable for ceremonies and important events.
Red Cross, ☎ +39 045 8621870.
Emergency medical service, ☎ +39 045
8075627.
Borgo Roma Hospital, Piazzale L.A. Dark 10, ☎ +39 045
8121111.
Borgo Trento Hospital, Piazzale Aristide Stefani 1, ☎ +39
045 8121111.
Municipal Police, ☎ +39 045 8078411.
Verona Police
Headquarters, ☎ +39 045 8090411.