Museums and monuments of Verona

Roman Amphitheatre – Arena of Verona

The Roman amphitheatre, better known as the Arena of Verona, is probably Verona's most famous monument, in both national and international terms. The Arena of Verona was built in the 1st century AD and originally stood outside the walls of Verona. It was not included inside the walls until the III century AD by Gallieno the Roman emperor. The Verona Arena has an elliptical design, and in terms of bulk, vastness and importance, it comes second only to the Coliseum of Rome. The Verona Arena has load bearing structures in concrete, whereas the exterior is covered with bricks and Stones from Verona. The external ring shaped strip of the Verona Arena almost entirely collapsed. Only a small part of it is visible, which corresponds to four arches for each of the three orders. Veronese citizens traditionally call this part the Wing. The part of the Verona Arena visible today consists of two overlapping arches, with quoins in red stone.
The interior of the Verona Arena consists of concentric, ascending tiers, around internal stalls measuring about 74 x 45 meters. The admirable state of preservation of the Verona Arena is owed to the love that Verona citizens have always given to their most important monument.
In fact, already in the XVI century, a special magistracy was established, named the Conservaotores Arenae, which was assigned the task of supervising the restoration of the Verona Arena, and to completely rebuilding the tiers.
In ancient times, the Verona Arena was the site of gladiator games, hunts/chases, naval battles, in common with all Roman amphitheatres. After almost two thousand years, the Verona Arena still has this public entertainment function in spite of some small but important variations. Since 1913, every summer the Verona Arena hosts some grand and imposing operas, which fascinate thousands of enthusiastic spectators every evening.

Roman theatre

The Roman theatre of Verona was built in the second half of the 1st century AD, in a splendid hill position right in front of the loop formed by the Adige river in the centre of Verona. The archaeological digs which brought to light Verona's Roman theatre began in the XIX century and were recently completed. The Roman theatre of Verona consists of a semi-circular cavea with a tier (flight of steps), which was partially reconstructed, and of a stage (only partially preserved), at the sides of which one can still see the imposing remains of the prosceniums. Unfortunately, the monumental façade facing the river was almost completely destroyed in the course of centuries. The special beauty of Verona's Roman theatre is owed to its position: immersed in greenery, surmounted by a tufaceous face and by the ancient Convent of San Girolamo. A loggia of marble arches is located above the last tier of steps. It is presumed that it was initially part of the upper crowning section; however its original position is still doubtful. The very large and deep interspace is particularly interesting. It was dug in the tufa behind the theatre to separate it from the hill.

Ponte Pietra (Stone Bridge)

Ponte Pietra (known to Romans by the name pons marmoreus) is the only one of the two Roman bridges of Verona preserved to the present day. Of the other Roman bridge in Verona, the pons postumio, only a few pieces of it remain on the shore of the Adige river level with the church of Sant'Anastasia. The Ponte Pietra in Verona has five arches: the last one, on the right bank, was rebuilt in 1298 by Alberto della Scala, together with the guardian tower. The pictorial aspect of the Ponte Pietra in Verona is due to the variety of materials used to construct it. The Ponte Pietra was seriously damaged by bombing on Verona during the second world war. Four arches and part of the piers were subsequently reconstructed by recovering the original stones from the river.

Arch of the Gavi

The Arch of the Gavi in Verona, built in the 1st century AD, now stands in a small piazza beside Castelvecchio, at the end of Corso Cavour, where it was recomposed in 1930 after it had been destroyed as a pretext by the French in 1705. Its original position was in the centre of the street, level with the Castelvecchio clock tower, where it was subsequently integrated in the walls of Verona.

Porta Borsari (Borsari Gate)

Porta Borsari stands at the end of Corso Porta Borsari, which was the Decuman of Verona in the Roman epoch. The part of the gate now visible is its original covering, because the internal structures of the gate have not been preserved. Porta Borsari was built in the second half of the 1st century AD and is the second best preserved monument of Roman Verona, obviously after the Verona Arena.
Porta Borsari was part of the first circle of walls of Verona; it consists of two barrel vaults with architraves, tympanums and columns, surmounted by two rows of windows, whose ornaments inspired Verona's Renaissance architects. There is also an inscription on the gate dating from 245 AD, bearing the Roman name of Verona: COLONIA VERONA AUGUSTA.

Porta dei Leoni (Lions' Gate)

Porta dei Leoni in Verona was built in the second half of the 1st century AD, as an access gate in the circle of Verona's Roman walls and was considerably transformed about one century after it was erected. Porta dei Leoni in Verona consists of two barrel vaults with tympanum and lateral columns, surmounted by arched windows and a large exedra. Unfortunately, only half of the original gate has been preserved, moreover hidden at the rear by a building constructed against it. However this is one of the most important testimonies of the Roman epoch in Verona. The remains of the basement of Porta dei Leoni in Verona, large sections of the original floor and the polygonal base of one of the big towers which stood beside the gate in Roman times, were brought back to light during the very recent archaeological digs and are also visible from the outside.

Castelvecchio

The enormous castle near the centre of Verona, surmounted by thousands of towers, was built for internal and external defence by Cangrande II della Scala in 1354-55, and encapsulated a large part of the previous municipal walls as afar as the Adige river. Castelvecchio experienced all the subsequent dominations of Verona, always suffering a great deal of damage, under the Visconti and likewise under the French and Austrians. During the Napoleonic domination in Verona, a blockhouse was built in the courtyard of Castelvecchio and the crenellations and towers were cut down, being reconstruced not until after 1930, when Castelvecchio was definitively transformed into a museum.
The external perimeter of Castelvecchio in Verona is highly irregular and is marked by six towers, of which one is tallest and strongest. A broad moat was excavated around the castle where the Adige river flowed. The interior of Castelvecchio in Verona is subdivided into three courtyards, and recent restoration works have led to the recovery of some interesting original elements (part of the internal wall and the remains of the ancient church of San Martino, over which the castle of Verona was built). In about 1925, the former Napoleonic blockhouse was also modified: doors and window removed from old houses in Verona were installed in it.

The Ponte Scaligero (Bridge)

The Ponte Scaligero is Verona's second most famous bridge, after Ponte Pietra.
The Ponte Scaligero is part of the Castelvecchio complex and integrated Verona's defensive and logistic system. Built for military purposes, the Ponte Scaligero is also a wonderful example of medieval engineering.
Built in 1355, probably by Guglielmo Bevilacqua on the commission of Cangrande II della Scala, it consists of three large arches supported by towered pillars. This large bridge stands out for it massive structure and the colour of its bricks, but especially, for one of the most beautiful panoramas of the river and Verona. The Ponte Scaligero was heavily damaged during the various dominations of Verona and was almost completely destroyed during the second world war, but was scrupulously rebuilt.

The Scaligeri sarcophaguses and the church of Santa Maria Antica

The Scaligeri had a church of their own in the immediate vicinity of Palazzo dei Signori of Verona, and established their cemetery outside the church.
The church is named Santa Maria Antica and, although it is small, it is one of the most attractive churches of Verona. It is covered with alternate strips of stone and bricks, and is embellished by a small bell tower, with 'crutch' capitals in the 2-light mullioned windows of the belfry, and by conical roofing in bricks. The tomb of Cangrande I della Scala (died in 1329), lies by the side entrance door. It is without doubt the most important monument of Verona XIV century sculpture. The equestrian statue of Cangrade stands above the pyramid shaped vault, the only monument of the Verona Lords located outside the church's marble enclosure. Inside the church there are other funereal monuments of the Verona Lords, many of them shaped like a sarcophagus and situated on the floor: the Sarcophagus of Giovanni della Scala (who died in 1359), the Sarcophagus of Mastino II della Scala (built from 1340 to 1350), and the Sarcophagus of Cansignorio della Scala (who died in 1375). The Scaligeri sarcophagi are the best example of Gothic art in Verona.

Juliet's House

William Shakespeare's immortal tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, has contributed to making Verona known throughout the world. The tragic story of literature's two most famous lovers can be re-lived along the streets of Verona, thanks to Verona's medieval atmosphere and to the precise, concrete places referred to in Shakespeare's work.
Juliet's house is in via Cappello in Verona, a few meters from Piazza delle Erbe. It is a high building, probably built in the XIII century, with a brick façade, which, according to tradition, is the home of the Capulets, Juliet's family. In the inner courtyard one can see Juliet's celebrated balcony, as the tragedy tells us. A plate in English and Italian, at the side of the balcony, quotes the well known verses of Shakespeare's tragedy.

ROMEO - He jests at scars, that never felt a wound...(JULIET appears above at a window) But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief, that thou her maid art far more fair than she: be not her maid, since she is envious; her vestal livery is but sick and green, and none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady; O! it is my love: O! that she knew she were. She speaks, yet she says nothing. What of that? Her eye discourses; I will answer it. I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks: two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, having some business, do entreat her eyes to twinkle in their spheres till they return.. What if her eyes were there, they in her head? The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars as daylight doth a lamp; her eyes m heaven would through the airy region stream so bright that birds would sing and think it were not night. See! how she leans her cheek upon- her hand: O! that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek.

JULIET - Ay me!

ROMEO - She speaks: O! speak again, bright angel; for thou art as glorious to this night, being o'er my head, as is a winged messenger of heaven unto the white-upturned wond'ring eyes of mortals, that fall back to gaze on him. When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds, and sails upon the bosom of the air.

JULIET - O Romeo, Romeo I wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father, and refuse thy name; or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet.

ROMEO - [Aside.] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?

JULIET - 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; thou art thyself though, not a Montague. What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O! be some other name: what's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet; so Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title. Romeo, doff thy name; and for that name, which is no part of thee, take all myself.

(William Shakespeare, II Akt, II Szene, Romeo und Julia).

Romeo's House

The tradition of Verona likes to locate the Montecchis' house - and therefore Romeo's house - in an attractive medieval house in via Arche Scaligere, built in bricks and still with some traces of the ancient crenellations.
The house is in a rather precarious condition, the courtyard and the interior cannot be visited, but some rooms have been assimilated in the adjoining restaurant. An inscription on the façade of the house recalls the story of Romeo and Juliet set in Verona:

Oh! Where is Romeo?... Tut, I have lost myself; I am not here; this is not Romeo, he's some other where.

(William Shakespeare, Act I, Scene I, Romeo and Juliet).

Juliet's tomb

The romantic pilgrimage in Verona inevitably also leads us to Juliet's tomb in via del Pontiere in Verona. The tomb is part of the complex of the former Convent of the Capucines, whose cloister and chapel of Saint Francis in baroque style can still be seen. An empty sarcophagus is preserved in a shadowy crypt, which the long and sometimes controversial tradition indicates as the tomb of Juliet Capuleti, the heroin of Verona, tragically known to all lovers in the world.

Archaeological Museum

The archaeological museum of Verona is situated near the Roman theatre, and can be accessed from the theatre by a lift (visitors please contact the custodian). The archaeological museum of Verona occupies some rooms of the former San Girolamo convent, and was recently refurbished. The archaeological museum is a must for all those who are particularly interested in Verona's Roman history. Many interesting finds of Roman Verona are preserved in the rooms of the archaeological museum of Verona: mosaics, sculptures, bronze pieces, glass pieces, vault urns and fragments of funeral monuments. Furthermore, there is a splendid view of Verona to be enjoyed from the museum rooms.

Maffeiano Lapidary Museum

The Maffeiano Lapidary Museum is located near the Portals of the Bra and can be accessed through a passage in the Filarmonic portico. The Verona museum is the oldest lapidary museum in Europe. It was founded in 1714 by Scipione Maffei, a scholar of Verona. An important collection of stones with epigraphs, statues, funeral urns, to which medieval finds were also added, is stored under the open gallery of the lapidary museum of Verona. Scipione Maffei himself wrote a guide to his museum in 1749, entitled the Veronese Museum.

Modern Art Gallery – Palazzo Forti

Palazzo Forti, formerly Palazzo Emilei, houses in Corso Sant’Anastasia in Verona the city's gallery of modern and contemporary art. The architecture of the palazzo was completely renewed by Ignazio Pellegrini at the end of the XVIII century; recent restoration works have brought to light parts of the palazzo di Ezzelino da Romano, dating back from 1200. On the ground floor, the modern art gallery of Verona houses exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, whereas on the first floor, it exhibits works by artists, especially Veronese, from the XIX and XX centuries, while awaiting an overall museographic catalogue. Up to a few years ago, the palazzo also accommodated the Risorgimento Museum of Verona, which, however, has now been demobilised.

Civic Museum of Castelvecchio

The Scaligero castle of Verona, since 1957 undergoing a massive, radical restoration, which has to a great extent restored its original appearance, houses the civic museum of Verona. After careful interior re-organisation and museographic setting up, it is today one of the most perfect and accredited European museums. The civic museum of Verona accommodates Romanesque sculptures by Veronese artists, collections of ancient weapons, frescoes of Veronese churches and palazzos, works by Italian Gothic style painters, works by foreign painters, and paintings from Verona's Renaissance period.

Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum of Verona is housed inside Palazzo Pompei on Lungadige Porta Vittoria.
The Natural History Museum of Verona is one of the most famous in Italy and Europe. Inside, in the twenty large rooms, visitors can admire precious and rare mineralogical, paleontological, faunistic, ornithological, ichthyiological and entomological collections. The Natural History Museum of Verona preserves fossils from the Bolca region, and contains a large number of vegetal and animal species which lived more than 30 million years ago.

African Museum

The African Museum of the Combonian Missionaries of Verona was established through an intuition of the first successor of Daniele Comboni, Francesco Sogaro a bishop. In 1882 the latter invited don Giuseppe Sembianti, then Rector of the African Institutes, to create an African Museum in Verona, to gather interesting objects, science or curiosity that the missionaries would have sent from Africa. The African Museum of Verona aims to be a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural reference point in the Verona area and ambient and of all the Veneto region, offering itself to visitors as an instrument for knowledge of Africa and dialogue with Africa, and becoming more and more a place where differences can coexist.

Giusti Garden

The Giusti Garden is situated in the street of that name in Verona, it belongs to the XVI Century Palazzo Giusti, and is one of the most beautiful Italian gardens of the late Renaissance period (1580).
The Giusti Garden of Verona is divided into two parts: the lower Italian style garden, with a great design of flower beds, a maze, fountains, statues, etc; the upper garden, which stretches along the hill of San Zeno in monte, and has a broad avenue of Cypresses and a characteristic towered building, with an internal winding staircase, which leads to the floor above, offering a very beautiful view of Verona.

Verona Apartments, Farm Holidays, Bed and Breakfast, Country House Hotels, Residencies in Verona, Valpolicella, and Lake Garda,

advise all those wishing to visit the museums and monuments of Verona to find accommodation in the following structures:

San Ciriaco Relais Country House Hotel and Bed and Breakfast for Farm Holidays in Verona Valpolicella (Italy): the ideal place for those wishing to stay in a completely relaxed and reserved manner, in a hilly zone immersed in greenery.

Residenza San Tomaso furnished apartments for rent B&B in central Verona for those looking to go to the opera or cinema, or to go shopping on the streets of central Verona, walking around in comfort.