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Verona was one of the important cities of the Roman Empire, and it leaves its clear mark on the city, where in many places you can see very well-preserved buildings from the centuries around the birth of Christ. It was also here that Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet took place, and that and much more can be seen in the city center.
The city squares are almost in extension of each other, and one is more beautiful than the next. Piazza Bra, Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza dei Signori are sure hits on a stroll through Verona, where Juliet’s house from Romeo & Juliet is a popular sight as well. It is all about looking up and enjoying the many beautiful houses in the city.
From Roman times, the Arena di Verona is a colossal asset for the city. You can still enjoy performances in the old setting, and you can walk over old bridges to the Roman theater, where you can see the interesting construction and also get a nice view of the center of Verona.
There are also several opportunities for trips in the Verona area, whether you want to go out into nature or to other beautiful cultural cities. Lake Garda is close to Verona, and here you can swim, sail and enjoy the varied landscape around the large lake. Brescia and Vicenza are cities close by and they both offer fine sights.
Arena di Verona is the famous and impressive Roman amphitheater in Verona. The great arena was built around the year 30 and was outside the city walls of Verona at that time. The arena had a capacity of more than 30,000 spectators, and it attracted with its performances visitors from Verona and many other cities in the region.
The arena was originally built with an external facade consisting of white and pink limestone from Valpolicella. However, this outer facade ring was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1117, so that only a small part remains in the northern facade of the arena. The outer facade was not rebuilt, and after the earthquake the stones were used for other constructions in the city.
The remaining structure after 1117 was therefore the interior of the arena, and it is also an impressive building. The interior facades of the arena have been preserved all around, and the same applies to the rows of spectators, which lie like a modern stadium around the central stage.
The Arena di Verona was already used for opera performances in the Renaissance. Over time, the beautiful setting was increasingly used for performances, such as in 1913, when Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida was performed on the occasion of the centenary of Verdi’s birth. Today, together with 15,000 other spectators, you can enjoy opera productions every summer under the balmy Italian evening sky.
The arena is also used for concerts, and over the past decades Bruce Springsteen, Simple Minds, Pink Floyd, Leonard Cohen, Zucchero and Paul McCartney, among others, have played here. Events have also been held in connection with major sporting events in the Arena di Verona.
Piazza delle Erbe is the oldest square in Verona, and it is located on the very spot where the historic Roman Forum was located. In Roman times, the Roman Forum was the center of the city’s political and economic life, and at that time the square was surrounded by Roman buildings, which over time changed to Piazza delle Erbe and buildings from the Middle Ages.
There is a nice crowd in Piazza delle Erbe today, and there are several things to see here. In the square stands the fountain Fontana di Madonna from the 4th century with later medieval additions. A little further north from the Fontana di Madonna you can see the Colonna di San Marco with the Lion of Mark, the symbol of Venice. To the south stands a pillar from the 14th century, with reliefs in niches.
Around the square you can see a number of well-known and worth-seeing buildings. On the north-east side of the elongated square, you can see the Palazzo del Comune, also known as the Palazzo della Ragione, which was built at the end of the 12th century with partial reconstruction in the 19th century. In the mansion complex you can see the impressive Torre dei Lamberti, which is 84 meters high. From the top of the tower there is a breathtaking view of the center of Verona.
At the northern end of the square is the Baroque mansion Palazzo Maffei, adorned with various statues of the Greek gods Jupiter, Hercules, Minerva, Venus, Mercury and Apollo. To the southeast is the Domus Mercatorum, also called Casa dei Mercanti. The current house was built in 1301 by Alberto della Scala as a commercial building and the seat of Verona’s merchants’ guild.
Ponte della Pietra is an ancient Roman bridge that was completed around 100 BC and which today constitutes one of Verona’s famous ancient buildings. It was originally called Pons Marmoreus or the Marble Bridge. The bridge was built with five arches and it still stands as a Roman bridge, although it has been destroyed by floods several times.
The arch closest to the right bank of the Adige and thus the center of Verona was destroyed, for example, and it was rebuilt by Alberto della Scala in the year 1298. On that occasion, the bridge tower on the same side, Torre di Ponte Pietra, was also rebuilt. Four of the bridge’s arches were destroyed on 24 April 1945 when retreating German troops blew up the bridge. It was rebuilt 1957-1959 using the original stones.
Teatro Romano & Museo Archeologico is Verona’s ancient Roman theater and the museum housed in the excavation of the theater. The theater is located close to the city center on the left bank of the river Adige, and it sits like a large semicircle on the slopes that rise from the river with the stage closest to the water.
The theater was built around the year 20 BC. as a magnificent building with a large stage complex, orchestra space, spectator stands and two richly decorated entrances. The building was adorned with numerous statues and was the scene of dramatic productions. However, the theater fell into disrepair with the decline of the Roman Empire, where it was no longer maintained.
Centuries passed and houses were built on top of the old Roman theater. In 1834, Andrea Monga, who came from Verona, bought the houses, and he then had them demolished. Monga also financed the subsequent excavation and partial reconstruction of the ancient theater complex. At that time, the upper floors were preserved, but the lower floors facing the river could not be reconstructed.
Today, the Teatro Romano di Verona is open to visitors and is a popular tourist attraction. You can see a large part of the preserved theatre, and the large rows of spectators give a good impression of the theatre’s original size. The framework is also used for performances today, so it is possible to experience the facility’s original function.
There are quite a few ruins that stretch up the hill of Colle San Pietro. They form part of the former theater complex, and further up the slope you can visit the archaeological museum at the Roman theater housed in the former monastery, Convento dei Gesuati. The museum exhibits many and varied finds from the theater area, but there are also archaeological finds from other parts of Verona from Roman times.
Duomo di Verona is the cathedral of Verona and its formal name is Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta. The large church is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Verona and its history dates back to the 12th century, when an earthquake in 1117 left two earlier churches on the site in ruins.
The cathedral was built in contemporary Romanesque architecture, and it was consecrated in 1187. However, there are also elements from later alterations and extensions. The facade is divided into three sections and features a pediment and a two-story projecting protiro adorned with a 12th-century sculpture created by the sculptor Nicholaus.
There is also other decoration on the facade, where the Gothic windows bear witness to the remodeling that took place in the 14th century. You can also see a baroque addition in the upper part of the facade, which originates from the 17th century renovations of the cathedral. On the south side of the church there is another portal that was made in the so-called Lombard style.
There is also a bell tower at the Duomo di Verona. It was begun in the 16th century by Michele Sanmicheli, but was never completed. The tower is simply decorated with columns, capitals and bas-reliefs. It contains nine bells in the scale of A, and the bells are rung using the characteristic Veronese bell ringing art, where the bells swing almost a full turn.
In the church space, the red marble columns, the wide arcades and the beautiful decorations around the altar and the church’s side chapels, which were created between 1465 and 1504, dominate. There are fine works of art in these chapels, where you can see, among other things, an altarpiece of Mariæ Himmelfart in Cartolari- Nichesola Chapel. The altarpiece is a work by Titian. The main chapel in the apse was painted by Francesco Torbido in 1534 with scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary.
Slightly offset behind the cathedral itself is the baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte, which has been preserved in all essentials as it was when it was built in the 12th century. The chapel shows the typical features of Verona’s architecture with, for example, masonry that was made of alternating layers of tuff and brick. The central nave is wide, creating an impression of space reminiscent of early Christian basilicas. In the center of the three-aisled chapel is an octagonal Romanesque baptismal font that was carved from a single block of marble around the year 1200. The eight sides are decorated with reliefs of biblical scenes.
Casa di Giulietta is a name that you will recognize from Romeo & Juliet. Juliet’s House itself is a stately house from the 12th century, famous for its famous reconstructed balcony. This is where William Shakespeare’s theatrical tragedy Romeo and Juliet could have taken place. This applies more specifically to the scene from the farm by Juliet’s house.
In 1597, William Shakespeare published Romeo and Juliet, the action of which he takes place in Verona. In the work, the aristocratic families Capulet and Montague are at odds with each other. Romeo Montague was Julie Capulet’s lover and he wooed her and declared his love for her at the foot of her balcony, and so it is at this residence that the lovers promise each other eternal love.
Shakespeare never set foot in Verona himself, and his play is purely fictional. But the poignant history turned the Casa di Giulietta into a museum in 1905. Since then it has become a major tourist attraction in the city, and Antonio Avena added the famous balcony to the courtyard facade in the late 1930s. Today, the house is furnished with furniture from the 1500s and 1600s.
In the courtyard you can see a bronze statue of Juliet, which was created by the sculptor Nereo Costantini. According to superstition, women must touch her right breast, which brings happiness, eternal love and fertility. The statue is also believed to bring good luck to singles looking for love.
The Arco dei Gavi is an arch built in the 1st century by the wealthy Gavi family at the start of Via Postumia just outside Verona’s Roman walls. The arch was built to commemorate the Gavi family, a noble Roman family whose hometown was Verona, the Arco dei Gavi stands as a rare example of a privately funded monumental Roman arch, and it also served as a fortified city gate.
The arch later served as inspiration for architects and painters such as Andrea Palladio and Giovanni Bellini, and it had an influence on Verona’s architecture as a model for the construction of portals, altars and chapels in the city’s churches. The Arco dei Gavi stood until 1805, when French military engineers tore it down. However, it was possible to reassemble it, which was completed under the rule of Benito Mussolini in 1932.
Piazza dei Signori is a square, also known as Piazza Dante, which is close to the busy Piazza delle Erbe. The square originated in the Middle Ages, when it was defined by the construction of several mansions around it. Various political, administrative and representative functions also developed in and around the square, which thereby became one of Verona’s most important.
In the square there is a statue of Dante Aligheri. It was erected in 1865 as a replacement for a 17th-century fountain, which was not thought to be impressive enough for the monumental square. The statue was created by Ugo Zannoni in Carrara marble. The three-meter-high Dante statue stands on a pedestal and overlooks the Piazza dei Signori and its mansions.
There are several buildings worth seeing around the square. To the east is the Palazzo del Podestà, built by the Scala family, who used it as a residence from the 14th century. The mansion bears the typical Ghibelline parapets. In 1404, the Venetians rebuilt the mansion with a new portal where you can see the Venetian Lion of St. Mark.
To the southeast and next to the Palazzo del Podestà stands the Palazzo di Cansignorio, which was the seat of the Scala family and Venetian political power. The house was built by Cansignorio della Scala and completed in 1363. The original medieval tower has been preserved, while the rest of the facade was designed and built in the 16th century. in the courtyard of the house, you can see a fine loggia and the Porta dei Bombardieri gate from 1687.
Opposite the Palazzo di Cansignorio is the Loggia del Consiglio, built by the city government of Verona to hold meetings of the Patrio Consiglio. The loggia was built in the years 1476-1493. Finally, you can also see the Palazzo della Ragione, which was built at the end of the 12th century and partially rebuilt in the 19th century. The house originally had several towers, the most important of which was and is the impressive Torre dei Lamberti, which is 84 meters high and offers visitors a great view of the center of Verona.
The Basilica di San Zeno is a beautiful church that was built in the period 967-1398. The long construction period was due, among other things, to an earthquake that hit the city in 1117. The Romanesque facade became a model for other Romanesque churches in the city, and the church eventually became one of the best known in Verona. The church is dedicated to Zeno of Verona, who was bishop of Verona in the 4th century.
Saint Zeno died between 371 and 380, and according to legend, King Theodoric the Great erected a small church on his grave. The construction of the original current basilica started in the 8th century, and Bishop Ratoldus and King Pepin of Italy participated in the transfer of Saint Zeno’s relics to the new church.
The church’s facade is divided into three vertical sections, as is also seen on subsequent Romanesque churches in the city. There are reliefs and ornate panels above and beside the entrance portal, and the facade also has a rose window. The bell tower is 62 meters high and was built 1045-1178 as a separate building.
Inside you can see a beautiful church room with columns that support the simply decorated walls that end in the wooden ceiling from the 14th century. In the center you can see the crypt of the basilica, where the relics of Saint Zeno have been lying since 921, and his face is covered with a silver mask. The crypt is also interesting in another context, as it is believed to have inspired Shakespeare for the crypt in Romeo and Juliet.
At the Basilica di San Zeno you can see an attached monastery that was built in the 8th century as a replacement for an already existing monastery. The original structure was largely destroyed during the Napoleonic Wars, and only a few parts remain from the old monastery. For a long time, the monastery was the city’s official residence for the Holy Roman Emperors.
Basilica di Santa Anastasia is a large, Gothic Dominican church in Verona. The church was built in the years 1280-1400 as Verona’s largest church according to the design of the Dominican monks Fra’ Benvenuto da Imola and Fra’ Nicola da Imola. Like its predecessor on the spot, the telescope was dedicated to Anastasia of Sirmium, a Catholic saint who was martyred in the year 304.
The facade of the basilica is divided into three vertical sections corresponding to the interior of the church. On the facade you can also see a simple rose window. On the outside, you can also see the church’s 72-metre-high tower with the bells, which have been rung over the centuries using the special Verona style, where the bells almost rotate a full turn.
The entrance portal dates from the 15th century and has two doors flanking a 14th century Gothic structure with arches supported by ornamental columns in red, black and white marble. Around the doors you can see reliefs and panels with fine decorations. One can see the Trinity, Saint Peter of Verona and chronological scenes from the life of Jesus.
When you enter the church room, you come to a magnificent and beautifully decorated room with many works of art, beautiful side altars and other details worth seeing. The room is supported by marble columns with Gothic capitals. The four columns above the high altar show the coat of arms of the Castelbarco of Trento, a family that largely contributed to the construction of the church.
Piazza Bra is the largest of Verona’s many squares. It is here that you can see Verona’s world-famous arena, and it is also here that you can enjoy a lovely northern Italian atmosphere in one of the many cafes and restaurants that lie side by side along the square. The history of the square as an open urban space goes back to the 16th century, when the Palazzo Degli Honorij (Piazza Bra 16) was demarcated on the western side of the area.
In Roman times, this area was outside Verona’s city walls and therefore quite far from the main roads and squares of the city. It was not until the construction of the Arena di Verona that this part of the city was defined, but it was until the Middle Ages that extensions of Verona’s city walls created the framework for what became a square surrounded by mansions.
Today, in the middle of Piazza Bra, there is a green area with, among other things, cedar trees and pine trees, which provide shade for the benches along the park’s paths. In the small facility you can also see an equestrian statue of King Vittorio Emanuele II from 1883 and the fountain Fontana delle Alpi.
There are also several interesting buildings that you can take a look at when you are in Piazza Bra. Immediately south of the Arena di Verona is the Palazzo Barbieri, built in neoclassicism 1836-1848 to house personnel from the Austrian army of the time. Today, the beautiful mansion is set up as Verona’s town hall.
To the west of Palazzo Barbieri you can see the Palazzo della Gran Guardia, which was built from the beginning of the 17th century, but was not completed until 1853. It was originally supposed to house some functions for the Venetian Doge. After a few years of construction, funding from Venice stopped, and the mansion was completed by the Austrian government from 1818.
Castelvecchio is Verona’s old castle, which lies down to the river Adige. It was Cangrande II della Scala who had the castle built between 1354 and 1356. It was built along the river in a slightly peripheral location in the city, which was due to the fact that it was not only supposed to protect against external enemies, but also act as a place of refuge in case of rebellion or attack by the population.
Over time, the use of the castle changed several times. The Venetians temporarily used the castle as a fortress and warehouse, and under both the French and the Austrians the building complex functioned as barracks. In the 1920s, Castelvecchio was set up as a museum, before in November 1943 it became the scene of the holding of the only congress of the Republican Fascist Party, and on it the Verona Manifesto of the Italian Social Republic was adopted.
Castelvecchio was reopened as a museum, and here you can see an interesting art collection. There are, among other things, a number of Veronese works from the Gothic period to the 17th century, with a particular focus on Renaissance art. These include works by Stefano da Verona, Pisanello and Giovanni Francesco. The museum also has Venetian paintings with works by, among others, Jacopo Tintoretto, Titian and Paolo Veronese.
Ponte di Castelvecchio is a fortified bridge over the river Adige, located by the old castle, Castelvecchio. The bridge is also known as Ponte Scagliero, and unlike most other bridges, it does not connect streets at both ends. The bridge, on the other hand, was built in the 1350s by Cangrande II della Scala as an escape route from his residence castle in the event of a rebellion in the city against his rule. Thus, the bridge originates from Castelvecchio and is part of the castle complex.
The solidly built bridge stood more or less for centuries until German troops blew it up during their retreat on April 24, 1945. The architect Libero Cecchini was in charge of the reconstruction, which took place from 1949 to 1951. The bridge has three arches with a total length of of 120 meters and it was built and reconstructed in red bricks, typical of the period of regents from the House of Scala, which lasted 1262-1387.
Porta Borsari is an ancient Roman gate originally built in the 1st century, possibly on top of an earlier gate building. The gate was rebuilt in 265 under the emperor Gallienus, and it stood as the main entrance to the city, and therefore it was beautifully decorated. As the main entrance, it was here that the road Via Postumia became Decumanus Maximus.
In Roman times, the gate was called Porta Iovia, which was because it was located next to a temple of Jupiter. The name was changed to Porta Borsari in the late Middle Ages, as taxes were collected from the bursaries at the gate.
Porta Borsari was built as a gate castle with watchtowers rising above the main building where the guards were housed. Today these parts are not preserved, but you can see the impressive gate facade. The facade is in local white limestone and has two arches flanked by half-columns with Corinthian capitals which support the entablature and pediment. In the upper part you can see a two-storey wall with twelve arched windows, some of which are part of small niches with a triangular pediment.
Lago di Garda, or Lake Garda, is the largest lake in Italy and is named after the town of Garda, located on the lake’s eastern shore. Until the 8th century, the lake was called Lacus Benacus, whose name came from the local Celtic deity Benacus. The lake was formed in the last Ice Age by a branch of a glacier, and the first settlements on the lakeshore date back to around 2000 BC.
Lake Garda lies between the Alps in the north and the Po Valley in the south, and as a lake on the edge of the Alps, the landscape around it is quite varied. The northern part of the lake is surrounded by high mountains, while the southern shore is part of the northern Italian plain. The rich nature around Lake Garda thereby provides plenty of beautiful views from the heights at the same time as countless recreational opportunities along the water.
For centuries, Lago di Garda has been an excursion destination for the wealthy to their mansions and for tourists who increasingly came here from the latter half of the 20th century. And today the lake is easily accessible by train, which passes immediately south of the lake on the railway line between Milan and Venice. It is also easy to get from town to town around the lake, which is served by several ferry routes.
The biggest tourist areas are on the south coast of the lake, where you can find towns such as Desenzano del Garda, Rivoltella and Simione, which are located on the tip of a peninsula some distance out into the lake. In this area are some of the lovely beaches where you can enjoy a dip in the large lake. In the cities you can also go for walks in cozy harbours, in beautiful squares and enjoy life in beautiful surroundings.
Sirmione’s location is unique and the city is worth a trip. Here you can see the castle Castello Scaligero di Sirmione, which was built in the 14th century by the Della Scala family, who were rulers of Verona. The castle was militarily important until the 16th century, when a castle was built in Peschiera del Garda. Castello Scaligero di Sirmione is today one of Italy’s best preserved medieval castles.
In the more mountainous area to the north, you can take some wonderful trips along the shores of the lake, and along the way you can stop in several cozy small towns with nice promenades and views over the lake and the area’s mountains. This applies, for example, to Limone sul Garda on the western shore, Riva del Garda and Torbole to the north and Malcesina on the eastern side of the lake.
Brescia is a Lombard city located between the lakes Lago di Garda and Lago d’Iseo. It is a city that was founded in pre-Roman times, and which in 89 BC. became a Roman city named Brixia. The Romans expanded Brixia with temples, a forum, a theater and other structures that made the city characteristically Roman, of which you can see finely preserved remains today.
In the 560s, Brescia was conquered by the northern Italian Lombards, who established a duchy with its seat in the city. Later, power in the city changed, and under Emperor Louis II, Brescia was considered the Holy Roman capital in the years 855-875. The changes of power continued for many centuries before Brescia became subject to Venice and then became part of modern Italy.
Vicenza is a renaissance city on the Bacchiglione river that historically grew with settlements in the centuries BC. The city quickly became Roman and was named Vicetia, referring to the goddess of victory, Victoria. Vicetia was strategically located on the important trade route at the time between Milan and Aquileia.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, several centuries passed with changing alliances in the Lombard League and with the city of Padua, before the city joined the Scala rule in Verona in 1311, which subsequently fortified Vicenza. However, already in 1404 Vicenza became subject to the Republic of Venice.
Piazza Cascina Moie 1, Rodengo-Saiano
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Località Canove 1, Affi
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Via Trentino 1, Sona
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Viale del Commercio 1, San Martino Buon Albergo
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Via Marco Biagi, Bagnolo San Vito
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Via Mazzini, Corso Porta Borsari, Corso Santa Anastasia
Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza San Zeno
Museo de Storia Naturale
Lungadige Porta Vittorio 9
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Parco Natura Viva
Località Quercia, Bussolengo
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Gardaland Sea Life Aquarium
Via Derna 4, Castelnuovo del Garda
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Gardaland
Via Derna 4, Castelnuovo del Garda
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Lago di Garda
Desenzano di Garda
Overview of Verona
Verona was one of the important cities of the Roman Empire, and it leaves its clear mark on the city, where in many places you can see very well-preserved buildings from the centuries around the birth of Christ. It was also here that Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet took place, and that and much more can be seen in the city center.
The city squares are almost in extension of each other, and one is more beautiful than the next. Piazza Bra, Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza dei Signori are sure hits on a stroll through Verona, where Juliet’s house from Romeo & Juliet is a popular sight as well. It is all about looking up and enjoying the many beautiful houses in the city.
From Roman times, the Arena di Verona is a colossal asset for the city. You can still enjoy performances in the old setting, and you can walk over old bridges to the Roman theater, where you can see the interesting construction and also get a nice view of the center of Verona.
There are also several opportunities for trips in the Verona area, whether you want to go out into nature or to other beautiful cultural cities. Lake Garda is close to Verona, and here you can swim, sail and enjoy the varied landscape around the large lake. Brescia and Vicenza are cities close by and they both offer fine sights.
About the upcoming Verona travel guide
About the travel guide
The Verona travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Italian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.
Verona is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.
Read more about Verona and Italy
Buy the travel guide
Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.
Use the travel guide
When you buy the travel guide to Verona you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.
Roman Buildings • Ancient Bridges • Beautiful Squares • Opera
Overview of Verona
Verona was one of the important cities of the Roman Empire, and it leaves its clear mark on the city, where in many places you can see very well-preserved buildings from the centuries around the birth of Christ. It was also here that Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet took place, and that and much more can be seen in the city center.
The city squares are almost in extension of each other, and one is more beautiful than the next. Piazza Bra, Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza dei Signori are sure hits on a stroll through Verona, where Juliet’s house from Romeo & Juliet is a popular sight as well. It is all about looking up and enjoying the many beautiful houses in the city.
From Roman times, the Arena di Verona is a colossal asset for the city. You can still enjoy performances in the old setting, and you can walk over old bridges to the Roman theater, where you can see the interesting construction and also get a nice view of the center of Verona.
There are also several opportunities for trips in the Verona area, whether you want to go out into nature or to other beautiful cultural cities. Lake Garda is close to Verona, and here you can swim, sail and enjoy the varied landscape around the large lake. Brescia and Vicenza are cities close by and they both offer fine sights.
About the upcoming Verona travel guide
About the travel guide
The Verona travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Italian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.
Verona is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.
Read more about Verona and Italy
Buy the travel guide
Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.
Use the travel guide
When you buy the travel guide to Verona you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.
Casa di Giulietta is a name that you will recognize from Romeo & Juliet. Juliet’s House itself is a stately house from the 12th century, famous for its famous reconstructed balcony. This is where William Shakespeare’s theatrical tragedy Romeo and Juliet could have taken place. This applies more specifically to the scene from the farm by Juliet’s house.
In 1597, William Shakespeare published Romeo and Juliet, the action of which he takes place in Verona. In the work, the aristocratic families Capulet and Montague are at odds with each other. Romeo Montague was Julie Capulet’s lover and he wooed her and declared his love for her at the foot of her balcony, and so it is at this residence that the lovers promise each other eternal love.
Shakespeare never set foot in Verona himself, and his play is purely fictional. But the poignant history turned the Casa di Giulietta into a museum in 1905. Since then it has become a major tourist attraction in the city, and Antonio Avena added the famous balcony to the courtyard facade in the late 1930s. Today, the house is furnished with furniture from the 1500s and 1600s.
In the courtyard you can see a bronze statue of Juliet, which was created by the sculptor Nereo Costantini. According to superstition, women must touch her right breast, which brings happiness, eternal love and fertility. The statue is also believed to bring good luck to singles looking for love.
The Arco dei Gavi is an arch built in the 1st century by the wealthy Gavi family at the start of Via Postumia just outside Verona’s Roman walls. The arch was built to commemorate the Gavi family, a noble Roman family whose hometown was Verona, the Arco dei Gavi stands as a rare example of a privately funded monumental Roman arch, and it also served as a fortified city gate.
The arch later served as inspiration for architects and painters such as Andrea Palladio and Giovanni Bellini, and it had an influence on Verona’s architecture as a model for the construction of portals, altars and chapels in the city’s churches. The Arco dei Gavi stood until 1805, when French military engineers tore it down. However, it was possible to reassemble it, which was completed under the rule of Benito Mussolini in 1932.
Piazza dei Signori is a square, also known as Piazza Dante, which is close to the busy Piazza delle Erbe. The square originated in the Middle Ages, when it was defined by the construction of several mansions around it. Various political, administrative and representative functions also developed in and around the square, which thereby became one of Verona’s most important.
In the square there is a statue of Dante Aligheri. It was erected in 1865 as a replacement for a 17th-century fountain, which was not thought to be impressive enough for the monumental square. The statue was created by Ugo Zannoni in Carrara marble. The three-meter-high Dante statue stands on a pedestal and overlooks the Piazza dei Signori and its mansions.
There are several buildings worth seeing around the square. To the east is the Palazzo del Podestà, built by the Scala family, who used it as a residence from the 14th century. The mansion bears the typical Ghibelline parapets. In 1404, the Venetians rebuilt the mansion with a new portal where you can see the Venetian Lion of St. Mark.
To the southeast and next to the Palazzo del Podestà stands the Palazzo di Cansignorio, which was the seat of the Scala family and Venetian political power. The house was built by Cansignorio della Scala and completed in 1363. The original medieval tower has been preserved, while the rest of the facade was designed and built in the 16th century. in the courtyard of the house, you can see a fine loggia and the Porta dei Bombardieri gate from 1687.
Opposite the Palazzo di Cansignorio is the Loggia del Consiglio, built by the city government of Verona to hold meetings of the Patrio Consiglio. The loggia was built in the years 1476-1493. Finally, you can also see the Palazzo della Ragione, which was built at the end of the 12th century and partially rebuilt in the 19th century. The house originally had several towers, the most important of which was and is the impressive Torre dei Lamberti, which is 84 meters high and offers visitors a great view of the center of Verona.
The Basilica di San Zeno is a beautiful church that was built in the period 967-1398. The long construction period was due, among other things, to an earthquake that hit the city in 1117. The Romanesque facade became a model for other Romanesque churches in the city, and the church eventually became one of the best known in Verona. The church is dedicated to Zeno of Verona, who was bishop of Verona in the 4th century.
Saint Zeno died between 371 and 380, and according to legend, King Theodoric the Great erected a small church on his grave. The construction of the original current basilica started in the 8th century, and Bishop Ratoldus and King Pepin of Italy participated in the transfer of Saint Zeno’s relics to the new church.
The church’s facade is divided into three vertical sections, as is also seen on subsequent Romanesque churches in the city. There are reliefs and ornate panels above and beside the entrance portal, and the facade also has a rose window. The bell tower is 62 meters high and was built 1045-1178 as a separate building.
Inside you can see a beautiful church room with columns that support the simply decorated walls that end in the wooden ceiling from the 14th century. In the center you can see the crypt of the basilica, where the relics of Saint Zeno have been lying since 921, and his face is covered with a silver mask. The crypt is also interesting in another context, as it is believed to have inspired Shakespeare for the crypt in Romeo and Juliet.
At the Basilica di San Zeno you can see an attached monastery that was built in the 8th century as a replacement for an already existing monastery. The original structure was largely destroyed during the Napoleonic Wars, and only a few parts remain from the old monastery. For a long time, the monastery was the city’s official residence for the Holy Roman Emperors.
Basilica di Santa Anastasia is a large, Gothic Dominican church in Verona. The church was built in the years 1280-1400 as Verona’s largest church according to the design of the Dominican monks Fra’ Benvenuto da Imola and Fra’ Nicola da Imola. Like its predecessor on the spot, the telescope was dedicated to Anastasia of Sirmium, a Catholic saint who was martyred in the year 304.
The facade of the basilica is divided into three vertical sections corresponding to the interior of the church. On the facade you can also see a simple rose window. On the outside, you can also see the church’s 72-metre-high tower with the bells, which have been rung over the centuries using the special Verona style, where the bells almost rotate a full turn.
The entrance portal dates from the 15th century and has two doors flanking a 14th century Gothic structure with arches supported by ornamental columns in red, black and white marble. Around the doors you can see reliefs and panels with fine decorations. One can see the Trinity, Saint Peter of Verona and chronological scenes from the life of Jesus.
When you enter the church room, you come to a magnificent and beautifully decorated room with many works of art, beautiful side altars and other details worth seeing. The room is supported by marble columns with Gothic capitals. The four columns above the high altar show the coat of arms of the Castelbarco of Trento, a family that largely contributed to the construction of the church.
Piazza Bra is the largest of Verona’s many squares. It is here that you can see Verona’s world-famous arena, and it is also here that you can enjoy a lovely northern Italian atmosphere in one of the many cafes and restaurants that lie side by side along the square. The history of the square as an open urban space goes back to the 16th century, when the Palazzo Degli Honorij (Piazza Bra 16) was demarcated on the western side of the area.
In Roman times, this area was outside Verona’s city walls and therefore quite far from the main roads and squares of the city. It was not until the construction of the Arena di Verona that this part of the city was defined, but it was until the Middle Ages that extensions of Verona’s city walls created the framework for what became a square surrounded by mansions.
Today, in the middle of Piazza Bra, there is a green area with, among other things, cedar trees and pine trees, which provide shade for the benches along the park’s paths. In the small facility you can also see an equestrian statue of King Vittorio Emanuele II from 1883 and the fountain Fontana delle Alpi.
There are also several interesting buildings that you can take a look at when you are in Piazza Bra. Immediately south of the Arena di Verona is the Palazzo Barbieri, built in neoclassicism 1836-1848 to house personnel from the Austrian army of the time. Today, the beautiful mansion is set up as Verona’s town hall.
To the west of Palazzo Barbieri you can see the Palazzo della Gran Guardia, which was built from the beginning of the 17th century, but was not completed until 1853. It was originally supposed to house some functions for the Venetian Doge. After a few years of construction, funding from Venice stopped, and the mansion was completed by the Austrian government from 1818.
Castelvecchio is Verona’s old castle, which lies down to the river Adige. It was Cangrande II della Scala who had the castle built between 1354 and 1356. It was built along the river in a slightly peripheral location in the city, which was due to the fact that it was not only supposed to protect against external enemies, but also act as a place of refuge in case of rebellion or attack by the population.
Over time, the use of the castle changed several times. The Venetians temporarily used the castle as a fortress and warehouse, and under both the French and the Austrians the building complex functioned as barracks. In the 1920s, Castelvecchio was set up as a museum, before in November 1943 it became the scene of the holding of the only congress of the Republican Fascist Party, and on it the Verona Manifesto of the Italian Social Republic was adopted.
Castelvecchio was reopened as a museum, and here you can see an interesting art collection. There are, among other things, a number of Veronese works from the Gothic period to the 17th century, with a particular focus on Renaissance art. These include works by Stefano da Verona, Pisanello and Giovanni Francesco. The museum also has Venetian paintings with works by, among others, Jacopo Tintoretto, Titian and Paolo Veronese.
Ponte di Castelvecchio is a fortified bridge over the river Adige, located by the old castle, Castelvecchio. The bridge is also known as Ponte Scagliero, and unlike most other bridges, it does not connect streets at both ends. The bridge, on the other hand, was built in the 1350s by Cangrande II della Scala as an escape route from his residence castle in the event of a rebellion in the city against his rule. Thus, the bridge originates from Castelvecchio and is part of the castle complex.
The solidly built bridge stood more or less for centuries until German troops blew it up during their retreat on April 24, 1945. The architect Libero Cecchini was in charge of the reconstruction, which took place from 1949 to 1951. The bridge has three arches with a total length of of 120 meters and it was built and reconstructed in red bricks, typical of the period of regents from the House of Scala, which lasted 1262-1387.
Porta Borsari is an ancient Roman gate originally built in the 1st century, possibly on top of an earlier gate building. The gate was rebuilt in 265 under the emperor Gallienus, and it stood as the main entrance to the city, and therefore it was beautifully decorated. As the main entrance, it was here that the road Via Postumia became Decumanus Maximus.
In Roman times, the gate was called Porta Iovia, which was because it was located next to a temple of Jupiter. The name was changed to Porta Borsari in the late Middle Ages, as taxes were collected from the bursaries at the gate.
Porta Borsari was built as a gate castle with watchtowers rising above the main building where the guards were housed. Today these parts are not preserved, but you can see the impressive gate facade. The facade is in local white limestone and has two arches flanked by half-columns with Corinthian capitals which support the entablature and pediment. In the upper part you can see a two-storey wall with twelve arched windows, some of which are part of small niches with a triangular pediment.
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