VISIT TO VERONA

Verona: a first glimpse of the city is love at first sight, and will entice you to come back and explore it thoroughly.
For the past two thousand years and more, the city walls enclose a unique and breathtaking range of art-works and monuments.

Recently awarded the status of a "World Heritage Site", Verona has delighted painters, poets, travellers and celebrities for centuries.

Verona is a work of art in itself: a fascinating cross-roads of historical periods and cultures (both classical and Germanic), a blend of both Nordic and "Mediterranean" influences; the city is at the same time both ancient and modern.

A walk through its narrow streets allows you to get in touch with its varied and fascinating past: traces of its splendid Roman origins, its prevailing medieval structure dating back to the time of knights and castles, its magnificent Renaissance palaces as well as the impressive fortifications which protect it.
A suggestive blend of art and history which continuously fascinates the onlooker.

As far as the quality and the preservation of its Roman antiquities are concerned, Verona is second only to Rome.
Its luminous marble monuments will take you two thousand years back in time: its famous Amphitheatre, the Roman Theatre (older than the Arena), Ponte Pietra( the "pons lapideus", the Roman Bridge built over a natural ford used by people for centuries), the Arco dei Gavi (Gavi Triumphal Arch) erected to celebrate one of the most influential families of the city.
You will be able to see the monumental gateways which greet the visitor - Porta Borsari and Porta Leoni and which testify to the grandeur of the Roman Empire. A simple walk along Corso Cavour, Corso Portoni Borsari and Corso Santa Anastasia practically leads you along the ancient Roman Via Postumia which ended up in the Roman Forum, now Piazza Erbe.
Beneath the level of the street, the fascinating remains of Roman villas and mosaics have come to light, giving a glimpse of the magnificence of Verona's Roman past. For a journey back in time a visit to the Scavi Scaligeri or the Villa at Valdonega is an absolute must. The rule of the Scaligeri transformed Verona's appearance, with its fortifications, the beautiful Castelvecchio and its nearby Ponte Scaligero, Cangrande's palace and other palaces of the Della Scala Family (Lords of Verona), the Domus Mercatorum and Piazza Erbe and last but not least, their splendid intricate funerary monuments, the "Arche Scaligere".
Even the period of Venetian domination has left its mark on the city - the palaces of its nobles, the art-works of its great painters in the Castelvecchio Museum and the churches of the city. The Renaissance Palaces of noble families line the streets - Palazzo della Gran Guardia, Palazzo Pompei, Palazzo Maffei, the "Loggia del Consiglio" and the Domus Nova in Piazza dei Signori ("Lords' Square").
The figure of a great architect dominates this particular period, that of Michele Sanmicheli who designed the gateways to the city - Porta Nuova, Porta Palio, Porta San Zeno and Porta Vescovo. During the period of Austrian domination Verona becomes the lynch-pin of a perfect defensive system of fortresses and walls known as the "Quadrilatero". Bastions and fortresses guard the city, and both civil and military architecture flourishes (Palazzo Barbieri and the Arsenal)

The Arena – Verona’s most famous monument, visited by tourists world-wide.
If you contemplate it in silence, it’s not difficult to imagine it crammed with spectators as in Roman times: all you need do is shut your eyes or go to see one of the splendid opera performances held here and the Arena will come magically to life.
Situated in Piazza Bra', the Amphitheatre was built in the first half of the 1st century A.D., in the period which marked the end of Augustus’ reign and the beginning of that of Claudius. It is the third largest amphitheatre in Italy, after the Colosseum and the amphitheatre of Capua

"There is no world without Verona walls": the pen of William Shakespeare has lent Verona fame and immortality with his tale of two star-crossed lovers, Romeo Montecchi (Montagu) and Juliet Capuleti (Capulet).
The story of their tragic love is set in two precise locations - Juliet's house and the tomb.
The Capulet House, best known as "Juliet's House", dates back to the thirteenth century. It is tower-shaped and belonged to the Dal Cappello family, whose coat-of-arms is visible above the inner arch-way of the court-yard. The brick façade is decorated by elegant gothic windows standing on either side of the famous balcony on which Juliet is said to have spoken to Romeo.
The house has several storeys and tickets can be bought to visit it. The interior contains the furniture of a typical fourteenth century aristocratic household, enhanced by a wide range of medieval ceramics. Antonio Avena's masterful restoration (carried out in 1935) brought to life the elegant frescoes within, and which highlight inlaid wooden chests, brick fireplaces, wooden staircases and landings.
At the far end of the courtyard stands Nereo Costantini's bronze statue of Juliet visited by thousands of tourists every year from all over the world