14 April 2024 – In Fair Verona
Miles driven today = 0
Total Miles to date = 4,021
I reckon old Willy Shakespeare did a bit of a disservice to Verona by merely describing it as “fair”. But I guess if he had kicked off Romeo and Juliet with “In fabulous Verona” his audiences might have wondered what sort of mushrooms he had been eating. There is certainly a lot to see here with architecture hailing from numerous different eras of the city’s history. There is also a really buzzy atmosphere about the place. This might have a lot to do with the fact that Italy’s biggest Wine Festival is taking place here this week, but even without that it would take a very long time to tire of all the great little bars and restaurants which are hiding away in every alleyway and courtyard.
We caught the 9 O’Clock bus into town and assumed it wouldn’t be particularly busy but we were very wrong. Throngs of people were already out and about, presumably getting what they needed to do done before the forecast heat of the day really started to arrive. Even the Italians are finally starting to cast off their winter woolies and break out their summer wardrobes.
We jumped off at the Castelvecchio (Old Castle) where there are several things to see in close proximity. The castle was built in the 1350s to protect the Lord of Verona and his family from their enemies. It has subsequently been an armory/arsenal and the seat of the local Military Academy. Nowadays it houses a museum. In front of the Castle is the Arco dei Gavi which was privately commissioned by the rich Roman Gavi family and was positioned just outside of the city walls in Roman times.
Next to the Castle is the Scaligero Bridge which was built in 1375 as an escape route from the castle across the river. It was destroyed by the Germans in World War II but reconstructed in the 1950s by predominantly reusing the original materials.
We followed Via Roma past the statue of Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, who was Prime Minister of Italy for a matter of weeks in 1861.
Piazza Bra is the biggest public square in Verona with many cafes and restaurants lining one side.
Another side is filled by the City Hall in Palazzo Barbieri.
There is a pleasant green space in the middle of the Piazza with this interesting fountain.
Also looming over Piazza Bra is the Roman Arena which was built in the 1st Century AD. It originally measured 152 x 123 metres making it the third biggest Roman arena ever built. It could hold 30,000 people and crowds of 22,000 still cram in here for opera and rock concerts. The acoustics are supposed to be superb.
The Arena used to have an outer wall but all bar this small section was destroyed in an Earthquake in 1117. The much chunkier inner walls survived remarkably intact.
We walked down Via Giuseppe Mazzini which is one of the main pedestrianised shopping thoroughfares. Verona is obviously a very well to do town judging by the number of big name designer outlets which line the streets.
Even here there are quaint little courtyards to be discovered.
Piazza delle Erbe is the main market square. It gets its name from the herbs and spices which were traditionally shipped here via Venice. Incredibly the Statue of Madonna Verona is dated to 380AD! The fountain on which she stands is almost 1,000 years more contemporary, dated 1369.
The Mazzanti Houses are dated to the 14th Century and have some clearly defined frescoes adorning the upper walls.
We saw more of these masks on the market. I was sorely tempted but I ended up just buying a new baseball cap to replace the frayed and sweat stained article which Lisa has been threatening to bin for weeks.
This is the Piazza dei Siorni, or Lords’ Square. To the right is the Palazzo Domus Nova which served as the Chief Magistrate’s offices and courthouse in the 13th Century. The Lamberti Tower overlooks the Piazza and is visible from around the city. Construction began in 1172 but various additions have been made over the centuries. The stripy building to the left is the Palazzo della Ragione.
Another view of the Lamberti Tower from the Courtyard of the Old Market.
We loved the decoration on this wall. A bit like an antique pantone chart.
The Scaligeri tombs are a group of Gothic monuments, most famous for being the place where Juliet staged her demise.
This is "Juliet’s House". Whilst the lovers’ feuding families, the Capuleti and the Montecchi, really did exist, Romeo and Juliet were themselves entirely a figment of Shakespeare’s fertile imagination. The only reason the house is named thus is due to the balcony which it is imagined could be very much like the one in the play. Nevertheless, despite the tenuous link, thousands queue to have their photo taken here. We got in and back out again pronto!
It was already getting hot. North of 22 degrees by 10am and climbing steadily. So we cooled ourselves for a short while beneath this 200 year old Plain Tree.
On we plodded past St Anastasia’s Church, which is the largest in Verona and boasts a 72 metre high bell tower.
We moved back to the river, this time on the other side of the promontory which is home to the old City. On the hill on the far bank stands St Peter’s Fortress.
The hill was heavily developed during Roman times and you can make out the tiered seating of the Theatre in this photo.
The Ponte Pietre was built over the River Adige by the Romans in the 1st Century BC, although it has been restored many times following flood damage.
Riverside properties viewed from Ponte Pietre.
We jumped on the funicular to the top of the hill to take in the wonderful views across the City. Looking upstream, here is Ponte Pietre viewed from above with the Cathedral bell tower standing behind.
And looking down river we can see the towers of St Anastasia and Lamberti.
Our final bit of sightseeing took us past the Romanesque style Cathedral which was consecrated in 1187. It was built on the site of previous churches which had been destroyed.
I’m afraid we were rather hasty in our choice of lunch venue and neither Lisa’s mixed fried seafood or my porcini tagliatelle were anything to write home about, let alone photograph. But we did spot this amazing technicolour display of macaroons.
And what better way of rounding off a hot, sunny day in one of Italy’s finest cities than with an Aperol Spritz. We are actually starting to become dangerously addicted to this stuff. And they were only half the price we paid in Alberobello last week so this time we did stay for another.
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