Verona, in northern Italy, is in some ways a city of skewed perceptions.
Stop a hundred people in the street nearly anywhere and ask what they know of Verona—chances are, they’ll say Romeo and Juliet.
And it shouldn’t be a surprise; in the late 19th century, when the tourism possibilities became obvious, the city took Shakespeare’s fictional star-crossed lovers to its heart and bought in to the romance big time.
That included, in 1905, buying a house of the appropriate period and opening it as a visitor attraction. When early visitors complained there was no balcony for Juliet, they cobbled together pieces of a 17th century sarcophagus and made one.
But leaving aside the ‘fake news,’ with its scribbled and bubble-gummed love notes, Verona has a real and fascinating history, quite aside from being a pleasant place to stroll and eat, and a great place in summer to enjoy the opera.
Porta Borsari, from inside, and from the more impressive outside, and a street view
The heart of the historical city is on a peninsula formed by a bend in the Adige River, the river that gave Verona its ancient importance as a place to ford the river and a defensible point on the road from Rome to Germany. The historic center lies behind the Roman arena and the Porta Borsari, built in the 1st century AD. Originally the arena was just outside the walls.
Inside the walls, the streets are narrow, with an occasional wider square; some are simple and quiet with little daily traffic; others are lined with shops, some quite upscale, and throngs of locals and visitors. The historic food market, Piazza del Erbe, though, has become mostly a vast souvenir stand.
The city is an eater’s paradise, with dozens of restaurants, including many on streets and terraces along the river, with view of the Roman theatre and other buildings on the opposite shore. Some of them are noted for local horse and donkey specialties, including one in what claims to be Romeo’s home.
Some eats are less formal, including my all-time favorite gelato at Gelateria Ponto Pietra, and garish pastry at Caffé on Piazza Bra.
And, there’s Subway. Some things are inevitable. Fast food and love locks, for example.
The city’s history (its prehistory is the subject of so much speculation that even the Romans couldn’t figure it out) really starts with its alliance and then incorporation with Rome as the empire expanded to all of Italy.
The city’s importance grows from its location. It sits on the Adige River at one of its best fordable points (although Rome replaced the fords with bridges) and it lies on the major route north to Germany, as well as on major Roman east-west routes. After the Roman era, the city passed back and forth among various rulers: Goths, Byzantine generals, Charlemagne, and even the Duke of Bavaria. Eventually, in the 13th century, the Scaligeri family came to hereditary power in the city.
Fascinated for some reason with dogs, the family took on dog names, including Mastino (mastiff), Cangrande (big dog) Cansignore (lord dog) and dogs feature in many of their monuments and statues. Above, Cangrande on horseback, with a dog-featured shield on his back.
The Scaligeri were responsible for Castelvecchio, the fortified castle on the river which today houses an excellent art museum and other historical effects. It’s connected to the other shore of the river by a fortified bridge that was in part to protect against invasion, and in part to give the unpopular Scaligeris an escape route.
After that, the city was passed back and forth among German, Spanish, French and Venetian rulers, eventually ending up in Austrian hands after the Napoleonic era. Castelvecchio, once the land stronghold of Venice, became the main Italian military base for Austrian troops. By 1866, the continuing unification of Italy under King Vittorio Emmanuele forced Austria out. The architect of unification, Count Cavour, is honored by a statue facing the castle.
Another historic relic facing Castelvecchio has an odder history. It’s the Arco dei Gavi, built in the first century by the Gavi family, a wealthy clan of Roman Verona. It stood at the head of an important Roman road; the niches contained statues of family members. It later became part of the city walls, and was disassembled during Napoleonic rule, and most of it stored in the Arena. It was reconstructed in 1932 as part of Mussolini’s campaign to glorify Italy’s Roman past. The reconstruction was based on sketches by French engineers, and by 16th century architect Andrea Palladio, who was asked to redesign it.
Don’t get excited…those are not Napoleon’s troops returning. It was part of a photo shoot in front of the Arena, featuring a dashing soldier and a beautiful bride and some sort of cosmetic, which you’ll only know about, most likely, if you’re keeping an eye on Italian television.
Aside from the huge Piazza Bra, which fronts the Arena and is claimed to be Italy’s largest public space, and the Piazza del Erbe, there’s also the Corte, or Piazza dei Signori—literally, court of the lords. Since at least the 13th century, it’s been the seat of Verona’s government and courts. At its edge is the Torre dei Lamberti, over 250 feet high. It offers great views over the city, and, for those of us no longer interested in marathon stair-climbing, an elevator.
To the left is the magnificent church of Saint Anastasia, the city’s largest, and one of the most beautiful—but that’s a blog for another day. It was built by Dominicans in stages from the 12th through 14th centuries.
It shares its piazza with the smaller chapel of St. Peter the Martyr, and numbers of visitors resting their feet.
Verona has quite a few churches of interest, more than can fit here. But San Lorenzo, with its striped appearance from alternating layers of brick and stone, is certainly worth a glance. Below it, another Verona specialty: Simple chimneys are apparently not enough for Veronese taste. Many of the older and more impressive buildings have chimneys topped with little houses, and many of these are as elaborate as a house themselves.
But it’s not all impressive stone and historic sights in the streets; here, on a side street just behind St Euphemia church, a colorful yarn store.
The Portoni della Bra, were, in modern language, gates to the countryside. The arches were built when the city walls were extended in the 16th century. The fortifications on top were originally connected to those at Castelveccchio, a few blocks away. The clock was added in 1872, and the heavy gates removed.
And back to Piazza Bra itself, for a pleasant meal on the way to the opera, followed by an airline terminal-style security check, where the 21st century meets the 1st…on the streets of Verona.
