Explorations of a delightful city in Northern Italy that has been around since Ancient Rome.
Verona, Italy, is one of my all time favorite cities I have ever visited. Verona is mostly famous for Romeo and Juliet, of course. However, there is a lot more to Verona beyond the tourist trap that is Juliet’s House. (Whether the house had actual Romeo and Juliet connections is still very questionable.)
Verona is a great place to wander. The history and architecture of this city is exquisite. The Romans founded a colony here in 89 BCE. You can still find some amazing Roman ruins here.
The Porta Borsari (the ancient Romans called it Porta Iovia) is a fabulous example of how fancy some Roman gates were. The gate was built during the 1st century CE and became the main entrance to the ancient city.
Even more impressive is the Verona arena which was also built in the 1st century CE.
Verona’s arena is one of the best preserved Roman arenas and is still used today for events, especially operas.
The Roman period ended when the empire fell in 476 CE. The city was never vacated. New rulers came and went, each leaving their marks on Verona. The Medieval Period brought along new styles of architecture, followed by the Renaissance. Much of this architecture still survives.
Verona is located on the River Adige, a fast moving and very clear river.
Ponte Pietra crossing the River Adige, the bell tower of the Duomo making a dramatic entrance. The Ponte Pietra was first constructed in 100 BCE but had to be rebuilt after WWII.
My favorite part of this bridge is the tower gate on the other side.
What I really love about Verona is that some of these really old buildings survived, complete with frescoes and balconies.
The interior of the Duomo (cathedral) is done in Italian Gothic décor which is very common in Northern Italy. What is not as common is this super decked out organ added much later.
Another thing I love about Verona, and the whole of Italy for that matter, are these super picturesque side streets.
This is Via Santa Chiara across the River Adige. Another picturesque side street.
Located near the arena is another narrow street full of super colorful buildings.
The narrow street is full of super expensive retail stores but I fell in love with all the yellow buildings.
I also fell in love with this ridiculously detailed stone balcony near the Porta Borsari.
One of the more famous sites in Verona is the Piazza delle Erbe, the old herb market, now place to eat and souvenir shop.
The piazza is just amazing, especially at night when the light strands are lit up.
Nearby is the Piazza dei Signori, where you can find this amazing building with intact frescoes.
Another famous site is the Castel Vecchio and its bridge, the Ponte Vecchio. This bridge was also destroyed by the Nazis in WWII. It was reconstructed with recovered bricks from the original bridge.
Verona hosts two of my favorite churches in Italy. This first one is San Zeno, which sits on a huge piazza that hosts a flea market.
The delightful nave of San Zeno. This 10th century church is dedicated to Saint Zeno of Verona, a local saint. This church is unique which is why its one of my all time favorites, with a raised altar and a crypt below.
I also loved the restored altar. Gothic churches were just as colorful as Baroque churches.
My other favorite is Sant’Anastasia, a splendid late Gothic church. I’m in love with the ceiling.
Seriously, who couldn’t love that.
Crossing back over the River Adige on the Ponte Pietra. The hill contains the ruins of a Roman theater, a church build on top of the ruins, a former monastery and the Castel San Pietro on top. The former monastery now contains the archaeology museum, a must see.
The backside of Porta Vescovo was built into the old medieval walls of Verona, which encompassed more land than the old Roman ones.
Verona is a delightful city in Northern Italy that has great architecture, great museums and, of course, great food. It’s a perfect place for a good wander around. You can’t go wrong with Verona.
Check out all my other posts in my Wandering series!
