To attend the
Opera in the Arena is a wonderful experience,
even if you don't particularly love opera, you
can dream about history. For a few moments
enter the little court of Via Cappello or
visit the entire "house of Juliet", rich in
furniture from the 15th century and enact your
own romantic scene on the famous balcony, It
can add that touch of romance and fantasy to
your stay in our city.
But all that is
very little compared to how much, culturally
and artistically, Verona can offer all the
year round - and even less if you take Verona
as the line of departure for your everyday
excursions to discover Veneto and the other
border-regions.
Why lose time
moving every day from city to city,
transporting your luggage and wasting your
precious time searching for new lodgings or
rushing to reach one you have reserved, to
discover that you have only a short time to
visit places of interest without being able to
savour fully all they could offer to a more
careful and relaxed visitor ?
Make Verona your
departure point for "every day excursions" to
the nearby cities - it's the ideal solution in
order to maximise your time and your enjoyment
of your stay in Veneto.
Why Verona
and not another city?
Well, because of
its geographic position, Verona is your
ideal base, being at the crossroads of the two
main communication routes of Italy, the route
Monaco - Innsbruck - Bolzano - Verona - Modena
- Bologna - Florence that will later carry you
on to explore Central Italy and our splendid
and little-known Southern Italy, and the line
Turin - Milan - Verona - Venice that ideally
cuts Italy itself in two.
Add to all
this, the fact that Verona is numbered among
the cities considered “Heritage city of the
World” under the "aegis" of Unesco, and you
have to agree that Verona has indeed all the
qualifications to make it the ideal place to
stay for a few days in order to get to know
much better the northern part of Italy and the
Venetian Region.
The City and
its outskirts
Besides the
interesting sites already mentioned, there are
some interesting sites on the outskirts of the
city which should become part of the itinerary
of the discerning lover of culture and
beauty:
The Basilica of
San Zeno, one of the best examples of
Romanesque style in the world, with its huge
wooden door covered with the famous
sculptured bronze tiles narrating
episodes of the Old and New Testament and some
events in the life of Saint Zeno. Inside,
besides numerous works of art (among which a
Trittico of Andrea Mantegna), the crypt under
the altar contains the human remains of the
Saint.
Castelvecchio:
The castle was constructed in the middle of
13th century to defend the Scaligeri family,
and it has been entirely modernized and
reconstructed by the famous architect Carlo
Scarpa as a center for art and museum. In the
background of the castle is the magnificent
bridge on the Adige river, a feat of the best
engineering of the 14th century.
Beside the
Castle is the Arco dei Gavi, a door of access
along the Via Postumia, dismantled during the
French domination in order to improve the
citys practicability, was reconstructed in
1932 in the position in which it can be
admired, assembling pieces conserved over a
considerable period in the Arena's Arches and
even today it is the subject of numerous
studies.
You will pass
through Porta Borsari, probably so called
because here the toll-collectors
<Bursarii> collected the custom
charges on goods in transit to and from the
city. Following the route, you will arrive in
Piazza Erbe with the splendid facades and its
Tower of Lamberti from the top of which you
will be able to admire Verona and the
surrounding hills. Here also is Piazza dei
Signori in which is the Palazzo della Ragione
and the wonderful Loggia del Consiglio, to
follow the Arche Scaligere, a wonderful
example of Gothic art.
Continuing the
route, you will be able to opt for a visit to
the Church of San Fermo Maggiore, consisting
of two separate Churches inserted one within
the other, before continuing on to the Casa di
Giulietta and Porta Leoni or going towards
Sant'Anastasia in order to admire the powerful
architecture and the paintings of Pisanello
conserved inside. From here you must visit the
architectural complex the Duomo that
incorporates a Cathedral, a Public
square, the Biblioteca Capitolare (a great
attraction for scholars because of its
precious contents), the nice Chiostro and
other structures.
Last but not
least, we want to encourage you to visit
the Church of Santa Maria in
Organo,absolutely not to be missed, for
the splendid wooden inlays that surround the
choir and adorn the walls of the Sacristy, the
work of Friar Giovanni from Verona, an
Olivetano monk who, up to the end of the 15th
century produced such works of art provoking
the admiration of numerous artists, among them
the Vasari.
And we could go
on and on with numerous descriptions of and
recommendations for San Giovanni in Foro, San
Giorgio in Braida, Santo Stefano, San Lorenzo,
the Roman Theatre and the museums (the
Lapidario or the archaeological one in the
Roman Theatre), the art galleries and the
gardens, from Giardini Giusti in Verona and
the Park of Villa Sigurtà to Valeggio sul
Mincio, continuing then to the vicinity of
Borghetto for an ideal immersion in the past,
that makes you understand that Verona and the
surrounding region needs much more than a
single day for a real visit and for the
necessary relaxing breaks in the the numerous
taverns that abound in the historic centre - a
must to feel a participant in the life of this
city.
From Verona
to...
But as we said,
Verona is also an optimal base for your
excursions outside the walls of the
scaligere. By car, train or bus you will be
able comfortably to reach the city limits
within a period ranging from 20 minutes to an
hour, Lago di Garda for a cultural visit or a
simple refreshing swim, the vineyards of the
Valpolicella that offer also numerous cultural
reasons for a visit, for example the Church of
San Giorgio Inganapoltron, or just enjoy a
pleasant break near the main “monuments” which
naturally include the Bridge of Veia, the
Waterfalls of Molina and the Covoli di
Camposilvano, the Lessinia for walks in the
mountains (or bring your skis in winter) and
at last the Soave area with its Castle and of
course the rich oenological possibilities
.
Next on to
Mantova, surrounded by its lakes, with
splendid Palazzo Ducale that alone is worth
the 30 minutes' travel, but taken together
with a visit to Palazzo Te, as well as with
the many sights that we have suggested, will
render the entire day that you will spend here
- a few kilometres from Verona - special.
Farther south,
Modena, Parma and Bologna await you (just to
mention the greater cities) rich in art,
history and, it must be said,
gastronomy.
To the North,
the Castle of the Buonconsiglio frames the
city of Trento which you can visit in a day,
and before this, Rovereto with the collections
and the exhibitions of the MART (set up as a
musuem of art a few years ago), awaits
you.
Further, Bolzano
for a day's shopping in the pleasant Via
Portici, breathing, if it's the season, the
Christmas air of the famous mercatino or
visiting the numerous castles that encircle it
and savouring the altoatesine specialities and
the fresh beer (in many cases produced in
local micro-breweries), or typical wines of
the territory of elegant structure and smooth
finish.
While in the
West you will be able stop and visit the Lago
di Garda with its small villages such as
Lazise, Bardolino, Garda, Malcesine and Riva
del Garda or drive on the Brescia side for a
visit to beautiful Sirmione with the famous
Caves of Catullo and the Roman ruins,
continuing then for Salò and the Gardone
Riviera where a visit to the to the
'Vittoriale'/museum, the eccentric residence
of Gabriel D' Annunzio, is a must.
Alternatively, you can rest at the lakeside
for a day of simple relaxation and a
refreshing or restorative swim, experience the
thermal waters, let your fancy take flight as
the lake waters pamper you or admire the
panorama from one of the numerous ferries that
will carry you from from one place to the next
until you reach Riva del Garda, returning the
same way or by bus in the evening.
Farther beyond,
to the west, you will be able to discover
Brescia, with its public squares and the
monumental Dome, Bergamo with its interesting
and pleasant, rich Città Alta, residences of
princes and dukes, all for you to see, or you
will be able to journey on to Milan (by train
1 hour and 40 minutes) in order to visit the
Dome, to admire the Last Supper, Castello
Sforzesco or 'shop till you drop' in the
famous luxury shops of the city centre.
But above all,
Verona is particularly useful as a base to
visit the areas to the east, Vicenza,
Padova and of course, Venice.
In a single half
hour by train. you will be able to visit the
seventeenth and eighteenth century palaces
that make the center of Vicenza an
architectural jewel, not to mention the
numerous works of Palladio, among them the
Olympic Theatre, and the Villas which he
planned and built outside the city, to mention
a few: Pisani Villa, Trissino Villa and Villa
Capra, best known as "La Rotonda".
In Padova you
will be able to admire the recently restored
masterwork of Giotto in the Capella degli
Scrovegni, the public square bustlinging
with market-life dominated by the Palazzo
della Ragione, the Prato della Valle with its
statues, the largest public square in Europe,
where every Saturday an interesting antique
market is held, and the nearby Basilica of
Sant'Antonio, the world-wide centre of
devotion to the saint.
Finally, Venice,
which needs no introduction, being
world-famous for its unique character.
We invite you
therefore to seriously consider staying in
Verona longer than a single night, for all the
reasons mentioned up to now and for many more
we have not which you can have the pleasure of
discovering for yourself. Verona deserves to
be fully savoured, not absent-mindedly
tasted.
We wish
you an enjoyable stay in our
city.
Al Quadrifoglio B&B in Verona - Bed &
Breakfast di Giusy e Davide