Verona: one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. In the post, all the tips for organizing a walking tour in this unmissable destination rich in history.
Leaving Venice aside, Verona it is certainly the most beautiful city in Veneto, as well as one of the 10 (if not 5) most beautiful in Italy. And it's okay that I'm blatantly biased, but how many do you really know who can stay ahead of you in the standings? Let me know in the comments.
I propose you a small tour: a walk in Verona if you have a day to spare.
By what means do you arrive
If you arrive by train, the right stop is Verona Porta Nuova. From there you will find numerous buses heading towards the center.
Point towards Piazza Bra. You could also walk along Corso Porta Nuova, a very large avenue that connects Porta Nuova (gate that was part of the Austrian walls) with Piazza Bra near the so-called “clock” (the clock on the Roman walls); however at the end of the day you could pay dearly for this addition.
Arriving by car, you will have to struggle to find parking. There are few of them on the roadside, delimited by blue lines (carefully avoid the yellow-blue lines that are for residents!), At about € 1 / h or a little more. Alternatively, there are underground car parks (quite expensive), or a cheaper idea is the Court car park, subject to availability. Free ... nothing I would say.
1. What to see in Piazza Bra
In Piazza Bra you can see (from your right counterclockwise): the Great Guard, Barbieri Palace (Town Hall), theArena amphitheater, "Liston" with the row of buildings and restaurants, the complex with the Maffeiano Lapidary Museum and Philharmonic Theater.
In the center i gardens of the Arena. During the Christmas period, the star is installed from the Arena towards the gardens, a very spectacular white metal comet.
In summer, however, it will not be difficult to find the sets for the operas.
2. Via Mazzini and via Cappello
Via Mazzini takes you to the bottom of the Liston, under the "wing" of the Arena (the small part of the outer ring of the amphitheater still standing).
Lì for the most romantic, the love bench was installed, a metal sculpture in the shape of a heart.
Via Mazzini is the Via Montenapoleone of Verona, but it is pedestrian only, narrow, paved from start to finish. You can find all the best fashion shops.
At the end of Via Mazzini you will find Piazza Erbe on the left and Via Cappello on the right.
In Via Cappello, here are other stores of prestigious brands, but above all the House of Juliet, with the famous Balcony. In the courtyard, the statue of Juliet, which is said to be good to touch the breast. The statue has brought less well, since it had to undergo breast surgery due to wear ...
3. Piazza Erbe
Returning to Piazza Erbe, you will find it on the right the statue of Berto Barbarani, the most famous Veronese dialect poet.
Upon entering the square, the classic Roman urban imprint is evident, to which the clearly Venetian touch is superimposed.
The mold of the Serenissima is very clear both for Palazzo Maffei and for the column on which the Lion of San Marco reigns. At the center of the square the Fountain Madonna Verona, with an original statue of the Roman period, to which the head and arms, which had been lost, were added in the Scaligero period. On the south side of the square we find the Domus Mercatorum, the ancient Chamber of Commerce of the medieval period.
4. Piazza dei Signori
In the middle of the north side of Piazza Erbe, between the Scaliger palaces and just below the Torre dei Lamberti, the passage opens towards Piazza dei Signori, also known as Piazza Dante, for the imposing presence of the statue of the Supreme Poet who spent many years in the city during his exile from Florence.
This square is the hub of activities during the "Tocatì" International Street Games Festival, in late September. The passage to Piazza Dante takes place through the Arco della Costa, the mysterious whale rib hanging there for several centuries.
This was the center of power in the communal era, with the Scaligeri who made Verona great by extending its territories beyond the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines.
Among the buildings jutting out onto the square, the Palazzo del Capitanio and Loggia of the Council.
On the same corner of the Arco della Costa, we find the access to the courtyard of the Palazzo della Ragione, the court of the city in the Most Serene period, with the Scala della Ragione leading to the Lamberti Tower, the highest in the city, which also overlooks Piazza Erbe, as well as the oldest Gardello Tower, next to Palazzo Maffei.
Going north from Piazza dei Signori, you arrive at Arche Scaligere, in the courtyard of the small Romanesque church of Santa Maria Antica. The Arche Scaligere are the Mausoleum of the lords of the Della Scala family (the Scaligeri), three monuments of Gothic architecture that represent one of the most important examples of that style in Italy.
5. Towards the Adige
From there you can point directly towards Piazza Santa Anastasia, where it would be advisable to visit the homonymous church, or to get there by lengthening the walk passing through Piazza delle Poste, Piazzetta Pescheria and all the characteristic Via Sottoriva.
Then the destination is a must: Stone Bridge. Beautiful, historical, symbolic. One of the postcards of the city, on which to cross the Adige and reach the other side.
On the other side, right there in front, there is the Roman Theater and the staircase that climbs towards Castel San Pietro, one of the most panoramic points from which to see the whole historic center and the Adige bend. All the most beautiful photos of Verona are taken from here and the reason is obvious.
6. The Cathedral
It is then advisable to return by passing Ponte Pietra again. Turning right you reach the area of ​​the Duomo and the Bishop's Curia. The Cathedral is absolutely worth the visit, but also walking through the narrow network of those streets is a pleasure that often few allow themselves. The Capitular Library also overlooks Piazza Duomo, which has a truly interesting cloister.
Taking via Duomo you go back towards Piazza Erbe, until you cross Corso Sant'Anastasia. After passing the square with Palazzo Maffei on our right, take it Corso Porta Borsari. This long street was the Roman cardo of the city and the Porta Borsari was the access point to the center.
Passed under it you enter the larger one Corso Cavour, with high-facade buildings. On this course, before reaching the medieval Castelvecchio, are not to be missed Basilica of San Lorenzo (not easily visible, but accessible from the course) and theArch of the Gavi, both on the right.
7. Castelvecchio and San Zeno
In Castelvecchio it would also be interesting to visit the museum, but only if you are not following this itinerary in the day. To those who pass quickly, I would say to be satisfied with seeing the complex from the outside and cross the entire bridge to the other bank, where theAustrian Arsenal.
Il San Zeno neighborhood it can be reached from Lungadige (Rigaste San Zeno).
Once in Piazza San Zeno, here is the marvel of the Romanesque Basilica dedicated to the Saint, the Bishop who converted Verona to Christianity, when it was still the land of "barbarians". The neighborhood is also very linked to the Verona Carnival, whose parade starts from here, led by the typical mask: the Daddy of the Gnoco.
From San Zeno it will be easy to find a bus to return to Porta Nuova station, or even to Piazza Bra, if you want to avoid a discreet walk back.
If, on the other hand, the legs have already given up before, the return from Castelvecchio to Piazza Bra is very simple through Via Roma, which takes us quickly to reach the square from behind the Liston.
