Visit the gothic cemetery of Scaliger Family in Piazza dei Signori
The origin of Verona
A sightseeing tour in the city centre
Video full text: The origins of Verona
I’m Syusy, he’s Patrizio and she’s our daughter Zoe. We are a family of accidental tourists. Having travelled the world we have to say we like Italy most of all. Today we’re in Verona! So how did Verona come to be? And why right here? See how the Adige river forms a loop here that embraces the entire area! Just like a mother! It has always been an important place, even in pre-Roman times. The Romans then designed it the way it appears today. The river is like a motorway. Verona is strategically located along the ancient Postumia way, which went from Genoa to Aquileia and Venice. Verona is an overlapping layer of historical traces. Every piazza or square in Italy reveals traces of the city’s entire history. We’re in Piazza delle Erbe and you’ll find all of Verona’s history here. We’re treading on what was once the Roman forum, the city’s origins, whereas the Lamberti Tower dates from the year 1100, the time of the first Municipalities. Then there’s the Scaliger family’s Gardello Tower. The fountain is part Scaliger and part Roman, she’s Madonna Verona and she symbolizes the city. Today’s monument is the collection of market stalls, the lifeblood of this city. Nowadays the stalls are a little touristy, but this has always been the market square. This is the place from where the square and the people were addressed. These were the units of measurement that were used in Verona. The hoops were used for measuring bundles of wood and cereals. Tourists mistake them for implements of torture. But it’s just the heart of the market, with its own rules.
Produced in cooperation with the Official Tourist Board
Visit Verona: helpful hints
Arrival
For international flights there is the Verona Airport, connected to the city centre by bus (rides every 20 minutes, 6€, it takes 15 minutes). The nearest airport for transcontinental flights is Bologna Airport. From the airport, first you have to reach Bologna Central Station by bus (rides every 15 minutes, it takes 30 minuts, 6€). Then either Trenitalia and Italo trains reach Verona in 50 minutes, prices change according to class and services.Transports
Walking is the best way to visit Verona. Anyway you can move by bus, a single ticket costs 1,3€ and it lasts 90 minutes. For more information check the ATV website.What to do
Verona, the city of love, is in the North Eastern Italy and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Known wordlwide to be the city of Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, here you can visit Juliet’s House with the iconic balcony (“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” – that one). But Verona is famous even more for the Arena di Verona, that is basically the greatest Opera theatre in the world! Check the official website of the Arena for the shows calendar, don’t miss the opportunity to attend a concert sit on this Roman masterpiece (Summer only, of course. No roof, above is only sky, you know). Watch Italia Slow Tour web serie about the city of love.
Last, but not least, Verona is also near the lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy (it takes 30 minutes to Peschiera del Garda or Lazise, 4o minutes to Bardolino, by car).
