Verona on Foot

2013
[VERONA ON FOOT] November 24, 2013
ISTITUTO COMPRENSIVO
DI GOTTOLENGO
Franca Piacentini
Carmine Rizzo
Classes 2nd and 3rd C
VERONA ON FOOT
An essential City Guide edited by the students of classes 2nd and 3rd C
[VERONA ON FOOT] November 24, 2013
Verona on foot
2,000 YEARS OF VERONESE HISTORY: PIAZZA BRÀ, MAIN SQUARE
AND BUSTLING CENTRE OF VERONA
Verona’s main square, the Piazza Brà, is one of the largest squares in Europe. It
functions as a kind of arrival hall before you enter the centre of the city. The term
“brà” derives originally from the German word “breit” (broad) and refers to the broad
square in front of the city gates. Even today, the Piazza Brà is a beautiful and wide
square in the heart of Verona with many open spaces and cosy street bars. Many
historic buildings from various eras from ancient times to the present surround the
square.
ARENA DI VERONA: A LONG HISTORY OF SUCCESS
The arena in Verona was built in the 1st century AD
by the Flavian emperors according to the principle
of “bread and games”. For almost 400 years
gladiators fought here and entertained the masses
with bloody carnage. When emperor Honorius
prohibited the gladiator games in 404 AD, that was
the end of the Arena of Verona and the
amphitheatre stood empty for centuries.
The original four-floor building with a length of
152 metres and a width of 113 metres was damaged in the 12 th century by several
earthquakes and reduced to its present size – the interior zone.
The four-floor exterior – the remains are only three stories tall with 4 arches – still
gives a good impression of the glory of the former curtain wall surrounded by
columns.
On account of its dark catacombs, the Roman arena was often called the “labyrinth of
the devil” by the Veronese people and was primarily used as a quarry for the
surrounding residential buildings. The first to return to their roots in the Renaissance,
the Venetians restored the venerable walls. Since then, sporadic concerts, bullfights
and theatrical performances have been held in the arena once more.
THE ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE IN VERONA
After the Colosseum in Rome and the
amphitheatre in Capua, the Roman arena in
Verona is the third largest Roman amphitheatre.
With its gigantic dimensions of 140 metres in
length and 110 metres in width it dominates the
Piazza Brà from the north. Its great acoustics and
unique location make the Roman arena the ideal
location for events and it attracts hundreds of
thousands of visitors to Verona every year during the Festival season to see the opera
and theatre performances.
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ATTRACTIONS AT THE PIAZZA BRÀ
The promenade on the Piazza Brà itself is paved
with pink marble from the Valpolicella region. The
centre of the spacious square is dominated by an
equestrian statue of the Italian King Vittorio
Emanuele II (1820 – 1878). The statue of the first
ruler of the united Italy was unveiled on 9th
January 1883, the 5th anniversary of the death of
the king.
The fountain in the park, the Fontana delle Alpi or
Münchner-Kindlbrunnen, was constructed on the occasion of Verona’s twinning with
Munich and was sponsored by the Germans. In return a statue of Juliet was erected at
the Old Town Hall in Munich. The people of Verona often refer jokingly to the
fountain as the “Lemon Squeezer” (struca limoni) because it looks like one with its
shape. Also a result of the twinning is a memorial for the displaced Italians into
German concentration camps, which is under the trees at Piazza Brà.
The Piazza Brà is still one of the busiest places in Verona with many nice restaurants
and street cafes. If you have enough time, you should certainly stay here for a while
and enjoy the impressions of this beautiful and historic place.
LOVE STORY IN VERONA
One of the best known and most tragic love stories, that of Romeo and Juliet, is set
in medieval Verona. Although William Shakespeare, who wrote the story in 1597,
never went to Verona himself he made city the centre of his story and gave Verona a
legacy that can be perceived throughout the city even today. Loving couples and
romantics from around the world visit the beautiful medieval city on the Adige river
and walk in the footsteps of Romeo and Juliet.
Although Shakespeare’s drama never corresponded to reality, Verona conveys a
really special charm especially to lovers so that they imagine they can feel the real
story behind the literary work, almost as if Romeo and Juliet had really existed.
JULIET’S HOUSE (CASA DI GIULIETTA)
The power of storytelling should never be
underestimated. Every year hundreds of thousands of
us trek to Verona to see the balcony where Juliet
stood while Romeo declared his love. None of us
care that it's very possible that Romeo and Juliet were
only figments of Shakespeare's imagination. This is
the most powerful love story in western culture and
we all want to live a little part of its dream – though
not its tragic ending.
The house in Verona known as Juliet's house was owned by the family dell Capello, a
name not too far from Capulet, right? The house dates from the 13th century and the
family coat of arms can still be seen on the wall. A slight problem is the balcony
[VERONA ON FOOT] November 24, 2013
itself, which overlooks the courtyard – it was added in the 20th century. But that's of
no matter to the hundreds of girls who every year step out onto it and gaze below
seeking their Romeo among the milling tourists.
Inside the house is a small museum and in the courtyard is a bronze sculpture of
Juliet – people rub her right breast for luck. But the ultimate in romantic gesturing is
the many love notes stuck on the walls and doors in the entrance to the courtyard.
Wherefore art thou Romeo?
ROMEO MONTAGUE'S HOME
Casa di Romeo is not far from Casa di Giulietta.
There is no evidence that this is the real house of
Romeo Montecchi (Romeo Montague), but there
are historic evidences that the Montecchis were a
real family, who lived in the area between le
Arche and la Chiavica, where the house is located.
Casa di Romeo is the best preserved of the
Veronese medieval houses. Given its grandiose
aspect, it is a good choice to reflect the character
imagined in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
Porta Borsari is an ancient Roman gate in
Verona, northern Italy.
It dates to the 1st century AD, though it was
most likely built over a pre-existing gate from
the 1st century BC. An inscription dating from
emperor Gallienus' reign reports another
reconstruction in 265 AD.
The Via Postumia (which here became the
decumanus maximus) passed through the gate,
which was the city's main entrance and was therefore richly decorated. It also
originally had an inner court, now disappeared.
The gate's Roman name was Porta Iovia, as it
was located near a small temple dedicated to
Jupiter lustralis. In the Middle Ages it was called
Porta di San Zeno, while the current name
derives from the guard soldiers which were paid
the dazio DUTY - (Latin bursarii).
The façade, in local white limestone, has two
arches flanked by semi-columns with Corinthian capitals which supports entablature
and pediment. In the upper part is a two-floor wall with twelve arched windows,
some of which are included in small niches with triangular pediment.
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The northern side of the square is occupied by the ancient town hall, the Torre dei
Lamberti, the Casa dei Giudici ("Judges' Hall") and the Mazzanti Houses. The
western side, the shortest one, features the Baroque Palazzo Maffei, decorated by
statues of Greek gods. It is faced by a white marble column, on which is St. Mark's
Lion, symbol of the Republic of Venice.
Palazzo Maffei boasts six significant statues of divinities at the top of a the third
floor: Hercules, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, Apollo
and Minerva, all built in local marble, except
Hercules, who was brought in from the Roman
Capitol Hill temple.
The north-western side occupies the site of the
ancient Roman Capitol Hill, which looked
towards the forum. Numerous of its buildings
facing the square have maintained façade
frescoes. On the southern side is the Casa dei Mercanti ("House of the Merchants",
also known as Domus Mercatorum), now the seat of the Banca Popolare di Verona.
Other buildings are reminiscent of medieval tower-houses. Medieval house of the
merchants
Domus Mercatorum was built in
1210 to to house the local merchants
association. The first building was
made of wood, but in 1301 this was
taken down at the order of Alberto I
della Scala, and rebuilt in stone.
Domus Mercatorum (or Casa dei
Mercanti) has been restored a few
time during its history, and many of
the original elements of architecture have been altered. But it is still an important
example of medieval architecture. Today, the building houses Banca Popolare di
Verona.
The square's most ancient monument is the fountain, surmounted by a
statue called Madonna Verona, which is however a Roman sculpture
dating to 380 AD. Also historical is the capitello, dating to the 13th
century, during which it was used for several ceremonies, including
the oath of the city's medieval podestà and pretors. Towards Via
Cappello is another column, with a 14th century aedicula with reliefs
of the Virgin and the Saints Zeno, Peter and Christopher.
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THE MOST IMPORTANT GOTHIC-STYLE RELIGIOUS MONUMENT IN
VERONA
Chiesa di Santa Anastasia construction
in 1290. The church features an unfinished
brick façade, large apse, four chapels and
numerous altars. Chiesa di Santa
Anastasia is particularly famous for the
funerary monument of Guglielmo da
Castelbarco.
This monument is a precursor of the
Arche Scaligere. Another important feature of Chiesa di Santa Anastasia is the
Pellegrini Chapel, which contains Pisanello’s San Giorgio e la principessa (St.
George and the Princess) fresco, painted on the outside wall above the entrance arch.
The church also features works by Pietro da Porlezza, Danese, Cattaneo, Michele da
Firenze, Liberale da Verona and Giolfino.
GOTHIC FUNERARY MONUMENTS FOR THE SCALIGER FAMILY
Arche Scaligere, or the Scala family
arches, are a series of tombs located in a
court of the church of Santa Maria Antica.
Arche Scaligere include the tombs of
Cangrande I - the most famous Scaliger
ruler of the city; Mastino II; Cansignorio;
Alberto II and Giovanni.
Three of the Arche Scaligere are richly
decorated, and remind of small temples
covered by baldachins. The monument for
Alberto II has no baldachin but only a sarcophagus, though richly decorated, and the
Giovanni monument is built into the wall of the church.
THE HEART OF VERONA
Surrounded by a number of historical
buildings and monuments, Piazza dei
Signori is perhaps the richest site in
the city in terms of things to see. This
is where you will find the City Hall,
Palazzo del Capitanio, and the Loggia
del Consiglio.
Piazza dei Signori is where you will
find Verona’s oldest Caffè - Antico
Caffè Dante, which opened in 1863. The square is also known as Piazza Dante, due
to the monument to Dante - a statue by Ugo Zannoni, which was inaugurated in 1865.
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VERONA'S TOWN HALL
The Palazzo della Ragione is the town hall of
Verona, also known as Palazzo del Comune.
dates from 1193, but the original architecture
was altered a few times during its history. The
facade of the palace is Renaissance, while the
courtyard boasts a Gothic grand staircase.
Other attractions in the vicinity of Palazzo della
Ragione (Palazzo del Comune) include Torre dei Lamberti connected with the
building, Palazzo dei Tribunali, Palazzo del Governo and
many other historic buildings.
SCENIC VIEWS OF VERONA
Torre dei Lamberti is one of the most visited
monuments in Verona, as it offers beautiful views of the
city, from an open observation platform. The tower
stands 84 meters high in the middle of Piazza Erbe.
The Torre dei Lamberti was erected in 1172; and
restored in 1448-1464, and again in 2006-2007. The
clock at the top of the tower was added in 1779.
The tower is open for public access since 1972. Visitors
can reach the summit via the stairs or elevator, to enjoy a
thrilling view of the city.