Magnificent
chief town of the Veneto, well-known for the Arena, suggestive
amphitheatre of the roman epoch and to be been chosen like
background at the famous drama of Shakespeare.
The territory
offers tourist destinations also in naturalistic field: the lake
of Garda, hills and mountains.
Verona has a ancient historic
center, very extensive and well conserved. Roman municipality of the
49 B.C., reserves important tracks of that prosperous period. The
roman amphitheatre called the Arena, one of the most famous outdoor
theatre in the world, the Roman Theatre, the Gavi Arch and the
monumental gates (Porta Borsari and the Porta dei Leoni) are grand
works designed to last millennia.
Noteworthy architectural works remain from the Scaliger's Seignory
and from the Austrian domination during the Risorgimento, but there
are also, palaces and squares of every epoch and style in warm soft
colors.
The churches of the town are numberless and of great historical and
artistic value. Some of the most important are: the Basilica of San
Zeno, a perfect example of Romanesque architecture, is dedicated at
the Saint Patron of the town and the panels of bronze that adorned
the wooden doors, are a work of the local sculpture.
The churches of
San Fermo, Santi Apostoli and San Lorenzo date back to the same
period while the church of Sant'Anastasia was built during the the
Scaligers' Seignory and is the home of fresco masterpieces by
Pisanello and Altichiero. The church of San Giorgio is attributed to
Sanmicheli, an architect who worked at several of the most important
palaces and fortresses of the city.
A small marble balcony records the most famous verses of Shakespeare
tragedy, in which Romeo declares his love fo Juliet, Shakespeare's
immortal heroine, as she stands on it. The building, which probably
dates back to the XIII century, has a brick facade and large
tribolate windows; following the tradition it is the house where the
beautiful Juliet lived. Her tomb is located instead in an old
monastery and the place is imbued with an intensely romantic
atmosphere.
The other eternal symbol of Verona is the Arena: the magnificence of
the roman ruins, the perfection of the staging and the musical shows
give to the performances of the Arena that inimitable tone which
since 1913 has been attracting big crowds of spectators to one of
the most prestigious opera seasons.
Every year the rich program
includes works, concerts and ballets. Verona offers also many
folklore events between which the "Bacanal del Gnoco", the veronese
carnival, arrived at the 475^ edition.
The territory of the Scaligera province is embraced from north-west
at south-east by the Adige river: about ten of bridges connects the
two parts of the town, but in the roman period Verona had only two
bridges: the Pons Postumius (doing not more exist), and the Pons
Marmoreus. This last, known like Ponte Pietra, destroyed during the
Second World War, was rebuilt using the original parts; suggestive
also the Ponte Scaligero, in the neighborhood of Castelvecchio,
also it, like the previous, exclusively to pedestrian use, was built
and fortified during the Seignory of Della Scala for civic and
military purposes.
The territory around of Verona is rich of story: there is not in
fact one Veronese town which cannot boast at least one stately
residence or a medieval castle or the memory of some important past
events. Soave, Villafranca, Cologna Venetam Valeggio sul Mincio, are
some of the most significant examples of this heritage,
Around at those and other centers are extended the fertile
Veronese
plain, in the South part called also "Basso Veronese", rich of
products of the agriculture, of handcrafting tradition and
important firms. Its delicate and poetic landscape should not be
overlooked, especially during autumn.
The chain of the Mount Baldo
arises at north-west in comparison
with the town and, in the last centuries was called, from botanists
and naturalists "Hortus Europae" for the extraordinary variety of
flora species, more of which endemic.
Appeared on the lake of Garda
like a incomparably beautiful balcony, the mountain can be easily
reached also with the new cableway that covers the route between Malcesine and the Mount Baldo with a inequality of 1650 meters, in
only 10 minutes.
The north-east zone of the territory is occupied from the
Natural Park of the Lessinia, built of recent, in the 1990, that
exploits the naturalistic-surrounding importance of this plateau
which has witnessed in the XIII century the settlement of Bavarian-Tirolose
speaking Cimbric communities and has developed important summer and
winter tourism. Some of its most interesting attractions are the
Fossil Remains Museum in Bolca which is dedicated to precious
fossil fish of tropical climate, found in the "Pesciara", a
fossil deposit of the Tertiary Era and considered, in its
kind, between the most important in the world; the Ponte of Veja, a
big rocky arch recognized like natural monument; the Molina Falls
park which contains marvelous waterfalls and tiny green lakes,
nature trails. Moreover the plateau offers, possibility of strolls,
excursions, mountain bike, trekking, free-flying, horse-riding and
during the winter season it becomes a big ski area.
The north-west boundarys of the provincial territory is delimited
from the shores of the lake of Garda: that its light and colors
combines the fascination of the Mediterranean landscape with the
atmosphere of nordic fiords. The east shore, known like Riviera
degli Ulivi, offers culture, story and traditions, like testify, the
Romanesque churches, Scaliger castles, residences in the Venetian
style and nineteenth-century fortifications which stand on its sides
or in the surroundings; it is the ideal place for the sojourn of
people fond of sport and active holidays, perfect to practice,
sailing, canoeing, wind-surf, fishing and immersions, but also so
much cheerfulness with the fun-fairs, natural parks and
fields from golf.
After the sport the rich gastronomy offers the better of an area
where the alpine environment is softened thanks at the Mediterranean
influence: the wines and the extra-virgin oil are, with the
freshwater fish, the principal products of the gardesana zone.
Verona then has always had a great tradition for good food, in the
hands of the restaurant owners and inn-keepers of the city and the
province. Some of the typical dishes: the gnocchi (potato
dumplings), pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans soup), the "papardele
coi fegadini", the boiled beef with "pear", the "pastrissada de
caval" and the pandoro cake. Also the nearby towns offer
variety of dishes such as the risotto from Isola della Scala
(risottos with meat, grana cheese, aromatized with rosemary and
cinnamon), the tortellini of Valeggio, the asparagus of Arcole , the
cheese of Villafranca; all these dishes are accompanied with
delicious wines, the most famous of which are the Valpolicella, the
Amarone and the Recioto, the Bianco di Custoza, the Soave and the
Recioto di Soave, the Arcole and the Lessini Durello.
