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    Verona, Vicenza, Padua, and Mantua
    Verona, Vicenza, Padua, and Mantua
    Verona, Vicenza, Padua, and Mantua
    Ebook131 pages49 minutes

    Verona, Vicenza, Padua, and Mantua

    By Enrico Massetti

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    About this ebook

    Verona, the great chief town of the Veneto, well-known for its Arena, suggestive amphitheater of the Roman era and chosen as background for the famous Shakespeare drama. This is a guide to Verona, the town with the Roman Arena and Juliet's Balcony.

    Verona has an ancient historical center, very extensive and well conserved. The Roman municipality of the 49 B.C., reserves standout tracks of that prosperous era. The Roman amphitheater 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 magnificent works designed to last millennia.

    Noteworthy architectural works remain from the Scaliger’s seignory and the Austrian domination during the Renaissance, but there are also, palaces and squares of every epoch and style in warm, soft colors.

    This guide covers a one day visit to Verona, and it also includes day visits to the nearby cities of Vicenza, Padua and the art city of Mantua.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherEnrico Massetti
    Release dateOct 29, 2014
    ISBN9781311630377
    Verona, Vicenza, Padua, and Mantua
    Author

    Enrico Massetti

    Enrico Massetti was born in Milan, Italy, where he lived for more than 30 years, visiting countless tourist destinations from the mountains of the Alps to the sea of Sicily. He now lives in Washington, DC, USA. However, he regularly visits his hometown and enjoys touring all the places in his country, especially those he can reach by public transportation.You can reach Enrico at enrico@italian-visits.com.

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      Book preview

      Verona, Vicenza, Padua, and Mantua - Enrico Massetti

      Enrico Massetti

      Verona, Vicenza, Padua, and Mantua

      Enrico Massetti

      Text Copyright © Enrico Massetti 2015-2021

      Images ©, or CC Creative Commons license, as specified for each image

      Cover image © Enrico Massetti, Adobe inc.

      Published by Enrico Massetti

      All Rights Reserved

      2021 edition

      ISBN: 9798784018151

      for my Verona friends

      Verona area

      A map of a city Description automatically generated with medium confidence

      A Map of the area

      The four cities on the tour are very close to each other and are easily accessible by a road trip of a few hours.

      Verona

      The Arena

      With its position between the banks of the River Adige winding at the foot of the hills, the beauty of its colors, the green of its cypresses, the dark red of its bricks, the ivory of its stone, the white marbles, the extraordinary mixture of Roman, medieval, and Renaissance art, and the magnificent splendor of its churches, Verona is one of the most fascinating cities of Italy. An ancient prehistoric settlement, then a city of the Gauls and the Romans, a capital of Ostrogoth, Longobardi, and Frankish dynasties, it next passed, after the age of the communes, into the brief, but happy, possession of the Scaliger (1260-1387) and lastly to the Venetian Republic.

      Our visit begins in the spectacular Piazza Bra, the site of the enormous Roman Arena (1st century), the largest structure of its kind after the Colosseum.

      Next to the Arena, we find the neoclassical Palazzo Municipale. (Town Hall) and, set against the city walls, the Palazzo della Gran Guardia (1610).

      The palace served as the headquarters and registered office of the city guard and was built in 1610.

      The loggia and the parade ground on the ground floor of the palace were designed by Domenico Curtoni. The staircase and upper floor were not completed until 1850. You can see the style of the master builder of Curtoni, Sanmicheli, especially when looking at the twin pillars on the upper floor – they imitate Sanmicheli Porta Palio.

      Today, the former city guard is used as a conference center and as a gallery.

      Palazzo della Gran Guardia

      Passing through the 15th century archways which span Corso Porta Nuova, we come upon the Museum of Gems and Jewelry, with a handsome classical courtyard; beyond Via Roma is a row of three fine palaces, Vaccari, Barbaro and Malfatti (designed by Sanmicheli, 1555).

      Taking Via Roma, we reach Castelvecchio, an impressive 14th century fortress on the Adige, which today houses the Civic Museum and its important collection of Venetian painting (works by G. Bellini, Crivelli, Tintoretto, Titian, Tiepolo, Guardi, and by those gentlest of Veronese artists, Stefano da Zevio and Altichiero).

      Before leaving the Castle, we should wander among its towers and battlements to enjoy the marvelous view.

      Taking Stradone Antonio Provolo, we pass by the Renaissance church of San Bernardino (1466), and come to San Zeno, the most beautiful church in Verona and one of the most important in Italy. It was founded in the 5th century, but in its present form it dates from 1138, at which time the magnificent face was finished with its elegant porch and carvings by Nicolò and Guglielmo, a masterpiece of Romanesque sculpture.

      Passing through the superb Romanesque bronze doors, we enter the grandiose interior where, on the high altar, there is a Triptych by Andrea Mantegna (1459), one of the noblest paintings of the Renaissance.

      San Bernardino

      Following the Adige back to Castelvecchio, we go on by it to the superb Arco dei Gavi (ca. 50 AD.), demolished in 1805 by the French and later rebuilt. After the Palazzo Canossa, designed by Sanmicheli, we go on down Corso Cavour where we find, on the left, the Romanesque church of S. Lorenzo, and on the right, the Palazzo Bevilacqua (1530) and the church of SS. Apostoli.

      Beyond the Roman Porta Borsari, we come to the Torre del Gardello, in front of which we find the lively Piazza delle Erbe, whence we pass into the adjoining Piazza dei Signori, a superb creation dating from the Middle Ages (Palazzo della Ragione, 1193,

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