Things to do in  Verona

Feel like part of history as you attend an event in the Verona Arena (Arena di Verona), a spectacular Roman amphitheater that has dominated Piazza Bra since the first century. Once a venue for sporting events, games, and gladiatorial battles, today audiences of up to 15,000 gather to watch opera, music concerts, and dance performances.

William Shakespeare put Verona on the map for the English-speaking world when he set Romeo and Juliet in this Italian city. The Bard’s timeless story has inspired a steady flow of romantics to visit Juliet’s House, or Casa di Giulietta, as the 13th century palazzo is known. Though its famous balcony was added centuries after the play was written, the romance of the setting remains.

Ringed with bustling cafes and elegant Baroque-style buildings, Piazza delle Erbe (or market square has been the home of Verona’s main market since ancient Roman times. Today, visitors still come to browse the market tables stacked high with regional produce, olive oil, and wine; or just enjoy a traditional Italian espresso while enjoying the sounds of the open-air market.

Home to the city’s town hall and other important buildings, Piazza Bra sits at the heart of life in Verona. The huge city square welcomes visitors from all around the world who come to stroll the wide expanse, enjoy a coffee or a meal at one of the al fresco restaurants, or attend one of the regular music performances held at the Verona Arena.

Porta Borsari is a white limestone gate that once marked an entrance point into the Italian city of Verona. With two arched entrances and two sets of windows above, it’s a lasting example of the impressive scale of Roman monumental architecture.

Historically, Piazza dei Signori (also known as Piazza Dante in honor of the poet’s statue in the square center) was the civic and political heart of Verona, and is still home to the Loggia del Consiglio, the former city hall. Lined by medieval palaces and elegant arches, this square is a vibrant local gathering place.

Verona’s largest church, the impressive brick facade of Basilica di Sant'Anastasia has been a fixture of the city for hundreds of years. Located in the historical center, it’s also one of the city’s finest examples of Italian Gothic architecture.

Commemorating the influential Della Scala family, the Scaliger tombs are a series of five Gothic funerary monuments found outside the Santa Maria Antica church in Verona. Dating back to the 14th century, the monuments are famous for their elaborate decoration.

Spanning the Adige River on the northern edge of the city, Ponte Pietra reflects Verona’s remarkable history. This stone-and-brick footbridge was built by Romans in 100 BC and remained largely intact until several of its arches were blown up during World War II. Today, the reconstructed bridge is one of Verona’s top attractions.

Castel San Pietro is a hilltop fortress in Verona. Built in the Austrian style in the 19th century and surrounded by cypress trees, it offers panoramic views of the city, including the Roman theater and the Adige river.

A symbol of Verona, the 14th-century Castelvecchio Bridge (Ponte Scaligero) spanning the Adige River had the largest supporting arch span in the world when it was completed in 1356. The original was destroyed during World War II, but a new bridge was rebuilt with the same red-brick crenellations as its predecessor.

Old and new come together elegantly at Verona’s Castelvecchio, a historic castle renovated in the 1960s by visionary architect Carlo Scarpa, who paired glass panels, concrete, and metal grills with the surviving medieval stonework to create a striking museum for artworks by Bellini, Tiepolo, and Veronese.

Verona Arena, the first-century Roman amphitheater on Piazza Bra is one of the city’s most famous sights, but Verona also boasts a pristine Roman Theater that is even older than the arena and is set on the banks of the River Adige. Visit the theater to see remains of the stage, stone seating (cavea), and loggia arcades.

Piazza delle Erbe (Market Square) is the bustling heart of UNESCO World Heritage–listed Verona. Cafés and elegant buildings front the rectangular square, whose centerpiece is the 14th-century Madonna Verona Fountain (Fontana di Madonna Verona)—an allegory of the city topped by an ancient Roman statue of a female figure holding a scroll bearing the civic motto.

A must for oenophiles, the rolling hills of Valpolicella are one of Italy’s most important wine-producing areas. With its temperate microclimate, this stretch of countryside just west of Venice has been home to vineyards since the time of the ancient Greeks, and today produces the most DOC-classified wine in Italy after Chianti.