While we’ve heard some bloggers compare Verona with Rome, our honest opinion is that nothing can compare to Rome. With that out of the way, we enjoyed our visit in Verona.
Many of Verona’s top attractions are concentrated in the historic center, Città Antica. This area is pedestrian friendly making it easy to explore on foot. As you stroll through the streets you will see vestiges from ancient times such as the impressive Verona Arena.
Città Antica attractions to visit
Verona Arena
The Verona Arena itself is more beautiful from the outside than on the inside. In the summertime it hosts shows and somehow seeing the interior filled with plastic seats takes away from the historical beauty and just doesn’t do it justice.
That said, I suppose it’s nice to see the arena used for its intended purpose. It would surely be a nice experience to watch a show in there.
Regardless of the modernized interior, the ancient Roman Amphitheater is on our list of must-see places in Verona. In its prime it could accommodate an impressive 20,000 spectators when it hosted gladiatorial games.
Castelvecchio Museum
This beautiful riverside fortress-style castle with its elaborate bridge is quite something to see. We enjoyed walking along the citadel’s walls and looking at the various displays throughout the castle museum.
Built in the mid-1300s by the Scala family the castle houses Medieval and Renaissance artifacts, sculptures, and paintings.
The bridge built in the 1400s was reconstructed after WWII in its original form. Note the different sized arches on the old bridge, Ponte Scaligero.
Juliet’s House (and Romeo’s House)
A short walk away from the arena there are both Romeo’s House and Juliet’s House. Romeo’s House has a plaque on the wall which can be photographed (but we did see some young girls shouting “Romeo, Romeo.” in hopes of awakening him perhaps).
Juliet’s House can be visited and was a popular site. Girls lined up (many in long flowing dresses) to take photos on Juliet’s famous balcony. Ok, definitely more a tourist thing and definitely too many Romeos down there in the courtyard!
Roman Theatre and Archeology Museum
Across the Adige River and just a few more minutes walking brought us to the Roman Theatre, now part of the Archeological Museum. This was an excellent museum. The theater itself was also being used for shows and had a modern stage with more plastic seats. But the backdrop of the museum on the hill behind it made for some great photos.
One of my favorite items in the museum was a wooden replica of the Arena of Verona made in 1790 or so. Amazing detail in the wooden carvings made to 1/90th scale.
The chapel annexed to the museum of the Roman Theater was filled with ancient frescoes and mosaics. Simply beautiful!
There also many great views of Verona to be had from the museum’s windows and terrace including some of Ponte Pietra. This beautiful bridge was first finished in 100 BC, but it had to be rebuilt after it was destroyed during WWII.
Funicular of Castel San Pietro
Just behind the museum you can find the funicular to go up and get some great views of the city from the Castel San Pietro. Nothing much to see inside the fort itself but just the views are worth the ride up.
Coming down toward the Ponte Pietra we had some of the best gelato of our trip from a small natural shop. We did our best to sample gelato every day. It was so hot after all! 🙂
Duomo of Verona
We then visited the Duomo (also Cattedrale di Santa Maria Matricolare) with its beautiful organs, domes, and flooring. We didn’t stay long as a service was about to start.
Basilica of St. Anastasia
We then headed to the Basilica of St. Anastasia which was only 5 minutes’ walk away. Built in the 13th century, the basilica is a must-see for sure. The interior is beautiful with its intricate altar and ornate ceiling and numerous frescos. My favorite was the interesting water stoup featuring a hunchback.
Exploring Verona’s Città Antica
Verona’s historic center is best visited on foot and you are sure to stumble on something interesting. We loved the architecture around Piazza delle Erbe.
Here, we visited the Palazzo Maffei Casa Museo mostly for its terrace. From up there we got a bird’s-eye view of the piazza with its impressive medieval tower. Of course, we also liked the column with the winged lion on top. What’s not to like about lions!
Another lovely square was Piazza dei Signori with a statue of Dante Alighieri in the center. Nearby there are also the Scaliger Tombs which are in fact two ornate raised tombs for the Scaligeri family. We didn’t pay to get behind the fence as we were pressed for time, but from up close you can see more of the carvings and details.
Other notable sites around Città Antica were a variety of arches left from the original city walls such as the Porta Borsari and the Arco dei Gavi. The former is made of limestone and served as the main entrance to the city, and the latter is located next to the castle. Both monuments date back to the 1st century AD.
There were so many churches in Verona we even found one that was converted into a pizzeria. Of course, we had to indulge. If you go, be sure to try Grandma’s dessert, a delicious lemon tart. Yum!
Conclusion
We had opted for 3 nights in Verona but having arrived early enough in the day we managed to get in the sites we wanted to see in a day and a half. Some might enjoy a slower pace, but we opted to hustle so we could also get a day in the Lake Garda area.
So, we certainly would not give up Rome to come to Verona, but we would still recommend one or two days here when visiting Northern Italy. We also found that Verona was much more crowded than our other stops on our Northern Italy adventure. Even so, it’s a beautiful city with lots of interesting sites to see and we’re glad we came.