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Verona makes a great city break

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Italy

Things to see in Verona

Tourist information: 

Via degli Alpini 9
Piazza Bra
Tel: 045 806 8680.
Website: www.tourism.verona.it
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1900, Sun 0900-1700.

There are two more tourist information offices in Verona, at the Porta Nuova railway station and at the airport. Staff can help with bookings, practical information and information about the city and the region.

Passes: 

The VeronaCard (www.comune.verona.it/turismo/veronacard.htm) gives free or discounted access to museums, churches and other attractions in Verona as well as free travel with AMT buses. Visitors can buy either a one- or a three-day card. The card is sold at museums, churches and tourist information offices.

Arena di Verona

The Arena in Verona is the largest Roman amphitheatre in northern Italy. In the whole of Italy, only the Colosseum and the amphitheatre at Capua are bigger. It was constructed early in the first century AD, and it has been the site of gladiatorial combat as well as public executions over the centuries. Nowadays it is Verona's foremost venue for concerts and opera performances, being the focal point of the city's famous opera festival every summer. It has a capacity of 25,000 people.

Opening Times: Tue-Sun 0830-1930, Mon 1330-1930 (Oct-Jun); daily 0800-1530 (Jun-Aug).
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: Yes
Address: Piazza Bra, Verona, Italy
Telephone: 045 800 5151.
Website: www.arena.it
Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore

One of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in Italy, San Zeno Maggiore, built in the 1120s and 30s, is the most attractive of Verona's churches. It has an imposing façade that completely dominates the large square in front of the building, and beside it stands an impressive bell tower which receives a mention in the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. The interior of the basilica is splendid, with fresco-clad walls. The crypt contains the tomb of St Zeno, the city's first bishop.

Opening Times: Mon-Sat 0900-1800, Sun 1300-1800 (Mar-Oct); Tue-Sat 1000-1600, Sun 1300-1700 (Nov-Feb).
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Piazza San Zeno, Verona, Italy
Telephone: 045 592 813.
Website: www.chieseverona.it
Casa Giulietta

Casa Giulietta (Juliet's House) is one of Verona's biggest tourist attractions. But while the Capulet family did indeed live in Verona, it is doubtful that they ever lived in this building, and the balcony was actually put up in the 1920s to satisfy visitors. Still, the tourists keep coming, and at least there is a statue of Juliet in the courtyard. The house itself was restored in 1935. It is possible to buy tickets to visit it. Casa Romeo (Romeo's house), arche Scaligere 4, where it is believed that the Montague family actually lived, is not open to the public.

Opening Times: Tue-Sun 0830-1930, Mon 1330-1930.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Via Cappello 23 (Casa Giuilietta), Verona, Italy
Telephone: 045 803 4303.
Castelvecchio

The Castelvecchio (Old Castle) was built in 1354-56 and belonged to Verona's medieval rulers, the della Scala family. The building was converted from a military fortress in 1925, and today the castle houses a museum with works by Pisanello, Veronese and Tintoretto as well as medieval frescoes and sculptures, weapons and jewellery. The famous Italian architect Carlo Scarpa left his unmistakable signature mark on the castle when he was in charge of restoring it between 1959 and 1973.

Opening Times: Tue-Sun 0830-1930, Mon 1330-1930.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: Yes
Address: Corso Castelvecchio, Verona, Italy
Telephone: 045 806 2611.
Website: www.comune.verona.it/castelvecchio/cvsito/english/index1.htm
Chiesa di Sant’Anastasia

To the east and north of Arche Scaligere is the medieval heart of Verona and one of the city’s most atmospheric quarters. Walk up Via Sottoriva to the Gothic church of Sant’ Antastasia. Dating from the 13th to the 15th centuries, it is Verona’s largest church and a repository for some of the best Veronese art. The bare exterior disguises an interior rich in frescoes. Look out for Pisanello’s storybook fresco of St George Setting out to Free the Princess from the Dragon, where the usually butch saint looks more like a courtly dandy than a warrior. You’ll find it in the Pisanelli Chapel.

Opening Times: Mon-Sat 0900-1800, Sun 1300-1800 (Mar-Oct); Tue-Sat 1000-1600, Sun 1300-1700 (Nov-Feb).
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Piazza di Sant’Anastasia, Verona, Italy
Telephone: 045 592 813.
Giardino di Palazzo Giusti

One of the most beautiful Renaissance gardens in Italy, the Giardino Giusti behind the palace of the same name is a spacious garden featuring flower beds, fountains, statues, a cypress-lined avenue and one of Europe's oldest labyrinths. It dates from the late 16th century, but has been redesigned and renovated many times since then. The garden has status as a National Monument in Italy.

Opening Times: Daily 0900-2000 (Apr-Sep); daily 0900-sunset (Oct-Mar).
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Via Giardino Giusti 2, Verona, Italy
Telephone: 045 803 4029.
Il Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona

Based in the Palazzo Pompei, which was built by the architect Sanmicheli in 1530, Verona's Natural History Museum was established in 1962. Its collections are organised in four sections (botany, geology, prehistory and zoology) and comprise millions of objects, many of which are of great historical and scientific interest.

Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Lungadige Porta Vittoria 9, Verona, Italy
Telephone: 045 807 9400.
Website: www.museostorianaturaleverona.it
Roman Theatre and Archaeological Museum

Verona's Roman Theatre dates from the last quarter of the first century BC and has a magnificent location in a hillside north of the Old Town. After centuries of disuse it was recovered in the 19th century, and in modern times it has been used for theatre and ballet productions. The Archaeological Museum is located in what was formerly a medieval Jesuit convent above the theatre. The collection includes Greek vases, mosaics, sculpture, glass objects and other items from the ancient world.

Opening Times: Mon 1330-1845, Tues-Sun 0830-1845; during theater season 0900-1500.
Admission Fees: Yes.
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Regaste Redentore 2, Verona, Italy
Telephone: 045 800 0360.

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