Verona
This page is about the city in Italy; for other uses, see Verona (disambiguation).Verona (population est. 270,000) is an ancient town,
episcopal see and
province in the
Veneto, Northern
Italy. The ancient town, and the centre of the modern city, are in a loop of the
Adige River near
Lake Garda. Because of this position, the areas saw regular floodings until
1956. It was in that year that the
Mori-Torbole tunnel was constructed, which provides 500 cubic meters of discharge from the Adige river to the Garda lake in case of flood danger. The tunnel reduced the risk of floodings from once every seventy years to once every two centuries.
Main article: History of Verona
Verona, or Veronia, was a city of the
Euganei, who were obliged to cede it to the Cenomani (
550 B.C.). With the conquest of the Valley of the
Po the Veronese territory became Roman (about
300 B.C.). Verona became a Roman
colonia in
89 b.C., and then a
municipium in
49 b.C.; Verona had the franchise in 59.
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Map of Italy showing Verona in the north |
The city derived importance from being at the intersection of many roads. With the taking of Verona (
489 a.D.) the
Gothic domination of Italy began;
Theodoric built his palace there, and in Germanic legend the name of Verona is linked with his. This city remained in the power of the Goths all through the
Gothic war, with the exception of a single day in
541, when an Armenian officer effected an entrance. Dissensions which arose among the Byzantine generals in regard to booty enabled the Goths to regain possession. In
552 Valerian vainly endeavoured to gain an entrance, and only the complete overthrow of the Goths brought about its surrender.
In 569 it was taken by
Alboin, King of the
Lombards, in whose kingdom it was, in a sense, the second city in importance. There Alboin himself was killed by his own wife in
572. The dukes of Treviso often resided there. At Verona
Adalgisus, son of
Desiderius, in
774 made his last desperate resistance to
Charlemagne, who had destroyed the Lombard kingdom. Verona was then the ordinary residence of the kings of Italy, the government of the city becoming hereditary in the family of Count Milo, progenitor of the counts of San Bonifacio. From
880 to
951 the two Berengarii resided there.
Otto I ceded to Verona the marquisate dependent on the Duchy of
Bavaria.
The splendor of the city in those days, dominated by its forty-eight towers, is described in a Latin ode of which we shall speak later on. The increasing wealth of the burgher families eclipsed the power of the counts, and in 1100 we find Verona organised as a commune. The San Bonifacio could at most hold the office of podestà of the city now and then. Verona, at first undecided, was forced by
Vicenza to join the
Lombard League. This, however, gave rise to the factions of Guelphs and Ghibellines in Verona. When
Ezzelino IV was elected podestà , in
1226, he was able to convert the office into a permanent lordship, and in
1257 he caused the slaughter of 11,000
Paduans on the plain of Verona (Campi di Verona). Upon his death the Great Council elected as podestà Mastino della Scala, and he converted the "signoria" into a family possession, though leaving the burghers a share in the government. Failing to be re-elected podestà in 1262, he effected a coup d'état, and was acclaimed capitano del popolo, with the command of the communal troops. It was not without long internal discord that he succeeded in establishing this new office, to which was attached the function of confirming the podestà . In
1272 Mastino was killed by the faction of the nobles.
The reign of his son Alberto as capitano (1277-1302) was one incessant war against the counts of San Bonifacio, who were aided by the House of Este. Of his sons, Bartolommeo, Alboino, and Can Grande I, only the last shared the government (
1308); he was great as warrior, prince, and patron of the arts; he protected
Dante,
Petrarch, and
Giotto. By war or treaty he brought under his control the cities of
Padua (
1328),
Treviso (
1308), and
Vicenza.
Alberto was succeeded by
Mastino II (1329-51) and Alberto, sons of Alboino. Mastino continued his uncle's policy, conquering
Brescia in
1332 and carrying his power beyond the Po. He purchased
Parma (
1335) and
Lucca (
1339). After the King of France, he was the richest prince of his time. But a powerful league was formed against him in
1337---
Florence,
Venice, the
Visconti, the
Este, and the
Gonzaga. After a three years war, the Scaliger dominions were reduced to Verona and
Vicenza. {Mastino's daugther Regina-Beatrice della Scala married to
Barnabo Visconti.} Mastino's son
Cangrande II (
1351-
59) was a cruel, dissolute, and suspicious tyrant; not trusting his own subjects, he surrounded himself with Brandenburg mercenaries. He was killed by his brother Cansignorio (1359-75), who beautified the city with palaces, provided it with aqueducts and bridges, and founded the state treasury. He also killed his other brother, Paolo Alboino. Fratricide seems to have become a family custom, for Antonio (1375-87), Cansignorio's natural brother, slew his brother Bartolomeo, thereby arousing the indignation of the people, who deserted him when
Gian Galeazzo Visconti of
Milan made war on him. Having exhausted all his resources, he fled from Verona at midnight (19 October,
1387), thus putting an end to the Scaliger domination, which, however, survived in its monuments.
The year
1387 is also the year of the famous
Battle of Castagnaro, between
Giovanni Ordelaffi, for Verona, and
John Hawkwood, for
Padua, who was the winner.
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A view of Verona from a hill |
Antonio's son
Can Francesco in vain attempted to recover Verona (
1390).
Guglielmo (
1404), natural son of Can Grande II, was more fortunate; with the support of the people, he drove out the
Milanese, but he died ten days after, and Verona then submitted to
Venice (
1405). The last representatives of the
Scaligeri lived at the imperial court and repeatedly attempted to recover Verona by the aid of popular risings.
From
1490 to
1517 the city was in the power of the
Emperor Maximilian I.
Verona was occupied by
Napoleon in
1797, but on Easter Monday the populace rose and drove out the
French. It was then that
Napoleon made an end of the
Venetian Republic.
In
1866, on the anniversary of the defeat of Königrätz, the
Austrians evacuated Verona, their strongest fortress in
Venetia, which thus became
Italian.
Verona is a historic city, and has had many waves of migration. Today the population is vastly
Italian but is home to many imimigrants and temporary guestworkers. The national makeup of the city is 92.8%
Italian, 1.2%
Bangladeshi, 0.7%
Romanian, 0.6%
Nigerian, 0.5%
Moroccan. There are many other nationalities, including
Albanians,
Serbians and
Tunisians.
Because of the value and importance of its many historical buildings, Verona has been named a
UNESCO world heritage site.
Roman monuments
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The Arena. |
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San Zeno Basilica, like many other Veronese churches, is built with alternating layers of white stone and bricks. |
Verona is famous for its Roman
amphitheatre, the
Arena, completed around 30 AD, which is the third largest in Italy, after Rome's
Colosseum and the arena at
Capua.It measures 139 meters long and 110 meters wide, and could seat some 25,000 spectators in its 44 tiers of marble seats. The
ludi (shows and
gladiator games) performed within its walls were so famous that they attracted spectators from far beyond the city. The current two-story
façade is actually the internal support for the tiers; only a fragment of the original outer perimeter wall in white and pink
limestone from
Valpolicella, with three stories remains.The interior is very impressive and is virtually intact, and has remained in use even today for public events, fairs, theatre and open-aired
opera during warm, Summer nights.
There is also a variety of other Roman monuments to be found in the town, such as the
Roman theatre. This theatre was built in the
1st century BC, but through the ages had fallen in disuse and had been built upon to provide housing. In the
18th century Andrea Monga, a wealthy Veronese, bought all the houses that in time had been built over the theatre, demolished them, and saved the monument.
The
Arco dei Gavi (Gavi Arch), dedicated to the important Roman family of the
Gavii, was built in the
1st century AD, and is famous for having the name of the builder (
architect Lucius Vitruvius Cordone) engraved on it, a really rare case in the architecture of the epoque. It originally it straddled the main
Roman road into the city, now the Corso Cavour. It had been demolished by the
French troops in
1805 and was rebuilt in
1932.
Nearby is the
Porta dei Borsari, an archway is at the end of Corso Porta Borsari. This is the façade of a
3rd century gate in the original Roman city walls. The inscription is dated
245 AD and gives the city name as
Colonia Verona Augusta. The road passing through the gate is the original
Via Sacra of the Roman city. Today, it is lined with several
Renaissance palazzi.
Porta dei Leoni is the 1st century BC ruin of what was once part of the Roman city gate. A substantial portion is still standing as part of the wall of a medieval building. The street itself is an open archaeological site, and the remains of the original Roman street and gateway foundations can be seen a few feet below the present street level.
Medieval monuments
The
Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore [
1]is considered one of the great achievements of
Romanesque architecture. The present structure is the 3rd on this site, built from 1123-1135, over the 4th century shrine to Verona's patron saint, St Zeno. The splendid
façade dominates the large square, and is flanked with a beautiful 72 meter tall bell tower, which is mentioned by
Dante in Canto 18 of Purgatory in the
Divine Comedy. The weathered Veronese stone gives a warm golden glow and the restrained lines of the pillars, columns, cornices and the gallery with its double windows give the façade an air of harmonious elegance. The huge
Rose Window is decorated as a
Wheel of Fortune. The lintels above the portal have carvings of the months of the year. Each side of the doorway is embellished with 18
bas-relief panels of biblical scenes, and the inner
bronze door has panels have 48 primitive but forceful depictions from the life of St Zeno. The meaning of some of the scenes is now unknown, but the extraordinarily vivid, barbaric energy of the figures is a superb blend of traditional and
Ottonian influences. The interior of the church is divided into a Lower Church, occupying about 2/3 of the structure, and the Upper Church, occupying the remainder. The walls are covered with 12th and 14th century
frescos and the ceiling of the
nave is a magnificent example of a ship's keel ceiling. The vaulted
crypt contains the tomb of St Zeno (d.380), the first
Bishop of Verona as well as the tombs of several other saints. North of the church is a pleasant cloister. The church also houses the tomb of King
Pippin of Italy (777-810).
The small
Romanesque Basilica of San Lorenzo is one of the most beautiful and important in the city. Its dates from around 1177, but is built on the site of a
Paleochristian church, some fragments of which remain. The church is built of alternating tracks of
brick and stone, and has two cylindrical towers, housing spiral staircases to the women's galleries. Inside, the atmosphere is rather severe, but is still quiet and peaceful. The striped bands of stone and brick and the graceful arches complement the setting.
St Maria Antica is a tiny
Romanesque church was the parish church of the
Scaligeri clan. Founded in the 7th century, the interior is very beautiful. The structure is of alternating bands of brick and stone. The square belfry has
Gothic mullioned windows, and inset glass crosses in the roof admit light. Only large enough to hold a couple dozen people at most for mass, when the Scaligeri chose this to be their funerary chapel, the only place for their massive tombs was outside. Hovering in mid-air above the entrance to the church is the Tomb of Cangrand I (d. 1329). The base of the fancy
sarcophagus forms the porch. Above is a Gothic canopy with a pyramid-shaped roof. The statue of the dead warlord is on top; however, the whole assembly is topped with a statue of Cangrand on horseback, in armor, sword in hand, with a manic smile and his outrageous dog-head helmet. Towering over the fence are the spire topped tombs of Mastino II "The Mastiff" (d.1351) and Cansignorio "Noble Dog" (d.1375), with splendidly wrought Gothic pinnacles bristling like lances, and similar detailed carvings, statues, winged helmets and wrought-iron fences with the Scaligeri ladder emblems. In all of Europe, there is nothing like these spiky, flamboyant, monuments. Simpler tombs near the church wall contain other members of the Scaligeri clan, including
Mastino, who founded the dynasty, Bartolomeo (d. 1304) and Giovanni (d. 1359).
St Anastasia is a huge and lofty church built from 1290-1481 by the
Dominicans to hold the massive congregations attracted by their rousing fundamentalist sermons. The Gothic portal has faded 15th century
frescoes and carved scenes from the life of
St Peter Martyr, but the
façade is unfinished. Inside is one of the most outstanding examples of
Gothic architecture in northern Italy. However, its proportions and various elements of the design are still decidedly
Romanesque. Of note are the 2
holy water stoups inside are upheld by comical and realistic beggars. The Pellegrini chapel houses the famous fresco
St. George and the Princess of Trebizond by
Pisanello.
*
Girolamo Fracastoro, also known by his
Latin name
Fracastorius, renowned scholar, physician and poet
*
Cesare Lombroso, criminologyst
*
Emilio Salgari, writer
*
Paolo Veronese, painter
*
Catullus, Roman poet
*
Antonio Salieri, composer
*
Ratherius, Medieval bishop and writer
Verona was the birthplace of
Catullus, and the town that
Julius Caesar selected for his relaxing stays. In its history many important names passed and events happened that were relevant for the European history, like
Theodoric the Great, king of
Ostrogoths,
Alboin and
Rosamunda, the
Lombard Dukes,
Charlemagne and
Pippin of Italy,
Berengar I,
Dante.
Conclaves were held here, as were important congresses. Verona was in the travel diaries of
Goethe,
Stendhal and
Paul Valéry.
Verona is the setting of the story of
Romeo and Juliet, made famous by
William Shakespeare. Although the earliest version of the story is set in
Siena, not Verona â€" the move was made in Luigi da Porto's
Istoria novellamente ritrovata di due Nobili Amanti â€" a balcony falsely claiming historical connection to the fictional lovers has become a tourist attraction for lovers; the short passageway leading to the balcony is covered with slips of paper carrying their
graffiti, and a bronze statue of Juliet stands under the balcony, one breast polished by those touching it for luck.
Its
Natural history museum contains one of the most valuable collections of
fossils and
archaeological remains of Europe.
Castelvecchio Museum features a collection of sculptures, statues and paintings in a magnificent castle built in 1354-1356 and restored by renowned architect
Carlo Scarpa from 1969-70, and 1975.
The colors of the city are the yellow and the blue.
The town has two
soccer teams, one in the highest division of the Italian championship,
Chievo Verona (who are due to appear in the 2006/2007
UEFA Champions League) and the other in the second division,
Hellas Verona.
Things from Verona (and sometimes people) are called
Veronese. The most famous example of this can lead to confusion, however, as the
Renaissance painter,
Paolo Veronese is often referred to as simply "Veronese".
Verona has several Partnerships. Some are thematic:
* -
Pula,
Croatia * -
Nîmes,
France, have in common a
Roman amphitheatre* -
Munich,
Bavaria, shares with Verona the title of "twin portal to their country"
* -
Salzburg,
Austria, shares a common heritage of musical tradition
* -
Bethlehem,
Palestine* -
Raanana,
Israel, have in common a trilateral pledge for peace and a traditional exchange of
praesepia* -
Košice,
Slovakia* -
Nagahama,
Japan* -
Fresno, California,
USAThe Two Gentlemen of Verona is a Shakesperean comedy beginning in Verona.
Romeo and Juliet is a Shakesperean play taking place in Verona.
*
History of Verona*
Ecclesiastical history of Verona*
The official website of Verona municipality*
The official website of Arena*
UNESCO world heritage explication*
Verona's Map Map of Verona
