Verona, one of the most beautiful Italian cities.

VERONA

Verona stands in the Veneto Region, 114 km. (70 miles) far from Venice, and has about 264.000 inhabitants.

It is one of the main tourist destinations in north-eastern Italy, thanks to its artistic heritage, several annual fairs, shows and operas, such as the lyrical season in the Arena, the ancient amphitheatre built by the Romans; the city is the location of “Romeo and Juliet” by W. Shakespeare.








Verona owes its historical and economical importance to its geographical location, in a loop of the River Adige near Lake Garda. It was founded in the 1st century B.C. and particularly flourished under the rule of the Scaliger family in the Middle Age and as part of the Republic of Venice from the 15th to 18th century. Verona has preserved a remarkable number of monuments from antiquity, the medieval and Renaissance periods, and represents an outstanding example of a military stronghold.



It is inscripted on World Heritage List:

“Criterion ii : In its urban structure and its architecture, Verona is an outstanding example of a town that has developed progressively and uninterruptedly over two thousand years, incorporating artistic elements of the highest quality from each succeeding period.

Criterion iv : Verona represents in an exceptional way the concept of the fortified town at several seminal stages of European history.”



Here the link to Wikipedia with info about the city:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verona



I hope you will enjoy the show.




The River Adige:




































Ponte Pietra: the old Roman bridge.









Piazza Bra: the vibrant heart of the city. In this square you can find the Arena, the Roman amphitheatre, perhaps the most beautiful open air opera theatre in the world.

































Behind the scenes: TURANDOT












Piazza delle Erbe: the beautiful market square in Verona.












Palazzo Maffei







Torre dei Lamberti








Madonna Verona; in the background, Casa Mazzanti.












On the right, Domus Mercatorum.










Some pics of Capulets' house with Juliet's balcony:

















PIAZZA DEI SIGNORI o PIAZZA DANTE:












Loggia del Consiglio (on the left)












The arch connecting Piazza delle Erbe to Piazza dei Signori:







Palazzo della Ragione, Scala della Ragione and courtyard:





























Arche Scaligere













DUOMO.



I love Verona's Cathedral:

















Urban landscapes.












Verona's hills.








Roman Verona



1. Arena








2. Porta Leoni







3. Porta Borsari








4. Arco dei Gavi




MISCELLANY - 1





















Castelvecchio and Ponte Scaligero, completed in 1356:






























Sant'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.












Random pics







































BASILICA DI SAN ZENO



The Basilica di San Zeno (also known as San Zeno Maggiore) is the best known religious building of Verona. Its fame rests partly on its architecture and partly upon the tradition that its crypt was the place of the marriage of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Together with the abbey which forms an annex, it is entitled to St. Zeno of Verona.












Façade



The church of San Zeno constituted the model for all subsequent Romanesque edifices in Verona. Built of cream-coloured tuff, the façade (now under restoration) is divided into three vertical components, the central nave surmounted by a pediment and the two aisle with sloping rooflines, all supported upon small pendented blind arcades. The intersections of the three parts are marked by angled pilasters ending in foliate capitals below the pediment.




















Bell tower



The bell tower stands as a separate building. It is 72 m-high and was begun in 1045, being finished in 1173. It is stylistically Romanesque like the church, having a central vertical belt of alternating tuff and brickwork bands, It is divided in floors by cornices and small tuff arches, and rises to a double-storied bell chamber with triple mullioned windows. It is surmounted by a small conical spire with small pinnacles at each angle. The exterior is decorated by Roman sculptures. The older bells were from 1149, although only one of them remains now.







The Abbey




Attached to the basilica is an abbey was erected in the 9th century over a pre-existing monastery. Of the original structure, destroyed in the Napoleonic Wars, only a large brick tower and the cloisters survive. It had originally another tower and the abbot's palace. For long time the abbey was the city's official residence of the Holy Roman Emperors. In 1980s a restoration discovered frescoes from the 12th–15th centuries.













More info about the Basilica di San Zeno here:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_San_Zeno
Going west, not so far from the city, you can find Lake Garda, the largest Italian lake, located between Veneto region, Lombardy and Trentino.

The eastern shore belongs to the Province of Verona.





































































Lazise

































Peschiera del Garda:
















Bardolino:















Garda:
















Malcesine: