Anfiteatro Arena, Chiesa di San Fermo, Arche Scaligere, Porta Vescovo
In early times, the hill of San Pietro was already populated by a group of local inhabitants. The Cenomani Gauls later took their place. In 89 BC Verona became a Roman colony and in 49 BC was turned into a “municipium”. Situated at the crossroads of some of the most important Roman roads, the city soon acquired great importance within the Empire for the strategic and commercial role it played. This role did not change after the decline of the Empire, and over time, the city was occupied by the Ostrogoths,
Lombards and Franks. In the 10th century, after driving out the Hungarians who had plundered the city, Otto I (Holy Roman Emperor) made the city part of Bavaria. In the 12th century, however, it became an independent republic (1107) and formed the powerful Veronese League (with Vicenza, Padua and Treviso) against Frederick Barbarossa. During the 13th century Verona was the scene of internal power struggles among local families. Between 1226 and 1259 the city was under the tyrannical rule of Ezzelino da Romano who was responsible for much bloodshed. After the death of the despot in 1260, Mastino I della Scala was elected representative of the people and with him came the beginnings of rule by the della Scala family who remained in power until the end of the next century. In this period, Verona was at the peak of its power and enjoyed considerable artistic patronage. The principal power behind the success of this period was Can Grande I who ruled between 1308 and 1329. Following a brief period of rule by the Viscontis (1387 to 1405), the city became part of the Republic of Venice. This long period of rule (almost four hundred years) was a key element to the peace and well-being of the city and allowed the arts to flourish. In 1796, occupation by Napoleon’s army once more gave the city a role of vital strategic and military importance. The city was ceded to Austria with the Treaty of Campoformio (1797), became part of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1805, but in 1814 once more returned to being part of the Austrian Empire and became an administrative centre and the main garrison of the defence system known as the “Quadrilateral” (four sided protection) (with Mantova, Peschiera and Legnago) Verona was a principal player in the political revival of Italy and in the wars of independence. The city was liberated and became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1866. During both WWI and WWII the city was heavily bombarded but the layout of the city has remained unchanged. The artistic heritage and damaged monuments have since been restored to their former splendour.
History, art and culture
Veduta di Verona
The city was founded in the 1st century BC and straddles the Adige river. It is encircled by hills that serve to highlight the beauty of the landscape.
It was already a city in Roman times thanks to its geographical position, and many fine traces of its glorious past still remain today. These range from the Arena to the Roman Theatre, the Arco dei Gavi to Porta Borsari, and the splendid architecture of Porta Leoni.
Piazza Erbe, in the town centre, was the ancient Roman forum, that during mediaeval times became the seat of political and administrative power. This Piazza blends and merges what remains from differing times gone by. Examples range from the great palaces of the 16th and 17th centuries and encompass mediaeval architecture, works sponsored by the della Scala family and examples from the Renaissance period. Renowned artists contributed to Verona’s splendour and a list of some of the names would include Pisanello, Fra’ Giocondo, Girolamo dai Libri, Liberale da Verona, Michele Sanmicheli and Paolo Veronese.
The ancient town walls are a fascinating feature and many sections are still today in excellent condition. Their position on the perimeter was dictated by the period during which they were built and they gird the town in such a way as to almost explain their history. Although little remains of the first two walls that ringed the town in Roman times (a short section along what is now Via Diaz, part of the “Mura di Galieno”; a section of the Arena and a section built by Theodorico the Great in the Via S. Cosimo area); the city walls between Castelvecchio and Ponte Aleardi, built after the 1239 flood, are still in near perfect condition. The city perimeter ordered by the della Scala family and completed in January 1325, enclosed an area of 450 hectares (1.74 sq. miles). The walls were later used by the Venetians in the 1600’s and again by the Austrians in the 1800’s, and made Verona one of four cities completing a “Quadrilateral” (four-sided protection). The magnificent city gates, the walls (in some sections, still in excellent condition) and the fortifications, some of which are even now formidable, bear witness to the strategic importance the city once had.
Castel S. Pietro
Culture in Verona thrives with the Philharmonic Academy (the oldest in the world), a vast network of museums, the Literary Society and the Academy of Agriculture, Science and Literature, the University, the Conservatory and the Arena Foundation.
The city has always had plenty of visitors including such famous names as Dante, Mozart, Goethe and Ruskin. Verona still attracts many visitors from all over the world with its Arena, Romeo and Juliet, its beauty and nearby outstanding natural resources like Lake Garda and the neighbouring mountains.
UNESCO INSCRIPTION
Porta Borsari
The city of Verona was founded in the 1st century BC and flourished for a long period during the 13th and 14th centuries while under the rule of the della Scala family and later, between the 15th and 18th centuries, while part of the Venetian Republic.
The city is steeped in art and culture and has managed to conserve a significant number of ancient buildings dating back to the Mediaeval and Renaissance periods. It is also a remarkable example of a military citadel.
Date of inscription 2000
Inscription N° 797rev
Criteria C (ii) (iv)
Criterion (ii): Verona, with its urban layout and architecture, is a splendid example of a city that has undergone progressive and non-stop development over the last two thousand years. It is home to artistic works of the very highest quality from periods spanning the ages.
Criterion (iv): Verona is an excellent example of a city that has been fortified in various stages, hand-in-hand with events that have shaped the history of Europe.
