Access VeronaPink stone, a green river, two thousand years deep.
Verona at night from the hill: the Duomo's bell tower, the lit Adige and the bridges
QUESTIONS ANSWERED AT LENGTH

The Journal

Visitor questions about Verona, answered at length: arriving with luggage, an evening in the Arena, the truth about Juliet's House, where to stand for the view, and choosing a day out.

Coaterflagman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

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The articles

Each one a single question, answered in full.

The Porta Nuova gate on the city walls
The Porta Nuova gate on the city wallsAdert, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Getting Around

Arriving in Verona by car when the old center is a limited-traffic zone

Verona's historic center is a camera-watched limited-traffic zone. Who may drive in, what hotel guests must do, and where visitors leave the car instead.

A gondola on the Grand Canal in Venice, the Salute behind
A gondola on the Grand Canal in Venice, the Salute behindArmin Kleiner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Day Trips

Choosing between Lake Garda and Venice for a single day out from Verona

Lake Garda or Venice for one free day from Verona: how each trip works by train and bus, what a day there holds, and the planning traps for each.

Painted house fronts on Piazza delle Erbe under the Torre dei Lamberti
Painted house fronts on Piazza delle Erbe under the Torre dei LambertiMario Penner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Torre dei Lamberti

Climbing the Torre dei Lamberti or taking the lift, and what the bells are called

How to choose between the stairs and the lift up the Torre dei Lamberti, and what the tower's two medieval bells are called.

The Gothic windows over the entrance to the Castelvecchio museum
The Gothic windows over the entrance to the Castelvecchio museum66colpi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Castelvecchio

Crossing the Scaliger bridge at Castelvecchio and what the rebuilt battlements hide

How to cross the Ponte Scaligero at Castelvecchio and read the castle's rebuilt walls, bridge, and Scarpa museum.

The check-in hall inside Verona Villafranca airport
The check-in hall inside Verona Villafranca airportThreecharlie, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting Here

Getting from Verona airport to the old town, and what to do with your bags

How the Airlink shuttle, taxis and the walk up from Porta Nuova station get you into Verona's old town, and how to plan around your luggage.

Going to a summer play or concert in the Roman Theater above the river
Going to a summer play or concert in the Roman Theater above the riverAnnika of Nine, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Roman Theatre

Going to a summer play or concert in the Roman Theater above the river

How to visit Verona's Roman theater by day and return for a summer play or concert on the modern stage above it.

How Piazza dei Signori became the stately room next door to the market square
How Piazza dei Signori became the stately room next door to the market squareFalk2, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Piazza dei Signori

How Piazza dei Signori became the stately room next door to the market square

How Verona's political square evolved from Scaliger palaces to a Venetian showpiece beside the market.

The Ponte Pietra over the high brown Adige
The Ponte Pietra over the high brown AdigeFalk2, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ponte Pietra

How Ponte Pietra was pulled out of the Adige stone by stone and put back together

How Verona's oldest bridge was blown up in 1945 and rebuilt from its own recovered stones.

Piazza delle Erbe at dusk, the lights of the cafés and the Torre dei Lamberti
Piazza delle Erbe at dusk, the lights of the cafés and the Torre dei LambertiMaurizio Moro5153, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Porta Borsari

How to spot the Roman city gate that Corso Porta Borsari walks straight through

How to find and read Porta Borsari, the Roman gate on Corso Porta Borsari, from its carved facade to its dated inscription.

The entrance passage to Juliet's House, its walls covered in notes
The entrance passage to Juliet's House, its walls covered in notesGaronzi Stefania, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Juliet's House

Juliet's House is a story Verona chose to tell, and still worth an hour

The Casa di Giulietta is tied to Romeo and Juliet by literary tradition, not record. What the city built there, what to look at, and how entry works.

Piazza dei Signori and its palaces from the top of the Torre dei Lamberti
Piazza dei Signori and its palaces from the top of the Torre dei LambertiMaurizio Moro5153, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Scaliger Tombs

Reading the Scaliger Tombs, from Cangrande's rider to the iron ladders in the railings

A guide to the della Scala family tombs beside Santa Maria Antica, from Cangrande's rider to the ironwork in the railings.

The Duomo is really a cluster of churches, and how to see all of them in one visit
The Duomo is really a cluster of churches, and how to see all of them in one visitFalk2, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Duomo

The Duomo is really a cluster of churches, and how to see all of them in one visit

The Duomo is a cluster of linked buildings near the Adige; here is how to see every part in one visit.

The hunchbacks holding up the holy water stoups in Sant'Anastasia, and what else to look for
The hunchbacks holding up the holy water stoups in Sant'Anastasia, and what else to look forFalk2, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sant'Anastasia

The hunchbacks holding up the holy water stoups in Sant'Anastasia, and what else to look for

A guide to the hunchback water-stoups, Pisanello's fresco, and the other details worth seeking out inside Sant'Anastasia.

Trucks and scenery beside the Arena on Piazza Bra
Trucks and scenery beside the Arena on Piazza Bralienyuan lee, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
The Arena

Visiting the Arena by day, when the opera sets are stacked outside its walls

How to read Verona's Roman arena as a monument, even in the months when opera staging crowds its ring.

The Austrian barracks on the Castel San Pietro hill, battlemented roofline against blue sky
The Austrian barracks on the Castel San Pietro hill, battlemented roofline against blue skyAdert, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Castel San Pietro

Walking up to Castel San Pietro on the steps instead of taking the funicular

How to climb the steps to Castel San Pietro instead of the funicular, and what to expect along the way.

The audience taking seats before an Aida performance in the Arena
The audience taking seats before an Aida performance in the ArenaTonySchmid, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Opera Season

What an evening of opera in the Arena is like, from the gates to the last act

Seats, dress, bags, candles, rain delays and the walk out: how an opera night inside Verona's Roman amphitheater actually unfolds, step by step.

The Arco della Costa, with the bone hanging from its vault
The Arco della Costa, with the bone hanging from its vaultFalk2, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Palazzo Maffei

What is inside Palazzo Maffei, the museum watching over Piazza delle Erbe

A baroque facade, a Roman temple underfoot, and a private collection turned house museum above Piazza delle Erbe.

The bridge below the hill of Castel San Pietro
The bridge below the hill of Castel San PietroZairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Roman Theatre

What the archaeological museum in the old convent above the Roman Theater holds

How the climb from the Roman theater to the convent museum above it rewards visitors with Roman finds and river views.

The Domus Mercatorum, the old merchants' hall, on Piazza delle Erbe
The Domus Mercatorum, the old merchants' hall, on Piazza delle ErbeAndrea Bertozzi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Piazza delle Erbe

What the market stalls, the fountain and the frescoed houses of Piazza delle Erbe tell you

How Verona's oldest square moved from Roman forum to medieval market, and what its fountain, houses and towers still show visitors today.

Notes left on the walls at Juliet's House
Notes left on the walls at Juliet's HouseBruno Rijsman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Juliet's House

Where the letters to Juliet go, and who writes the replies

Who writes back to Juliet, and why a medieval merchant's house became the stage for Verona's most famous love story.

The old city from the steps up to Castel San Pietro
The old city from the steps up to Castel San PietroApXc, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Castel San Pietro

Where to stand for the view of the Adige loop in the morning and at sunset

The terrace below Castel San Pietro looks across the Adige at the whole old town. How to get up, what you see, and how the light changes morning to dusk.

Balconies on the Palazzo degli Honorij along the Liston
Balconies on the Palazzo degli Honorij along the ListonAndrea Bertozzi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Piazza Bra

Why Piazza Bra is the square where every walk in Verona seems to begin

The history behind Piazza Bra's gates, gardens and grand buildings, and how to read them on a single walk.

Palazzo Giusti's long front on Via Giardino Giusti
Palazzo Giusti's long front on Via Giardino GiustiAndrea Bertozzi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Giardino Giusti

Why the Giusti Garden's cypress avenue and its mask on the hill are worth the walk across the river

A sixteenth-century garden in Veronetta climbs from clipped parterres to a cypress avenue and a grotesque mask on the hill.

Next on the list

Questions queued for the journal, written one at a time.

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