Verona, city of love

The Italian town of Verona is one of the most aristocratic, beautiful, full with interesting sight-seeings towns in Europe. Verona, this splendid city: monumental, elegant and romantic attracts many visitors from all over the world every day. The River Adige runs through it at a leisure pace, creating two great loops which reflect the city`s magnificent monuments and seem to embrace and jealously guard its extraordinary historical,cultural and artistic heritage.

Because of its geographical position Verona is often called “the gateway of Italy”. The town is beautiful with its monuments, squares, churches and all nice places that present the history and art through the centuries.

The Roman city, the medieval city and the city of the Della Scala family-these are the periods which marked the main stages of its urban development-are perfectly

blended together because they exist side by side in complete harmony and together create an historic center of enormous distinction.

There are monuments whose ruins make present-day Verona one of the richest cities in Italy as regards vestiges of the past. It is sufficient to cite the example of the splendid and famous Arena of Verona, the ancient Amphitheater of the Imperial age. The gates, the bridges, the arches are very important for the tourists. When we talk about the town of Verona everybody mentions Arena di Verona and the Romeo and Juliet`s love story. It is actually true that the town is world famous with both of them but the town has many other places which are interesting for you during your stay here.

The fame of Verona is closely linked to the majestic Arena where every year important cultural events take place, the most prestigious being the opera season, which finds, in the Roman Amphitheater, an outstanding natural backdrop and a setting which proves particularly suitable for the performance of works with large sets. Many people come here to take part in these events.

The city is known throughout the world as the setting for the star-crossed love affair of Romeo and Juliet the characters in Shakespeare`s tragedy “Romeo and Juliet”. The memory and the image of the balcony onto which Juliet stepped out to talk to her beloved Romeo, the tomb on which their bittersweet affair was finally burnt out, the tormenting reminder of a beautiful yet tragic love story will linger on above all. A story and a tradition which have given Verona the name “city of love”.

One of the most beautiful gardens in Italy is Guisti Garden which is harmoniously designed. It has a square plan subdivided into two parts: the lower one takes the form of a typical Italian garden in which, amidst the verdant hedges and the brilliant colors of the flowers, statues and fountains alternate. The upper part is characterized by rows of cypresses and other trees. The garden also has a maze whose paths are lined by box hedges. The architecture of the Palazzo del Giardino Giusti is in the classical style.

The Palazzo Pompei building has a monumental appearance: wide arched windows on the ground floor and an airy open gallery on the upper floor. It houses the Natural Science Museum which has a vast record of prehistoric flora and fauna as well as a remarkable collection of minerals and fossils.

If you are keen on art, it is good for you to visit the Castelvecchio Municipal Museum which houses one of the most interesting collections of Italian and European art. The museum includes various sectors: sculpture,  paintings, antique weapons, ceramics, goldsmith`s work and others. There are many beautiful paintings in the museum:Madonna of the Quail by Pisanello. Nativity with Saint Jerome and Saint John the Baptist by Liberale da Verona. Madonna of the Passion by Carlo Crivelli and others.

The painting Madonna of the Rosary by Stefano da Verona is very beautiful. It depicts the Madonna and Child framed by exquisitely fashioned rose shoots amidst which bands of adoring Angels can also be glimpsed.

Not far from the Museum is the Castelvecchio Bridge, impressive and spectacular made in the form of a quadrangular tower. Rebuilt after the Second World War it gives the opportunity to have a panoramic view of the River Adige.