Walking Tour of Old Verona
Northern Italy: From Roman Ruins to Chic Shopping
Explore the compact old city center on foot to experience the best of Verona, and see outstanding Roman, Romanesque, Medieval and Renaissance sights.
Begin at Piazza Bra, with a look inside the well-preserved Roman arena, where the opera festival is held in the summer. Stroll past the row of sidewalk cafes to Via Roma, which leads to the right, from the huge piazza to Castelvecchio and Ponte Scaligeri, a fortified bridge. Follow Corso Cavour to the right, past the Roman Arco di Gavi arch and several fine pallazzi to the impressive Roman gate of Porta Borsari. Continue through the gate, past some stylish shops and into Piazza Erbe, the city’s center in Roman times. Look up to see the lively frescoes on several of the buildings, and a column with the Lion of St. Mark at its top. Verona was once part of the Venetian Republic.
Turn right, through the market stalls and look for the arch on the left, under the Torre Lamberti. Go through it into Piazza Signori. On clear days it is worth a side-track via lift to the top of the tower for the views. Go straight through the piazza to the Scaligeri tombs. Past the tombs, go left to Corso Sant’Anastasia, and the church of Sant’Anastasia.
A narrow passageway beside the church leads to the arcaded Via Sottariva. To the right, under the medieval arcade is Osteria Sottariva, a good restaurant and wine bar. To the left, Via Sottariva follows the river to Via Ponte Pietro. A right turn here leads over the Roman Ponte Pietra to Teatro Romano. Above the Roman theater is an archaeological museum, and above that is the terrace of San Pietro, with even more lofty views of the city. Stay on the Veronetta side, following the river to the left as you leave Teatro Romano.
Cross on Ponte Nuovo and continue along that side of the river to Ponte Navi. Turn right, following Via Leoni past the excavations of the base of a Roman gate. On the right is Porta Leone, a Roman arch that was discovered imbedded into a building.
Farther on, also on the right, is the wholly unauthentic, but highly popular “Juliet’s House” and its balcony, added to the building in the 1930s. Beyond is the lower end of Piazza del’Erbe, where to the left is Via Mazzini, the city’s most fashionable street. It leads back to the Arena and Piazza Bra. The smaller streets on either side of Via Mazzini are worth exploring for their small shops, restaurants scattered among the old palazzi.
