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Look at... |
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VERONA Tourist Guide and Information
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Verona
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| HISTORICAL INFORMATIONS |
Verona originated in prehistoric times, probably near the present day Pietra Bridge, and was very important in Roman times, becoming a municipality in 49 BC. Situated at the mouth of the Adige valley, in the Padana plain, at the crossroads of the Via Augusta, Via Gallica and Via Postumia, it was a well-known strategic and commercial center.
It became Christian in the 4th century, then successively a Lungobard duchy and headquarters of Pipino, King of Italy, during the Carolingian Empire. In the 11th century it was united with Bavaria and in 1136 it became a free city-state.
The appearance of the city, which had remained substantially the same since the Roman era, began to change, embellished with new civil and religious constructions.
After 1277 the Scaligeri rule asserted itself in Verona. Within a century, it became the prestigious capital of a state that at the peak of its power extended over much of the Venetian region and over a vast area of Emilia and Tuscany. In this period the walled city reached an extent that would not be overcome until the 1900's.
The Scaligeri rule fell in 1387, after which Verona was subjected to the Visconti and the Carraresi for a brief time. Then in 1405 Verona gave itself up spontaneously to the Venetian Republic, which maintained dominion over the city and its territories up until the French invasion. With the reign of the "Serenissima," as the Venetian Republic is called, Verona became a lively cultural and artistic center, thanks to the activity of architects like Fra' Giocondo, who was responsible for the loggia of the Counsel Hall, and above all thanks to Michele Sanmicheli, who circled the city with fortifications and beautified it with palaces.
Verona also developed a school of painting that included many artists, notably Pisonella and Veronese. In 1796 Verona was occupied by the Napoleonic troops, then in 1814 it was annexed to the Hapsburg Empire.
Finally in 1866 it joined the kingdom of Italy. |
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How to arrive in Verona
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| By car |
By plane |
By train |
| Verona is easily accessible by the Serenissima highway (A4, Milan-Venice, exit for the historical center: Verona Sud), or by the Brenner-Modena highway (A22, exit Verona Nord). |
The airport "Catullo" di Verona Villafranca is located about 10 km from the town of Verona.
Flight information: Tel. 045-8095666 from 6 am to 11 pm.
There is a bus/shuttle service to and from the airport about every 20 minutes, from 6:10 am to 11:30 pm.
Information: 045-8004129 ticket L. 7000.
The air terminal is in front of the Porta Nuova railway station. |
The main train station is Verona Porta Nuova, at the crossroads of the lines Milan-Verona and Rome-Brenner. There are direct and intercity trains from all the main stations of northern Italy, more or less every hour.
Train information: Tel 147-888088, from 7 am to 9 pm |
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How to get around in Verona
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By CAR: The downtown is closed to traffic from 7:30 am to 10 am and from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm, except for authorized vehicles and cars going directly to hotels.
In many downtown areas, parking is permitted for one hour only, with a disk (indicating time of arrival) left in the car window.
Cars can be parked for free at the following parking areas:
Stadium, via Cittą di Nimes (Porta Nuova station), Porta Vescovo, and Gasometro (Lungadige Galtarossa).
Paid covered parking:
Arena Parking, via Bentegodi, tel. 045-8009333;
Cittadella Garage, Piazza Cittadella 4, tel. 595593;
Italia Garage, Corso Porta Nuova 91, tel. 8006312.
By BUS: Urban buses are orange in color. Tickets are bought before getting on, at tobacco shops and newsstands. A ticket costs L. 1500 and is valid for one hour of unlimited travel. A tourist ticket for one day costs L. 4000 and is valid throughout the city.
Information: Municipal Transport Authority: tel. 045-8871111.
Blue buses leave Verona for Lake Garda and the nearby mountains. The bus station is in the piazza in front of the train station.
Information: Provincial Transport Authority: tel. 045-8004129.
By TAXI: The radio-taxi service operates 24 hours a day, tel. 045-532666.
Taxis from the Railway station (tel. 045-8004528) and Piazza Bra (tel. 045-8030565) offer continuous service, day and night.
Other taxi stands are located in Piazza Erbe (tel. 045-8030561), piazzetta San Giorgio (tel. 045-8349510), piazza San Zeno (tel. 045-8349500), Borgo Trento Hospital (tel. 045-8349511), and Borgo Roma Hospital in Piazzale della Fiera.
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Shopping
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There are many stores in Verona's historical center.
Piazza della Erbe has a famous daily market, which has become one of the symbols of the city. The largest market, however, is the one near the Stadium, held every Saturday morning.
Stores are usually open from 9 am to 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm. They are closed Monday mornings.
Food stores close Wednesday afternoons, while pharmacies, paper shops and hardware stores are closed Saturday afternoons.
Verona produces shoes and leather objects for the entire world. Thus there is a wide offering for tourists. One can shop for these items everywhere, from downtown shops to large chain stores, or directly from the factories. There is also a wide choice in clothing shops, from refined downtown boutiques to traditional stores, to factory-outlet shops where industries offer their collections directly to consumers.
The area south of Verona (Basso Veronese), within the triangle Berona - Nogara - Cerea, is the major Italian center for production of stylish furniture and artistic reproductions of ancient Italian and European furniture from the 15th to 18th centuries. Veronese "marble masters" offer genuine art objects from their laboratories, concentrated in Valpolicella and Valpantena.
The antique markets of the Verona region have recently had a major growth, stimulated both by the great Venetian tradition and by private collectors. Almost all these shops are seen in the historical center, especially via Sottoriva, corso Sant'Anastasia, via Massalongo, via Duomo and via Ponte Pietra.
The Piazza San Zeno market is defined by 3 A's: art, antiquarianism and artisanship.
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Food
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The Veronese have an ancient and glorious tradition of good food. The local nobility achieved fame for the splendor of their convivial hospitality, and for meals that were offered during luxurious receptions.
Nowadays this tradition has been given over to restaurants and trattorias. The Veronese art of cooking continues today through the work of expert cooks capable of creating or perfecting, preparing and personalizing, with a touch of refined good taste, secret or famous recipes.
Typical dishes are: "peperate" (boiled beef with "peara," that is, pepper sauce with cheese); rice "alla pilota" with pork, gnocchi with butter, "paparele" (tagliatelle) with peas or beans; "bigoli" (spaghetti) with sardines and "pastissada de caval", which is a horsemeat stuffing.
Fish from Lake Garda and garlic salami are excellent.
Chicken breast with ham is a relaboration of an ancient Scaligeri recipe.
Among Verona's desserts the "Pandoro" stands out. Together with "Panettone," it is now a nationally famous dessert, thanks to companies like Bauli, Melegatti and Paluani, as well as many other medium and small-sized companies. Less famous are the "natalini" and the Easter "brassadella."
Among the wines are: Valpolicella, Valpantena, Bardolino, Amarone, Suove, Custoza white, Lugana, Valdadige white and red, Valdadige Schiava, Valdadige Pinot Grigio, Toscai di San Marino della Battaglia, Lessini Durello and the dessert wine Recioto.
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