Verona, founded over two thousand years ago, crossroad of many cultures: Celt settlement, mighty city during the roman empire; duchy of the Lombards und county during the Holy Roman Empire; an indipendent city-state in the Middle Ages, the most important city of the Della Scala family also chosen by Dante Alighieri, the famous poet, as his “home away from home”; vital under the Venetian Republic and focal point of the fortifications of the Habsburgs in northern Italy; nowadays world capital for opera performances. Are you ready? You will not forget this trip!
To
begin with… a bus or car trip is necessary. Sitting comfortably you will catch a first glimpse of the history and culture of the city: the imposing
Renaissance entrance gates parallel to the city wall, the famous Basilica of
San Zeno, the castle built by the Della Scala family, residence of the erstwhile rulers of Verona and very impressive even today thanks to its bridge and keep. We continue towards the hills which partially surround our city and will stop at a church dedicated to the Madonna of Lourdes because the terrace in front of the church offers a
wonderful view of Verona from above. To reach the city centre we get back in the bus (car) and follow the hills and city walls all the way back to the river Adige. You can now admire the elegant faÇade and belltower of the
Cathedral, the
roman theatre and the famous
roman stone bridge, two jewels dating back to roman times and older than the Arena. Now it is time
to walk through the old part of town:
Piazza die Signori, the elegant square of Verona, the
tombs of the Della Scala family members,
Piazza delle Erbe, our market square filled with color, sound and inviting smells. You will be carried back to the Middle Ages, to the time of Dante Alighieri, the poet who wrote the ‘Divine Comedy’ in which the two rival families of the Montagues and the Capulets are mentioned. In ‘fair Verona’ (Shakespeare’s words) you will see the
houses of Romeo and Juliet: two buildings from the XIVth century – well kept even after 700 years – in which mighty families lived. Did the famous love story take place? It is known throughout the world and the boundary between reality and imagination is slim so you will have to decide what to believe once you find yourself in the famed courtyard. Via Mazzini, one of the main shopping streets in town allows you to window shop on the way to the main attraction of the city: the
Arena. The amphitheatre was built in the first century after Christ – a few years before the roman Colosseum – using a very precious building material: the marble from Verona. This same building material gave Verona the nickname of ‘urbs marmorina’ (the city built out of stone) at the time of the Scaligeri domination. The last minutes of our tour are spent admiring
Piazza Brà,the most important square in Verona with its many historical buildings and many bars and restaurants.
MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
TYPE OF ITINERARY
MAXIMUM DURATION: 3 hours MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION: the bus or car of the clients is necessary for this tour. The first part of the tour is by bus, after about 1 hour we start our walking tour which ends in Piazza Brà. SUITED FOR: groups, schools, families, individuals, visitors with reduced mobility* *Some parts of our tour have uneven surfaces and there are few steps along the way.
EXTRA COSTS
Parking fee required at Madonna di Lourdes Church.
PARKINGS
BUS: check out www.amt.it for entrance fee to the city and parking fees. CAR: Parking Arena, Parking Cittadella, Parking Isolo, Parking Centro. All Parking areas are more or less a 10-15 minute walk from the Arena (Piazza Brà).
AVAILABLE LANGUAGES
THIS TOUR IS AVAILABLE IN: Italian, English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Russian, Rumanian, Portuguese, Finnish, Turkish and Japanese. Ask for the language you are interested in.
IN-DEPTH VISIT OF VERONA
TO COMPLETE YOUR DAY: Basilica of S. Zeno, Church of S. Anastasia, the Cathedral, Museum of Castelvecchio, Gallery of Modern Art, Verona in Roman times, Verona in the middle ages, Verona at the time of Venetian rule. FOR WHOEVER HAS AN EXTRA DAY: Lake Garda, Soave, Valpolicella, the Rice Road Tour.
We reserve the right to slightly modify this itinerary if necessary. ASSOGUIDE is not responsible for changes in the opening hours of the various monuments. Check the exact tariff based on your specific requests at the
TARIFFS page.
PLEASE RESERVE THE TOUR
contact us specifying your preferences