Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sunday Savings
With the exception of Casa di Giulietta and the Arena, all of Verona's most
important museums are free on the first Sunday of every month. Arena
admission is reduced to
€
1 on this day (but, alas and alack, there's no
break given at Juliet's touristy home).
The splendid detail continues inside, where you'll notice that the nave resem-
bles the keel of a ship, and the walls are covered with early frescoes and later
prayers to the patron saint, graffitied on the walls by earnest citizens during des-
perate times. Andrea Mantegna's 15th-century
Madonna and Child
triptych can
be viewed at the altar, but it's also worth seeking out the polychromatic statue of
the spectacularly jolly San Zeno, carved out of marble in the 12th century, and
fondly referred to as “San Zeno Laughing.” Attached to the church is a cloister
enclosing a lawn courtyard, and there's a 72m (236-ft.) campanile (bell tower), the
construction of which began in 1045. An antiques market held in Piazza San
Zeno on the third Saturday of every month is definitely worth a visit.
If you are fascinated by Italian religious architecture, and if you have the time,
you may consider visiting two other early churches, both in proximity to the
Arena.
San Lorenzo
is a Romanesque church built in 1117 on the site of an ear-
lier Christian building, according to a Latin cross plan. Extraordinarily, the facade
features Norman towers from the 15th century.
Finally, the 11th-century
San Fermo Maggiore
(Stradore San Fermo;
%
045-
592813)
is a colossal structure featuring four naves, and composed of two halves:
the lower original part is Romanesque, and the 14th-century upper part is Gothic.
A visit inside reveals two entirely competing moods and styles, all under a vaulted
wooden ceiling that suggests the shape of an upside-down boat. A fresco by
Antonia Pisanello is the star artwork among a number of lovely paintings from
the 14th and 15th centuries.
THE OTHER VERONA
Today, Verona's most spectacular battles take place not in the Arena but at the
Marc'Antonio Bentegodi Stadium, where the city's population turns out en masse
to witness magnificent
soccer matches.
Verona boasts two important European
clubs:
Chievo Verona,
once a B-league team, is now considered one of the coun-
try's finest teams, while
Hellas Verona
remains a favorite despite dropping to the
B-league. The stadium, which has hosted the World Cup, has a capacity of 39,000
and is home to both the city's teams, which enjoy a hard-core fan base.
The stadium is about a kilometer west of the city center, and is a great place
to rub shoulders with real locals. It's easy enough to walk to, but even easier to get
there by bus: Nos. 11, 12, and 13 all run from the historic center to the stadium.
The ticket offices are outside the stadium, or purchase online from the team web-
site at www.chievoverona.it.
