More Verona

I took the train at sunrise to Verona and I left Verona at sunset. Street venders were out on the main Square and I stumbled across warm Nutella poured over for strawberries topped with whipped cream. Oh my God, I’m still dreaming of finding another one somewhere soon.

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The Verona Arena is a Roman amphitheatre located in the historic center of Verona, Italy. It is among the best-preserved ancient amphitheatres to have survived into the modern era. This remarkable state of preservation is largely due to systematic restoration efforts that began in the 16th century.

During the summer months, the Arena hosts the Arena di Verona Festival, with opera seasons that have run uninterrupted except by wars since 1913.[note 1] Throughout the rest of the year, it serves as a concert venue.

The arena hosted the closing ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics and the opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Paralympics.

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Piazza Bra, often simply called The Bra, is the largest public square in Verona, Italy, situated in its historic city center. The name "Bra" derives from a corruption of braida, a term rooted in the Lombardic word breit, meaning 'wide' or 'broad'.

The open space of the Bra began transforming into a defined square in the early 16th century, when architect Michele Sanmicheli completed the Palazzo degli Honorij. This building delineated the western boundary of the future square and established a proper perspective toward the Verona Arena.[2] The first effort to convert the unpaved expanse into a leisurely promenade came from podestà Alvise Mocenigo, who sought to create a gathering place for Verona's emerging bourgeoisie. In 1770, he inaugurated the initial section of the Liston, a paved sidewalk flanking the Bra, linking Corso Porta Nuova to Via Mazzini. The Gran Guardia, begun by the Venetians in the 17th century and completed by the Austrians in the 19th century, defined the southern edge. In 1836, architect Giuseppe Barbieri designed the eastern boundary, where an old hospital, several houses, and a small church were demolished to make way for the Gran Guardia Nuova, now better known as Palazzo Barbieri. Initially used as an Austrian barracks, it became Verona's municipal headquarters following the annexation of Veneto to the Kingdom of Italy.Read more