Verona played a key role in European history as the crossroads of arts and peoples, armies and cultures. Founded by ancient tribes, it became a Roman colony in the century BC, quickly rising in importance. It was occupied by Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths (V century), by the Lombards, and by Charlemagne. It throve under the Della Scala, especially under Cangrande I (XIV century). In 1405, it was annexed to Venice (XV-XVIII century); in 1797, it was taken over by the Cisalpine Republic, then in 1815, after the Congress of Vienna, it became part of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, annexed to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1866, it joined the Kingdom of Italy.
[expand title=”The origin and the thriving Roman age”]
Since its origin, Verona has benefited from its strategic location, which has made it a keystone at the crossroads between the Alps and the Po Valley, along the trade routes to the Adriatic Sea. The rolling bends of the Adige that flow through Verona and the hills that hug it on the northern side are what make it so beautiful and so harmonious to look at. Verona began its life as a Roman city in the I century BC. The Roman city, enclosed by the river Adige, is at the heart of it. Livy, the historian, tells that what used to be a mere ford, colonised by a Gaul tribe on the important waterway that was the Adige was raised to the rank of a Roman Municipium in 42 BC, a key administrative centre of the Roman state and of its military departments. Remarkable vestiges of the Roman age are still visible, the outstanding Arena, the Roman Theatre, Arco dei Gavi, Porta Borsari and the archaeological site of Porta Leoni.[/expand]
[expand title=”The Della Scala (XIII and XIV centuries) and the rule of Venice (XV-XVIII century)”]
The House of the Della Scala is mentioned as being in Verona since as early as the XI century. Under the rule of the Della Scala, the city experienced a time of great splendour. The Della Scala rebuilt the walls to include a wider area west of the old one and another large area along the eastern riverbank: the size of the city remained the same until the XX century. Under the rule of Venice, Verona’s economic and cultural energy was not restrained; actually the city had a makeover and was decorated with new palaces and works of art.[/expand]
[expand title=”The fortress city”]
The city walls are the best proof of the way Verona developed over time: their circles growing larger and larger depending on the year they were built, they give the city its distinctive appearance and provide an insight into its history and layout. Even if very little is left of the two later circles of walls erected by the Romans, the municipal walls, rebuilt after the flood of 1239, are still in perfect shape. The 450-hectare circle that the House of the Della Scala had had built was only strengthened by the Venetians in the 16th century, and so did the Austrians in the 19th century, making Verona one of the four walled cities of the Quadrilatero, the defensive system of the Austrian Empire. Monumental gates and fortifications hint at the strategic importance of the city, a grand example of a military stronghold.[/expand]
[expand title=”Verona, a city of art”]
Verona was a hothouse of artists: since its origin, it has been a city of culture, a vibrant destination that has attracted artists and men of letters. The city owes its beauty to many artists, such as Fra’ Giocondo, Girolamo dai Libri, Liberale da Verona, Michele Sanmicheli, Pisanello and Veronese. It has always been a favourite destination, even for such illustrious names as Dante, Mozart, Goethe, Ruskin, constantly celebrated in paintings, books, writings and poems; let’s mention William Shakespeare who never visited the city but celebrated it in one of his most famous works, Romeo and Juliet. With its sophisticated elegance, Verona is still a vibrant cultural centre for all of Europe.[/expand]