Right beside piazza delle Erbe is my favorite square named and dedicated to my beloved poet Dante Alighieri, who wrote the Divine Comedy about what the soul goes through after death, what I find fascinating about his Comedy is that Dante said that it was the simple collection of the stories told by people on the streets at his time, the XIII sec. and it’s embraced by the Catholics and the Vatican as a reliable description of the after-death of people of all kinds.
For the history of this place, you have to start from the Scala family, the rulers of the Verona town-state bearing in mind, however, that in the square there were already the Municipal Palace and the Domus Nova. At the end of the XIII century, the square (which was then called Platea Domini vicarii), did not have today’s rectangular form; neither the palace that is now called the Palace of the Courts, nor the Palace of Government. The entire building would have been sold to the nobleman Galasso Pio da Carpi in 1408, but in 1490 it turned out to be the property of the House of Charity (in typical Italian style).
Perhaps it was during these years that the building was remodeled and the façade was transformed into the simple Renaissance style of today. On the face of the building there is a curious base relief with a seated woman who holds a flag in her hand, upon which it is written Fide et Charitate in aeternum non deficiam. The woman represents Verona resting safe in the shadow of the Serenissima Republic (Venice), protecting her.
Verona’s oldest Caffè is important, which hung out the sign “Dante” in 1863, following the erection of the monument to the poet in the square. The place was frequented by professionals, men of letters, artists and politicians, especially the elderly, who formed various “small parliaments”, discussing politics, art and above all criticizing everything, like all Italians since ever.
The Palace of the Council was not entirely completed, when it was decided to place a few statues on the arch at the top of via delle Fogge. The administration decided upon St. Zenone, protector of the city, and the task was given to this “magistro Angelo lapicida”. But things got complicated. Instead of St. Zenone, a statue of Girolamo Fracastoro was placed on the arch in 1559.
The great doctor, poet and astronomer is dressed in the Roman style and holds a sphere of he world in his hand. The sphere immediately struck the shrewd popular fantasy: Fracastoro would have dropped the sphere on the head of the first honorable man that walked under the arch. But the sphere is still there… In 1756, the statue of Scipione Maffei was placed on the arch facing via Barbaro.
1865 was the sixth centennial of the birth of Dante and Italy was about to solemnly commemorate the recurrence. As an initiative of the Academy of Agriculture and the Society of Fine Arts, to which the City Council adhered, it was decided to erect a statue of Dante in Piazza dei Signori, where the Scala Palace that had hosted the “Ghibellin fuggiasco”.
On 6th October 1863 a call for tender was emanated for the design of the statue. The only conditions were that the second quality Carrara marble be suitable for a height of three meters, supported by a pedestal and that the figure, which would turn its back to via delle Fogge, have its head turned slightly towards the left, or namely towards Scala Palace of the Courts.
It was then stated that the Poet must have been turned towards free Italy. The winner of the tender was a young, entirely unknown artist, Ugo Zannoni.
The statue was uncovered on 14 May 1865, in the early morning. It was not desired that the Austrian authorities intervene in the inaugural ceremony.
Not much later the Austrians were sent back to their home country and the rest can be read on history books that talk about the conquest of independence for Italy and WWII, so I’m not going to continue on this.
Not at all geographically far from the Arena is the piazza delle erbe, a bustling marketplace -- the palazzi-flanked Square of the Herbs -- sits on the site of the Roman Forum where chariot races once took place. The herbs, spices, coffee beans, and bolts of silks and damasks that came through Verona after landing in Venice from faraway Cathay have given way to the fresh and aromatic produce of one of Italy's wealthiest agricultural regions -- offset by the presence of T-shirt and french-fries vendors, as the piazza has become something of a tourist trap. But the perfume of fennel and vegetables fresh from the earth still assaults your senses in the early morning, mixing with the cacophony of vendors touting plump tomatoes, dozens of different variations of salad greens, and fruits that can't possibly taste as good as they look, but do. Add to this the canary lady, the farmer's son who has brought in a half a dozen puppies to unload, and the furtive pickpocket who can spot a tourist at 50 paces -- and you have one of Italy's loveliest little outdoor markets. Take a rest on one of the steps leading up to the small 14th-century fountain in the piazza's center and a Roman statue dubbed The Virgin of Verona.
Located between the Via Mazzini and the Corso Porta Borsari, the Piazza delle Erbe stands where the ancient Roman forum was once located. Once a place where chariot races were held, it is now the site for the local market. Piazza delle Erbe is literally translated as the Square of Herbs. As the name implies, you can find all sorts of herbs in the marketplace. Perhaps the first thing that will strike you as you walk into the square is the overpowering aroma of different herbs and spices. Nowadays, herbs are not the only things of value you can buy in the market. Anything from clothes, refreshments, and souvenir items are sold in the numerous stalls scattered around the market square. My own mother still today goes there to buy the “hearts of artichokes” that are a normal artichoke without the hard leaves all around.
There has been an old lady in this square selling such hearts since I was very young, she does it with a sharp knife without gloves to protect her hands that are harder than steel and full of small healing cuts all over.
Numerous building can be found in the square, as well. All of them are beautiful and full of historical significance. Towering high above the square is the Tower Lamberti. At 83 meters high, it is given the distinction of being the tallest tower in Verona. At the top of the tower is an octagon shaped structure which holds the Rengo and Marangona bells. Both of these bells date back from 1464.
As the center of administration, the square also holds the municipal hall, known as the Palazzo Commune. It was built in the middle ages but was given a new façade in the 19th century. The Palazzo Commune now sports a neoclassical frontage.
In 1301, Alberto I della Scala built the Domus Mercatorum. Originally a Romanesque structure, it was restored and renovated in the 19th century. Now it is home to the Chamber of Commerce.
You can also see the Torre Gardello, which was built in 1370 but was not finished till 1626. Construction of this tower is attributed to Cansignorio Sella. Not far from the Torre Gardello is the Cassa Mazzanati. Art lovers will be sure to appreciate the Cavalli frescoes dating back to the 16th century. Other interesting structures are the Domus Nova, and the tabernacle, which was built in the 15th century.
Not everything in the square is Romanesque. There is the Palazzo Maffei, which is actually a Baroque structure. At the top of the building are five beautiful sculptures of the old gods — Jupiter, Venus, Apollo, Hercules, and Minerva. Today, you can find assistance within the building through the tourism office.
The highlight of this square is the Madonna Verona Fountain, which was created by Cansignorio. This 14th century Roman statue is also known as The Virgin of Verona. No visitor should pass out the chance of seeing this fountain, which is located in the middle of the square. Right on its side there’s my most favorite square named after my most beloved poet, Dante Alighieri.
The Verona – my mother town - Arena is one of the best-preserved ancient Roman structures and well worth a visit during a trip to the Veneto. The arena is a Roman Amphitheatre that is famous not only for its incredible preservation, but also for the massive opera performances that are produced here every year. Known in Italian as Arena di Verona, this ancient amphitheatre was built in AD 30 and at the time could hold 30,000 spectators. Today, this is one of the top attractions in Verona, and in some cases, the main reason why travelers venture from other, better-known destinations in Italy. Many opera fans aspire to see their favorite production at the Verona Italy amphitheatre, known worldwide for its acoustics and romantic setting.
The essential thing about the Arena is that it is outdoor opera that is not miked. This is the bane of outdoor opera. An opera singer singing thru a body mike has to moderate his or her voice to take full advantage of the sound system. Or their mike has to be turned down so low that the folks in the back can’t hear. But the acoustics of the Arena are so superb that no miking is used at all. There are dead spots on the stage (and these vary depending on where you sit). In fact, I would put listening to opera at the Arena on a par with the Met in NY (not quite as precise but louder in the cheap seats than the Met) and better than the old Kennedy Center Opera House acoustically.
If you plan on visiting the Verona Arena to catch an opera performance, than you have some advance research to do. First of all, the opera season in Verona takes place every summer, from approximately mid-June through the beginning of September. Different productions are part of the opera festival every year, so if you have your heart set on a certain opera, just because it isn’t on this year’s line up doesn’t mean you won’t see it there in the future. For instance, the 2011 summer season was offering six core productions, with a total of 49 performances spread throughout the summer.
2013 marks the 91st Opera Festival at Arena di Verona and has become one of the most highly anticipated seasons of the year for opera fans. Even those who have never been to an opera before can’t help but be fascinated by the history of the Verona Italy amphitheatre and the stunning surroundings. To reach Verona, it is possible to arrive by car, bus, or train. Public transportation has excellent connections to Lake Garda, Venice, Milan, and beyond. If you’re planning on attending the opera performances, it is essential to reserve your tickets far in advance. Some of the most beloved operas take the stage in Verona, including La Traviata, Aida, The Barber of Seville, and La Boheme.
The acoustics of the Verona Italy amphitheatre have been savored since productions returned to the stage in the 1850s. Opera performances began in 1913, and even Puccini himself watched an opera within this ancient walls. The open-air amphitheatre offers two choices for seating: cheaper seats on the stone steps or more expensive seats on the floor with padded chairs. Each performance welcomes 15,000 people to the candlelit Verona Arena, and each season over 500,000 people enjoy the magic offered by the acoustics of this Roman amphitheatre. Plan a trip to Verona in the summer, and you could be one of them.
Along with the arena, another reason Verona is famous for lovers of the arts is its being the setting of Romeo and Juliet. During a trip to Verona it is possible to see attractions such as Juliet’s House with its famous balcony. The Verona Arena isn’t the only historically significant attraction in town. Visitors travel to also see the Verona Duomo, Juliet’s Tomb, local museums, and Romeo’s house. Verona is a city that is known for romance, so if you’re planning a romantic getaway, spending a night at the Arena di Verona and checking into one of the local luxury hotels will be a trip you won’t soon forget.
The Arena is part of Piazza Bra that is framed by antique Roman “doors”, the city Hall and several other historical buildings, plus from that Piazza (square) it’s easy to walk down “Via Mazzini” that’s the commercial road where no cars are allowed and you can only walk looking at the most prestigious labels in fashion and arts in their "boutiques" (retail stores).
I could write an entire book of my memories of things I used to do with friends and those who still today have stores in that “via”, that I’m going to force myself to stop writing now.
Verona isn’t the town in northern Italy where I was born (it was Brescia), but I consider it like my mother town, because after moving around in various towns in the regions of Lombardia and Emilia Romagna I landed with my family in the Veneto region, in the town of Verona, that’s where my parents and sister are still living.
Castelvecchio ("old castle"), a fortress built by Cangrande II ("big dog") of the Della Scala family in 1354–1356. While the castle itself has very little ornamental decoration it is an important structure and also offers the opportunity to tour some beautiful art as today it is home to the Castelvecchio Museum. The museum can be accessed through the left door located on Via Cavour
The castle is powerful and compact in its size with very little decoration - one square compound built in red bricks, one of the most prominent examples of Gothic architecture of the age, with imposing M-shaped merlons running along the castle and bridge walls. It has seven towers, a superelevated keep (maschio) with four main buildings inside. The castle is surrounded by a ditch, now dry, which was once filled with waters from the nearby Adige river.
The castle stands on the probable location of a Roman fortress outside the Roman city. Lord Cangrande II della Scala had it built along with its bridge across the Adige river as a deterrent to his powerful neighbors such as Venice, the Gonzaga of Florence and the Sforza of Milan families. Construction was carried out between 1354 and 1376 (Cangrande died in 1359). The fortified bridge was intended to allow the seigniors to escape safely northwards to the Tyrol in the event of a rebellion or a coup d'état (the Scaligeri were allies of the Holy Roman Empire) and when they eventually lost their hold on Verona, its surviving members left Italy to establish a German branch of the family.
From 1404 Verona became part of the Venetian Republic and Castelvecchio became a munitions depot and subsequently was the home of the Venetian Military Academy. Later, during the Venetian domination, slits were added to defend it with cannons. The castle was damaged by French troops during the Napoleonic Wars (1796-7), in retaliation to the “Pasque Veronesi”, when the local population staged a violent anti-French revolt. Napoleon had chosen to stay in Castelvecchio on his trips to Verona, but his widespread and arbitrary requisitions of citizens' and churches' property, the massive draft of male workers into the French army prompted the resistance that eventually drove out the invaders.
Under the Austrians, Castelvecchio was turned into barracks. In 1923 the castle was restored, as well as in 1963-1965. In 1958, the museum underwent a total reorganization in effort to restore the value of both the historical and the artistic additions. The restoration favored authenticity, thus eliminating the false contexts created in the 1920s renovation. The architect was the renowned Carlo Scarpa, he sought to tell the story of Castelvecchio for what it was – pastiche mixed with history. He preformed select demolitions and peeled back roofs to reveal layers of history in dialogue. He used modern materials in expressive ways to mediate between parts, drawing attention to historical fact and alerting visitors to the fakery of the '20s renovation. By pulling doors and windows back from the recreated Gothic facade, he exposes the decoration like a theater stage set. He heightens this awareness by moving the entry from the formal center to the end. Even the museum art objects are decontextualized - placed on floating planes to signify their departure from other destroyed buildings. Scarpa made his own commentaries on fascism by removing building portions to reveal the 12th century wall of the city (a time when the inhabitants of Verona had greater freedoms).
Some of my favorite memories of this castle is its bridge over the river, I remember kissing girls for the first time while talking about the history of what we were walking on. I remember actually making up stories of sword fights among soldiers centuries earlier.
I’m going to tell you something about the bridge in Venice that I used to see pretty much each weekend when visiting my grandparents on my mother’s side.
The bridge became the path by which the prisoners were transported from the prison to the inquisitor's office. Its name stems from the popular belief of sadness and the sighs of condemned prisoners as they were led through it to the executioner.
In reality, the days of inquisitions and torture were over by the time the bridge was built and only small time crooks were kept in the prison cells.
The prison building is older than the Doge's palace and was at one time used during the inquisition by the Church during the Middle Ages (when people were suspected of being witches or non-believers and tortured).
Indeed, the Bridge of Sighs is a beautiful sight, stretching high above the canal. It is generally known as one of the finest examples of bridge architecture in the world according to Italian Renaissance in style, the 11m (36ft) wide bridge is made of white limestone, construction started in 1600 and it took about 2 years to finish it.
It has been unveiled after a three-year, 2.8 million Euro restoration project which had seen it controversially covered with advertising hoardings while the work took place.
I remember seeing it while walking on another bridge on the same canal while walking to the Calle del Pestrin where my grandparents lived for many years and their apartment was above a fish restaurant cooking delicious food at any time of the day.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the most remarkable architectural structures from medieval Europe. It is located in the town of Pisa, one of the most visited European cities. Even though the tower has been leaning since it was under construction, it has stood for hundreds of years, despite the fact that it looks as if it might fall any minute.
The tower was begun almost 900 years ago, in 1173, and after the first three of its eight stories were built, the ground started to sink, and the tower began to lean. It has continued leaning, a millimeter each year, and now leans 14 feet out of line.
Still, the lean does not stop thousands of tourists each year from climbing its 300 winding steps to the bell tower to view Pisa and the surrounding countryside. The height of the tower is 55.86 m (183.27 ft) from the ground on the low side and 56.70 m (186.02 ft) on the high side. The width of the walls at the base is 4.09 m (13.42 ft) and at the top 2.48 m (8.14 ft). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons (16,000 short tons). The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase. Prior to restoration work performed between 1990 and 2001, the tower leaned at an angle of 5.5 degree but the tower now leans at about 3.99 degrees. This means that the top of the tower is displaced horizontally 3.9 meters (12 ft 10 in) from where it would be if the structure was perfectly vertical.
There has been controversy about the real identity of the architect of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. For many years, the design was attributed to Guglielmo and Bonanno Pisano a well-known 12th-century resident artist of Pisa, famous for his bronze casting, particularly in the Pisa Duomo. Bonanno Pisano left Pisa in 1185 for Monreale, Sicily, only to come back and die in his home town. A piece of cast with his name was discovered at the foot of the tower in 1820, but this may be related to the bronze door in the façade of the cathedral that was destroyed in 1595. However, recent studies seem to indicate Diotisalvi as the original architect due to the time of construction and affinity with other Diotisalvi works, notably the bell tower of San Nicola and the Baptistery, both in Pisa. However, he usually signed his works and there is no signature by him in the bell tower which leads to further speculation.
Galileo Galilei is said to have dropped two cannon balls of different masses from the tower to demonstrate that their speed of descent was independent of their mass. However, this is considered an apocryphal tale, its only source being Galileo's secretary.
I do find this really meaningful because – as I wrote before – gravity is to me the most real and measurable sign of the existence of God, that will soon reposition the worldwide economies in their natural places, or positions of strength. It has been leaning for so long -- nearly 840 years - it's natural to assume it will defy gravity forever. But the famous structure has been in danger of collapsing almost since its first brick was laid.
It began leaning shortly after construction began in 1173. Builders had only reached the third of the tower's planned eight stories when its foundation began to settle unevenly on soft soil composed of mud, sand and clay. As a result, the structure listed slightly to the north. Laborers tried to compensate by making the columns and arches of the third story on the sinking northern side slightly taller. They then proceeded to the fourth story, only to find themselves out of work when political unrest halted construction.
The tower sat unfinished for nearly 100 years, but it wasn't done moving. Soil under the foundation continued to subside unevenly, and by the time work resumed in 1272, the tower tilted to the south -- the direction it still leans today. Engineers tried to make another adjustment, this time in the fifth story, only to have their work interrupted once again in 1278 with just seven stories completed.
Unfortunately, the building continued to settle, sometimes at an alarming rate. The rate of incline was sharpest during the early part of the 14th century, although this didn't dissuade town officials or the tower designers from moving forward with construction. Finally, between 1360 and 1370, workers finished the project, once again trying to correct the lean by angling the eighth story, with its bell chamber, northward. By the time Galileo Galilei is said to have dropped a cannonball and a musket ball from the top of the tower in the late 16th century, it had moved about 3 degrees off vertical. Careful monitoring, however, didn't begin until 1911. These measurements revealed a startling reality: The top of the tower was moving at a rate of around 1.2 millimeters (0.05 inches) a year.
In 1935, engineers became worried that excess water under the foundation would weaken the landmark and accelerate its decline. To seal the base of the tower, workers drilled a network of angled holes into the foundation and then filled them with cement grouting mixture. They only made the problem worse. The tower began to lean even more precipitously. They also caused future preservation teams to be more cautious, although several engineers and masons studied the tower, proposed solutions and tried to stabilize the monument with various types of bracing and reinforcement.
The tower currently leans at 5.6 degrees. Another 1.4 degrees will be enough to bring 14,000 tons of intricately carved white marble crashing to the ground. At 7 degrees a model shows that walls cannot support the structure anymore. High-tension areas on the lower floors on the northern side can cause the bricks to pull apart.
However experts say the tower will lean for at least another 200 years. It may even stay upright — well, almost upright — forever. That's all thanks to a restoration project, which brought the tower back from the brink of collapse a decade ago. Restoration work undertaken from 1999 to 2001 stabilized the tower. Engineers placed weights on the structure's north end, while at the same time extracting soil from below, causing it to slowly sink back in that direction. The Leaning Tower of Pisa still leans south, but now it does so at just 3.99 degrees. Barring a large earthquake or other unforeseen catastrophe, engineers believe it will stay put for at least a few hundred years.
The tower itself with the study of gravity made by Galileo represent without any doubts to me that most of our today’s culture and way of understanding everything was born in the country where I was born about 50 years ago and made it possible to pass on to my own treasures, very much of this millenarian culture now part of our so-called Western culture.
