City Guide - Verona

Truly a beautiful city, Verona maintains its glorious past with an incredible modern urban character. Probably no one structure symbolizes this more than Arena di Verona (pictured here), the city's ancient Roman amphitheatre.

Built in the 1st century AD, the arena was constructed outside the existing city walls as a part of typical Roman city planning. Its 80,000 seat capacity exceeded the cities population, so many of the attending spectators would come from other cities and nearby regions. Given its chosen location, these visitors could venture into the arena without over crowding the city itself. No longer as big as it was in ancient times, the arena still provides a magnificent venue and a most beautiful cultural setting.

In the centuries following the fall of the Roman empire, the arena's original uses gave way to many spectacles, including heretics being burned at the stake, various sporting tournaments and even bull fights up until the end of the 19th century. Finally in 1913, after a brief period for many smaller musical performances, the arena became the sight for the first showing of Aida. That year marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great composer, Giuseppe Verdi, and Verona saw fit to celebrate him and his works in its great arena. Today not only Aida, but other Verdi works such as Carmen, Tosca and Nabucco can be seen in the arena throughout the summer months.