Destination: Verona

In recent years, Verona has become one of the main Italian destinations for tourists over the Christmas holidays. Two million people are expected to visit the city this year, with two hundred thousand of them spending at least one night there. As well as enjoying themselves in the splendidly decorated and illuminated city and losing themselves in shopping, they will be able to attend a series of events involving 1,200 people, including some on Lake Garda.

It wasn’t like this, until a little while ago. I have childhood memories of when Christmas in Verona was just for the Veronese and a few day-trippers. People used to stroll around Piazza Bra to admire the huge metal star of Bethlehem with its tail that described an arc into the Arena. Then, the unmissable visit to the traditional exhibition of nativity scenes from all over the world, also inside the Arena. Finally, we used to stop off for a ‘bombolone’, a giant, piping hot doughnut, at a street stall (until 13 December, Santa Lucia’s Day, the “Father Christmas” of the Veronese) and then we went home.

Christmas Eve has always been a really special day for me. It is an informal tradition for the Veronese to meet in the centre to exchange greetings with each other. The piazzas fill up late in the evening as people leave the restaurants after the big evening meal. The main meeting places are Piazza Erbe and Via Sottoriva, especially at the bar of the same name, where people arrange to meet to drink a toast before midnight.

All of this is still part of Christmas in Verona, but today the festive period has a lot more to offer. And not just the city: all of its institutions have joined together to promote “the Christmas district” in Verona, the now well-established attractions of which include the  always very busy little markets in Piazza dei Signori in the city centre, the Veronese handicrafts exhibition at the Palazzo della Gran Guardia in Piazza Bra, the Christmas Village (in its twentieth year this year) at Flover di Bussolengo.

In addition to the commercial side, so to speak, Verona is seeking to link Christmas with more offerings of a cultural nature. That’s why the city is hosting two of the most important exhibitions in Italy during this period. The first is devoted to Mayan civilization which is also at the Palazzo della Gran Guardia: an immersion in an ancient culture via legends, astronomical calendars and art, with 250 exhibits originating from the most important museums in Mexico (the exhibition runs until 5 March 2017).

The other exhibition that is increasingly capturing the attention of the Veronese is devoted to Pablo Picasso’s portraits at Palazzo Forti (open until 21 March): 91 works by the celebrated Spanish artist shown for the first time in Italy, including paintings and sculptures, mostly from the Picasso Museum in Paris.

Perhaps the most interesting development in this Christmas period is not an event in the strict sense of the word, but a project that aims to help people rediscover a very beautiful and historically rich part of the city which today is a bit off the tourist trails. It is called Verona Minor Hierusalem, “Verona, little Jerusalem”.  Tourists, visitors and the faithful will discover that, from the 9th century, Verona saw the founding of numerous churches in imitation of the shrines of Jerusalem, to create an alternative to the costly and dangerous pilgrimages to the Holy Land. A kind of religious tourism ahead of its time, that can be relived today by following the itinerary that starts from the Pietra bridge and covers five churches (exceptionally opened to the public thanks to the support of hundreds of volunteers) including the spectacular Santi Siro e Libera church located right on the slopes of the San Pietro hills.

 

In 2000 UNESCO enrolled Verona as a World Heritage City not only for the beauty of its architecture over two millennia of history but also because it “represents par excellence the concept of a fortified city characteristic of European history over several ages.”

Three distinct city walls were built around Verona over the centuries. First there were the Roman walls to shut off the city protected on three sides by the loop of the River Adige. Then, in the 12th century, the walls of the Comune to the south of the Arena which are still clearly visible along via Pallone. Finally, the impressive fortifications during the Scaliger Lordship in the early 14th century which surrounded the historic centre, the neighbouring city districts and the hills. This construction, which runs for nine kilometres, was then strengthened first by the Venetians and then by the Austrians who gave the walls their modernday character.

Of course, nowadays the walls no longer have their original function. There are no enemy armies or invaders to protect against and the city has developed well beyond their perimeter. But nevertheless their presence continues to be felt and seen. Also, unlike many other Verona sites and monuments, they have not yet been exploited for tourists. This, of course, is all to the good for those who appreciate the authenticity of the walls.

The most ancient walls, the Roman ones, have now disappeared except for a small stretch visible just behind the Arena. Not to worry, there are still two magnificent, perfectly preserved gates giving access to the Roman city, the Porta Leoni and especially the Porta Borsari. The latter was located on an important consular road, the Via Postumia, and was so called because here the money bag-carrier (borsari) soldiers levied the duty on goods entering the city to go to the Piazza Erbe market.

The walls that everyone notices when they come to Verona today are the “masterful” walls, surrounding the perimeter of the city at the time of the Scaliger Lordship and the subsequent rule of Venice. The majestic gates designed by the Renaissance architect Michele Sanmicheli are still the main entrances into the city.

The main ones are Porta Vescovo, Porta Nuova, Porta Palio e Porta San Zeno. The latter is my favourite, not because of the quality of the architecture, but rather for its context. In fact, while the other gates appear now to be incorporated into the road junctions, at San Zeno the gate is still visibly connected to the well-preserved massive ramparts.

The best way to appreciate the ramparts is not to look at them from below but rather to climb to the top and enjoy them from above. Getting there is easy, there are many points of access at street level. On top, there is a whole world above the street to be discovered, an informal urban park where the Veronese stroll and go jogging. Walking the walls you will discover, for example, that in the shadow of the walls a sports complex with soccer fields, tennis courts and swimming pools has arisen. You can come across an abandoned zoo where only the empty cages of animals are left. You can discover the many shelters where – so our teachers at school told us – Veronese evacuees took shelter from the bombs in World War II.

The most spectacular part of the walls is where they climb the hills. It is perhaps the best urban trekking stretch you can find in Verona but, if you want to try it out, you better have a good pair of shoes, plenty of time and a bit of training under your belt because the climb is very steep in places. My advice is to start from the steps of via San Nazaro and go to the magnificent terrace of the Don Calabria Institute, continuing to the Forte San Felice fortress built by the Habsburgs. From there you can go down to the quaint neighbourhood of San Giovanni in Valle via via Nazareth or continue to Castel San Pietro. Keep your camera handy for shots of breathtaking views, medieval walls, gardens and olive groves.

 

For people who don’t like hot weather, the arrival of fall is a cure-all, but for anyone who only feels good in the warmth of the summer sun, fall is synonymous with aches and ailments. One thing is certain, however, whatever you may think of fall, it’s the best season to visit the spa.

Verona isn’t the first place that springs to mind when you think of a spa. A hundred or so kilometers to the east, near Padua, you’ll find the well-known spa town of Abano, which over the decades has developed a city within a city around its hot springs, including pools, hotels and health centers. Within the Alto Adige region, the Merano spa resort can be found, a big specialized complex, boasting a North European style, with spas and fitness rooms. Both of these are just an hour away by train.

However, in the area around Verona, the use of spa water represents an ancient tradition. The waters were discovered by the ancient Romans and in Calidero, 15 kilometers east of the city, the therapeutic benefits of the “Baths of Juno” have been known since the Renaissance. Furthermore, on the shores of Lake Garda, the Mediterranean microclimate and hot springs have created an extraordinary combination. Thomas Mann and Franz Kafka came to be cured here, following in the footsteps of Goethe and Nietzsche before them.

Nowadays, there are at least three places worth visiting around Verona if you want to spend an afternoon at the spa. They have one feature in common: once you’re immersed in the hot water, you can admire beautiful landscapes all around you.

The nearest spa center to downtown Verona is the one most recently built: it’s called Aquaderns and is found in Pescantina, at the foot of the well-known Valpolicella wine growing region. Aquaderns opened a few years ago and is a modern facility, with an impressive pool, half covered and half uncovered, with jet showers and hot tubs. Coming out into the open, along a special walkway, you find yourself surrounded by green hills covered in vineyards and dotted with picturesque villages, where you can stop off for a bite to eat: Castelrotto in particular is not to be missed.

If you prefer a more intimate and cozy environment, Villa dei Cedri is the best choice. Situated in Colà di Lazise, on the moraine hills near Lake Garda, the property is surrounded by the majestic gardens of a villa, full of ancient trees. The main pool, particularly towards evening, takes on a magical feel, with the steam from the sulfur-rich water dissipating into the night. In a nearby cave, you’ll also find the whirlpool area. The complex has been recently modernized with a new building housing changing rooms and a restaurant.

Finally, there is the Aquaria spa in Sirmione, the popular town 20 km west of Verona, where the Latin poet Catullus built his magnificent villa, now one of the country’s main attractions. The spa complex is just outside the town. The water is accessed from inside the building, but the pool extends outside, with whirlpool tubs, showers and spas. The view is magnificent, particularly when the sky is clear. The center lies at the end of an isthmus, at the heart of Lake Garda, so you feel like you’re actually on a small island. The entrance ticket is slightly more expensive here, but it also includes access to a new fitness center; and it’s worth it in any case.

So, happy bathing to you all!

Legend has it that, just after the end of the war in 489 AD between Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, and the Roman general Odoacer, the starving people of Verona were granted exceptional permission to eat the many horse carcasses left on the battlefield at the gates of the city. And thus the local horse meat tradition was born, still alive to this day.

Verona is one of few cities – the only one I personally have ever seen – where there are so many butcher shops dedicated to horse meat, also offering donkey and mule. There are at least a dozen in the municipality alone, the most famous of which is probably the Avesani butcher shop located in Piazzetta Monte, in the historic city centre.

Horse meat is the basis of several traditional Veronese recipes: first and foremost is “pastisada de caval” – a sort of stew slow cooked in red wine – but there are also meatballs, steaks, sauces and many more.

However, the belief that Veronese people only like horses on a plate is a gross oversimplification. In fact, the Fiera Cavalli horse fair has been held every November in Verona for over a century, the oldest in the city and the largest in Italy.

Today the Fiera Cavalli is one of the city’s most successful events. The first edition took place in 1897, but horse fairs have been held in Verona from time immemorial. The buying and selling of horses, in a city that has always been a major agricultural centre and a commercial hub, was a very important activity before the advent of the car.

Nowadays, horses are no longer bought to pull carriages or farm machinery, but to compete in horse races or to be used for equestrian tourism. The Fiera Cavalli, held in the Verona Exhibition Centre, is first and foremost a large exhibition, ranging from the finest thoroughbreds on the international circuit to foals that will, hopefully, become the champions of tomorrow.

But the Fiera Cavalli is also an event in its own right which sees thousands of children and young people flock to it alongside enthusiasts and industry professionals. There are horse shows, demonstrations and competitions, a chance to experience the thrill of riding for the first time or just to pet a pony.

The province of Verona, with its vineyard-covered hills, its gently sloping mountains with forests and pastures, its rivers (the Adige and the Mincio) is ideal for horseback riding, not to mention the numerous locations in the surrounding area where you can take a ride in contact with nature.

The Scaligero riding club are the closest stables to the historical centre: they are located in Boschetto, at the entrance of the South Adige Park, a vast area of woods and fields, full of trails and glades. Following the Adige north, up to the corte Molon villa, is another equestrian centre which organises horse rides in the Valpolicella hills and the mountain of Lessinia.

What Verona is lacking is a real racecourse. Not to worry: less than two hours to the north by car (or train), is Merano, where, in addition to having a historic racecourse, one of the most exciting horse races in Italy is held is held at the end of September every year. I have been once, to experience the thrill of betting on horses: that’s 10 euros straight down the pan.

One minute you are by the lake in shirtsleeves, enjoying the sun and waves. Ten minutes later, you are in the high mountains and two thousand meters up, breathing fresh air and wearing a windbreaker.

There are few places on earth where you can change landscape and climate in such a short space of time.  Malcesine, one of the most picturesque villages on the western shore of Lake Garda, is one of them.

The change of perspective is made possible by the Malcesine-Monte Baldo cable car, a  main attraction in the province of Verona. It is visited by over three hundred thousand people annually and the number is continually growing. 

The ascent from the lake shore to the summit is rapid and spectacular. You board just outside the centre of town and then start to climb in altitude. Halfway up, there is a stop to change car. You then follow the last stretch up to the summit of Monte Baldo.

Baldo is a mountain massif in the province of Verona which winds along the western shore of Lake Garda. It’s particularly renowned for the variety of its flora, so much so that it has been nicknamed the “Garden of Europe”.

The cable car is the most convenient way to get to the summit of Mount Baldo, which is otherwise accessible only on foot. The cabin of the cable car is designed to rotate during the ascent. In this way, the trip itself is spectacular, allowing you to enjoy a full 360-degree view of the continually widening landscape as you go up.

Once at your destination, I suggest you take a deep breath of fresh air, look around and admire the view.

If you suffer from vertigo, it’s best to take the arm of a friend. It’s a bit like being on the edge of the Grand Canyon only that just below is Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy, rather than the Colorado River.  From here, you can admire Lake Garda in its entirety.

In the winter months when the mountain is snow-covered, the atmosphere at altitude is even more magical. The last time I was there, I started from Malcesine on a cool February morning. The sky was clear and the temperature was 6 to 7 degrees. At the end of the ascent, the temperature had dropped to -5 degrees.

Snow had fallen a few days before and it was compacted. So, I hired a pair of skis and I spent the day going up and down the slopes of the small but spectacular area on this promontory.

In summer, the cable car becomes a way that tourists staying by the lake escape the heat. When the heat is so stifling that even a dip in the lake isn’t very refreshing, there’s nothing better than a walk at high altitude.

If you’re a trekking enthusiast, you can do some beautiful hikes from there. They are not too complicated since you are already at the top. So, there is no longer any big difference in altitude to take into account.

After about an hour of walking south, you reach the Telegraph Refuge. From there and the 2,200 metre peak, you get another spectacular viewpoint, particularly towards the southern part of the lake. Continuing north, you reach the Church Refuge and from there another summit, Mount Altissimo.

When you decide to descend, you have two options. The first is to get back on the cable car and follow the route in reverse. This way, in ten minutes you are back at your starting point. 

The second option is my favourite. You walk down from the summit of Monte Baldo to the lake. The path is steep at some points but well-beaten and all downhill. Moreover, you cross through a nature reserve which is an unspoilt ecosystem. It allows you to see a forest very similar to that which covered all the mountain in previous centuries. This accounts for its name, which derives from the German word “Bald” which means ‘wood’.

 

 

Verona’s surroundings offer continuous discovery, even for someone born and raised here like me. I like to keep a list of places that strike me and which I like to go back to on day or weekend excursions. This is a small selection of five places which, for one reason or another, are at the top of my personal rankings.

 

The Molina Waterfalls: Just above Fumane in Upper Valpolicella, there is an area of deep ravines traversed by streams and covered with lush vegetation. This is where the Molina Waterfalls park is located. You find numerous trails here, many of which are well beaten. It’s an ideal destination especially on the hottest days. You can enjoy the shade of the forest and the coolness of the many emerald coloured lakes or explore the caves which have been visited by man since prehistoric times. Most visitors, however, come to admire the spectacular waterfalls. You can get there from the beautiful medieval village of Molina.

 

The Veja Bridge. More than a bridge, it’s a huge and spectacular natural stone arch approximately forty metres long. A torrent carved it out over thousands of years, creating a unique site. Not by chance, it has inspired writers and artists since ancient times. The painter Andrea Mantegna reproduced it in his famous cycle of frescoes in the Camera degli Sposi (the bridal chamber) in the Ducal Palace in Mantua. But, be careful when you look down as it may make you dizzy. You can get there in automobile by going up through the Negrar Valley in Valpolicella. The more adventurous can get there on foot by following the European path number 5 which connects Verona to Austria.

 

Borghetto. When the rankings of the most beautiful villages in Italy come out, Borghetto, part of the municipality of Valeggio sul Mincio, is unfailingly among them. It’s a popular location for weddings and is so magical it almost seems unreal. In fact, it is absolutely authentic. It’s a small fortified village made up of a handful of houses and mills set along the Mincio River, a tributary of Lake Garda. The symbiosis between the water and the village is total. You can well appreciate this by admiring Borghetto in its entirety from the impressive 14^th century Visconti bridge. I avoid going to Borghetto on Sundays or public holidays if I can because it fills up completely with tourists. They crowd the restaurants for the famous pumpkin tortelli. Otherwise, any other day there is a feast for the eyes and the palate.

 

Soave. When I was a young men going to art school, teachers took us here with canvases, brushes and easels. They wanted us to paint the panorama of this village in the hills of the Eastern area of Verona province. Soave, in any case, is a picture postcard village. It’s dominated by the medieval castle  built by the Scaligeri, a genteel and historic family of Verona. Its picturesque lanes offer a succession of churches and historic buildings. A stop in any restaurant there is obligatory in order to try the firm, fragrant white wine that gives the town its name. It’s one of the great Verona wines, second in popularity only to Valpolicella.

 

Campo. I myself discovered this village on Lake Garda, located on the steep mountainside overlooking Brenzone, only rather recently.  It’s perhaps one of the best kept secrets in the province of Verona. Campo had been a trading post on the way to Verona since medieval times. When the road along Lake Garda opened up, the village was actually abandoned. Today, it’s almost a ghost village (only a family of shepherds live there). It’s accessible only by foot and has a small jewel of a church with frescoes. From there, you can enjoy one of the most spectacular views that I can remember. A foundation fighting for the village’s recovery organizes a music and theatre festival in the summer on its narrow streets. 

The opening of a new theatre always puts me in a good mood. It means there is someone willing to take a risk and invest in culture, actors, musicians and dancers as well as the ticket-paying public who go to see them. A new theatre is a phenomenon of urban regeneration. The nearby area becomes more interesting and new life starts to grow up around it. Nowadays, it’s one of the nicest things that can happen in a city. Fortunately for Verona, this has happened a number of times recently. 

 

Verona, it must be said, has a great tradition of theatre, including public theatre. There are many amateur acting companies who often perform in dialect. In addition to the most prestigious theatres, like the Philharmonic (hosting operas and symphonies) and the Roman Theatre (home to an important summer Shakespeare festival), one could add the New Theatre, which is a reference point for prose drama. But, as noted, the options have now grown. 

 

The ruins of the Ristori Theatre stood hidden for many years  in a small square a short walk from Castelvecchio. The theatre was originally built in 1837 for open-air circus performances and had two rows of seating. A roof was later built and the theatre was a city institution for half a century. From Toto and Roberto Benigni to Domenico Modugno and Paolo Conte, all the great performers played there. Then, it was closed in 1983 and lay abandoned for twenty-five years.

 

It reopened in 2012 after a long and complicated restoration which transformed it into a technologically advanced theatre while not losing any of its 19th century charm. When the Ristori reopened, it immediately became an important reference point for cultural activity in Verona. Today, it houses various exhibitions from contemporary dance to jazz music while Sunday afternoon is traditionally reserved for operas or concerts.

 

A completely brand new space is the Open Foundry Theatre which began in 2015. It’s a few minutes walk from Piazza Bra and occupies a space that was adjacent to a vocational school which once had a foundry. With the advent of manufacturing, the foundry became obsolete and was closed. Then, a director from Verona by the name of Roberto Totola saw it and fell in love with the site.

 

He worked for more than ten years to realise his dream. Getting together with some friends, he learned to be a carpenter, painter and bricklayer over time (making a film about this little epic in the process). His aim was to keep alive the “workshop” spirit of the place with its machinery and facilities.

 

It is a place of indescribable charm. When I went to the opening, it brought to mind a New York off-Broadway theatre or one like those Berlin is famous for. The theatre bill includes plays and concerts but its worthwhile just to stop by for a drink and breathe in a bit of the atmosphere.

 

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Verona is one of the most important cities for theatre in Italy. This has been especially the case since 2016 when the last Italian Nobel Prize winner, Dario Fo (who won in 1997), decided to transfer his immense archive to Verona. Fo is from Milan but it was in Verona he found the space needed to make a lifetime dream come true. He wanted to create a museum and workshop dedicated to Italian theatre from the middle ages to the present.

 

The Fo Archive, renamed the Musalab, is located in one of the most potentially interesting sites in Verona: a former general warehouse located just in front of the central market. From after the war until the 1990s, this area was one of the city’s productive centres. Its enormous spaces have been under redevelopment for some time now, being turned into office space, shops and green areas. This has included the creation of the Fo’s archive within the Verona State Archives there.

 

 

Many lovers have been drawn to Verona by the story of Romeo and Juliet, and the house that was the inspiration for the home of the fictional Capulet family. Shakespeare chose the city and this particular scenic balcony to set one of the most dramatic love stories in history, and Juliet’s house receives over 8,000 love

letters every year, written to Juliet herself and answered by a team of volunteers. There is a bronze statue of Juliet by Italian sculpture Nereo Constantini in the patio, and legend tells that if you touch her right breast, you will either be forever lucky in love, or you will return to Verona. Which one will it be for you?