VERO'NA, an ancient and interesting city of northern Italy, in Venetia, stands on a plain ut the foot of the hills which lie at the base of the Tyrolese mountains, 72 m. w. of Venice by railway. It stands on the Adige, by which it is divided into two unequal parts, connected by four bridges. The aspect of the town, and of the rich landscape around, is considered remarkably fine. Verona is a fortress of the first rank, a member of the famous quadrilateral (q.v.), and has always been considered a place of strength since it was surrounded with walls by the emperor Gallienus, 265 A.D. Its modern fortifications are among the most extraordinary works of military engineering in Europe. After passing intq the hands of the Austrians in 1815, it was greatly strengthened; and after 1849 they made every effort to render it impregnable. Of its many interesting edifices, the chief is the amphitheater, built, it is supposed, between the years 81 and 117 A.D. The building has been wonderfully preserved, the interior being still, to all appearance, complete. The lesser diameter of the building is 404 ft., that of the arena 156 ft.; and the edifice is calculated to have contained 22,000 people. This, as well as many of the other structures of the city, has a handsome appearance, owing to having been built of Verona marble. The Porta dei Borsari and the Arco dei Leoni are tine Roman gateways, both of the imperial age. The streets of Verona are wide, espe cially the Corso; there are four principal squares, of which the Piassa dei Signori con tains the palace of the Della Scala and the superb Palazzo del Consiglio, the facade of which is adorned with bronze and marble statutes of celebrated natives of Verona, including Catullus, Pliny the younger, etc. The picture-gallery contains about 400 specimens, including a Transfiguration by Titian, and a full-length portrait and a Deposi tion by Paul Veronese. The cathedral, the date of which is uncertain, but which is attributed to Charlemagne, has a handsome porch, guarded by the celebrated paladins, Roland and Oliver. The more modern parts of the cathedral are exceedingly rich,
and among other excellent works of art, it contains a famous Assumption by Titian. Altogether, there are in Verona about 40 churches, many of them beautiful specimens of Gothic architecture, and containing valuable paintings and other art treasures. The palaces are also numerous and fine; and there are several theaters, hospitals, etc. Manufactures of woolen goods, hats, cotton, silk, hemp, and hosiery are carried on, and the town trades considerably with Venice in garlic sausages. Excellent cattle are reared on the rich pasturage of the vicinity. Wines and fruit are good and abundant. Pop. of Verona and suburbs, '72, 65,876.
The early history of Verona is involved in obscurity, and there is some in determining whether it originally belonged to the Euganei or the Cenomani. It after ward fell into the hands of the Romans, and under the empire became one of the most flourishing cities in the n. of Italy. Constantine took it by assault in 312; &Mello de feated the Goths here in 402. Charlemagne took possession of it, and made it the royal residence of his son, king Pepin. The Montaones, who were Ghibellines, lived here in perpetual and deadly enmity with the Guelf Capulets; and from the contentions that took place between these families, Shakespeare, drawing upon an Italian authority— has derived materials for his tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. In 1259 the town received Mastiuo della Scala as its ruler. In 1405 the city gave itself over to Venice, in order to free itself from its tyrants, who were alternately of the Scala, the Visconti, or the Car rara families. It has since shared the vicissitudes of the rest of Venetia, and in 1866 was ceded to Italy.