VERONA, a city of Austrian Italy, and the capi tal of Verona, a province in the government of Venice. It is agreeably situated on both sides of the Adige, partly on a slope, and partly on a plain, which extends far to the south. The river, which divides the town into two unequal parts, is crossed with four bridges of stone, of which that of Castel Vecchio is the most remarkable. The town is of an irregular figure, and is about six miles in cir cuit, the modern part extending considerably be yond the old walls. It is fenced by a moat and an earthen mound, and there are two castles on ele vated ground, and a third on the plain, but it is a place of no strength. Verona has five gates. Porte del Puglia, built of stone filled with petrifac tions, is elegant, and Porta dei Borsari, is an an cient double gate like those of ancient Rome. The principal streets are the Corso, where horse races are held, and that which leads to the Mantua gate. Some of the rest are well paved and wide, but oth ers are narrow and dirty. The houses, though of an ancient aspect, look well, from many of them being built of marble. The principal square con tains the handsomest houses.
Verona contains a cathedral, in which there is a fine bronze crucifix; besides several handsome churches. The church of St. Zeno has a fine facade and a grand portal, and its roof is sustained by rows of columns, each of a single piece of marble. The church of St. George contains a picture of the mar tyrdom of that saint, by Paul Veronese. The church of St. Bernardino contains the celebrated Capella Varesca by San Michelo. The ancient cburch of St. Nazaro is one of the finest monuments of sacred antiquity. The church of St. Maria an tica, is adorned with the busts of the Scaligeri family. The town house is ornamented with busts of the learned natives of the city, Pliny, Catullus, Cornelius Nepos and Vitruvius. The building
called the Royal Palace has never been completed. The other palaces are that of Bevilacqua, a stately edifice, Canossa, Gustaversa, Pompei Gherardini, ccc. The museum and the academy have an elegant Ionic portico, and contain an interesting collection of antiquities.
The most important feature of Verona is the Ro man amphitheatre, situated in the large square of Del Bro. It is composed of large blocks of marble without cement, and rests on a double row of massy vaults, where the wild beasts were kept. Its exte rior circumference is 1331 feet, its greatest diam eter is 464, and its lesser 367. The oval arena in the centre is 220 feet long, and 130 broad. The seats, staircases, and galleries are entire. The number of ranges of seats is 46, and it was capable of holding 23,484 persons. Near the amphitheatre stands the modern theatre built by Palladio, and having a fine portico. The Palazzo del Consiglio is a noble edifice, built by San Savino. The Aca demica Philharmonica and the Philoli contain a number of ancient monuments. Verona has a ly ceum, a gymnasium, an academy of paintings, and a public library.
About half a mile from the city, in a garden, once the cemetery of a Franciscan convent, is a sarcophagus called the Tomb of Juliet. It is made of Verona marble, with a place for the head, a sock et for a candle, and two holes for the admission of air.
The manufactures of Verona are silk, which is the chief one, woollens, leather, gloves, and shoes. Population 45,000. East Lon. 11° 1' 15". North Lat. 44° 26' 17". For an account of the petrifac tions in the vicinity, see BoLon, Monte, Vol. III.
p.