VERONA, vti -ro'na. A city of Italy. the capital of the Province of Verona, 71 miles by rail west of Venice (Map: Italy, F 2). The swift Adige traverses the city in a zigzag. It is crossed by seven bridges. Verona is a fortress of the first class and holds the key to the Tyrol. It is. with the exception of Venice. the most famous and attractive city of Venetia, and is both prosperous and progressive.
Its numerous weather-stained white marble palaces, richly sculptured. with evidences of having been painted, and often standing below the grade of the modern streets, give it an air of sumptuous decay. which effect is offset, how ever, by the abundant signs of its modern thrift. Its walls are pierced by several handsome gates. By far the larger part of the town is on the right bank of the Adige, where, in the centre. on the large and impressive Piazza Vittoria Emanuele, rises the celebrated Roman amphitheatre. This splendid, well-preserved ruin, dating from the reign of Diocletian, is 168 yards long and 106 feet high, and could accommodate over 20.000 persons. It is still used. On the Piazza and in the immediate vicinity are to he seen the Municipio; fragments of the old Roman wall; an ancient Franciscan monastery, now closed, but containing the mediocre sarcophagus known to disillusioned sight-seers as the tomb of .inliet; and the Museo Lapidario, with classic inscrip tions and antique marbles. From the Piazza extends southward the spacious and splendid Corso of the same name, and to the southeast stretches the likewise spacious Via Pallone—the latter reaching the river where, on the opposite side, lies the cemetery.
The Piazza is connected with the important Piazza del Erhe, on the northeast. by the busy Via Nuova Lastricata awl Via Nnova, which together form the busiest thoroughfare of the city, especially at night. In the vicinity is the marble tablet marking the portal of an obi and uninspiring house locally said to have been Juliet's home. A high tower affording a fine view of city and country. a very ancient foun
tain bearing the statue of Verona, a marble col umn surmounted by the Venetian Lion of Saint Mark, and proud palaces with frescoed fin Gales. here add interest to the bustling scene. Adjacent on the northeast is the Piazza don Signori, beauti fied by archways (with portraits) which span the entrances. It is surrounded by palaces dating from the time of the Sealigers, and contains the famous slatne of Dante by Zantioni. tif these palaces the Loggia, or Palazzo del Consiglio, is the most conspicuous. The superb structure in early Itenaissanee was a creation of Fra Olneondo (1500). and is adorned with statues of the an cient !Ionians who were born in Verona—among them rattillns, Cornelius Nepos( probably), Phisy the Younger. old Vitruvius. Near by is the far famed tomb of the Scaligers, rising in a small paved square. The grave Gothic outlines of the monument appear behind lofty railings in which are to be seen recurring ladders—the family emblem. Farther north, and in the extreme bend of the Adige, stands the uninteresting Gothic cathedral. It contains, however, a tine "Assumption" by Titian.
Northwest of the Roman Amphitheatre, and on the river bank, stands the battlemented Castel Vecchio (1355), from which a venerable pin nacled bridge stretches to the northern shore. Hence, to the northeast, extends the spacious and imposing Corso Cavour. bordered by fine palaces. It is a prominent thoroughfare. It leads north east toward the Porta de' Borsari—a triumphal arch constructed A.D. 265. On the southwest it connects. near the Castel Vecchio, with the broad fine street leading southwest to the attractive Porta del Pa]io. In the extreme western cor ner of the city, and near the river, rises the Church of San Zeno Maggiore, dating from 1139. It ranks among the finest Romanesque churches in Italy, and is notable for its symmetries. It contains a valued painting by \1antegna, and the fine bronze tomb of the saint.