The Archaeology of Verona

Roman Archaeology - by Carole Holt

The Arena

Walk into Verona's old city and there it stands in front of you in the Piazza Bra (wide), the second largest Roman amphitheatre in the world, 'the Arena of Verona' – the largest is the Colosseum in Rome.

The Arena (the word is Latin for sand) was covered with sand and was the stage where the entertainment took place. It was built in the first half of the 1st century AD and completed by 30 AD during the last years of the Emperor Augustus. Today it is used for cultural events such as Operas.

The Arena forms an ellipse and is 138.77m x 109.52m.; when it was built it had two surrounds but now only a small part of the outer one remains after it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1117 and again in1183. Between the years 1569 and1680 the seating area was rebuilt and today it can seat between 23,000 and 25,000.

In Roman times it would seat 30,000 and the amphitheatre would draw large crowds to watch gladiators who would fight each other and wild animals to their death. There would be bloody battles almost every night. With the end of the Roman Empire came the end of the gladiatorial games, and in its place came the Middle Ages with jousting and knights. Today the fighting has given way to music and culture; people still come from around the world to be entertained, but at least the entertainers are allowed to leave the arena alive.

Porta Bosari (The Borsari Gate)
This gate was built at the end of the 1st century A.D. and at the time it was called, Jove's Gate, together with the Lion's Gate. It was one of the main original gates to the city. It was renamed 'Bosari' in the medieval period, the word comes from 'Bursarii' (a man who collected taxes for the bishop). The gate itself was built along a boundary wall. This was known as the 'great decuman' (the city's principal through-fare).
The architecture of this structure was used as a model for Renaissance architecture, as it was an important example of Roman civilization.

Porta Dei Leoni

This gate is sometimes called Porta Leona ( Lion Gate) and was built in the 1st century BC. It is one of the oldest Roman Gates built along a circuit of defensive walls. Today very little is left as a town house has been built alongside the historic gate (you can just see this in the photo with the shop underneath with the red blind) the little that remains of the structure is still seen as harmonious and balanced architecture, and has been the inspiration of many artist in the Renaissance.

Renaissance Period

The name Renaissance (re-birth) is when architects looked back to a time when Rome ruled the known world. In the mid-16th century, when Verona was one of the richest cities in the world, the architect Sanmichele looked to the glory of the Roman Empire to reflect the greatness of his city.

Palazzo Pompei (Natural Science Museum)

One of his buildings was the Pompei Palace, now the Natural Science Museum. The wide arched windows on the ground floor and the arch type windows of the first floor have a resemblance to the Bosari Gate with its strong and powerful monumental look. This type of building has been copied and can be seen all over the world where the architect wishes to show a solemn powerfulness in his buildings.

Sometimes in Verona things are not always what they seem. The Gavi Arch, built in the1st century B.C. by the famous architect Vitruvius for the Gavi family, was knocked down by Napoleon so his troops could march along the road. This happened in the18th century, every stone was taken from the original site, and it was rebuilt to its original form and shape in a different place – the arch was finished in 1932.