Sunday, September 7, 2025
Today was our last full day in Verona, Italy. The summer Opera series ended in the Arena last night. We decided today would be a good day to tour it. It was our morning adventure.
The arena was originally used for the bloody gladiator fights. It had a capacity of nearly 30,000 people. When it was built it was located outside of town. Later when the walls were rebuilt it was inside the city limits. The Arena was built using the limestone from the mountains just north of the city. This stone was considered very easy to extract, was compact, and resistant to weathering.
It was the 3rd largest Roman amphitheater surviving in Europe and one of the best-preserved in the world. The Arena consisted of 44 steps and rows. It was divided into sections to help with the entry and exit of spectators. It also divided them by social classes!
In 1117 a strong earthquake destroyed the Arena’s outer wall except for a section of four arches called the Arena Wing.
It was in disrepair until it was restored in 1500 and that restoration was important for the Arena still being used today.
In 1913 the first opera performance was held in the Arena. Verdi’s Aida was chosen and it was such a success that it became an annual event. A stage was erected on one side and the audience sat in a semicircle. With this set up only about 15,000 to 17,000 people could attend.
The pictures below demonstrated how difficult it was to “strike” the set after the Opera ended. A crane was needed to carry the cases of light and sound equipment so they could be loaded onto semi trucks.
After touring the Arena we walked around the area and then found a restaurant with gluten free options. We ate outside along the Piazza Bra at the Ristorante Pizzeria La Costa in Bra. Our meals were delicious!
Everyone was aware of the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet but after lunch we walked to a lesser known legend in Verona, “the Well of Love”. It was said that under the rule of Emperor Maximilian (1509-1517) and Verona was under the Holy Roman Empire that a young soldier, Corrado di San Bonifazio fell in love with a young woman named Isabella. She rejected all of Corrado’s seduction attempts. She was indifferent to him. When the couple met in a courtyard with a well, Corrado was exasperated by her coldness. Isabella gave him a challenge and told him to jump in the well. According to legend he didn’t hesitate and threw himself into the well. Isabella couldn’t believe he did this and she realized she did indeed love him. She followed him into the well. From that day on the well was known as the “Well of Love”!
We continued to walk the streets of Verona.
Because we had a very late lunch, we opened one of the bottles of wine that we purchased on our wine excursion. We enjoyed it with some snacks as our dinner in the hotel lobby. Unfortunately, we didn’t have wine glasses and drank out of paper cups.
This evening we could see a total lunar eclipse. We walked out to Piazza Bra to watch the eclipse. By the time we walked far enough to see the moon, the moon was beginning to be visible.
Watching the eclipse was a great way to end our last evening in Verona.
