Piazza Bra

Verona's vast main square spreads before the Arena in a sweeping crescent of restaurants, historic palaces, and the tree-lined Liston promenade where Veronese have strolled for centuries. The piazza's name derives from the German 'breit' (broad), and its generous proportions accommodate summer concert crowds, winter Christmas markets, and the daily passeggiata that defines Italian social life. Cafe tables beneath the arcades offer front-row views of the Arena while the equestrian statue of King Vittorio Emanuele II and the neoclassical Gran Guardia palace complete an ensemble that serves as Verona's living room.

Arena di Verona

This extraordinarily preserved Roman amphitheater has hosted spectacles for nearly 2,000 years, from gladiatorial combat through medieval jousts to the summer opera festival that has made it one of the world's greatest outdoor performance venues since 1913. The Arena's pink Veronese marble could seat 30,000 Romans; today 15,000 opera lovers fill the ancient stones for productions of Aida, Carmen, and other classics performed against the starlit sky. Even without attending a performance, walking the Arena's passageways and ascending to the upper tiers reveals Roman engineering genius and offers intimate views across the amphitheater floor.