The Roman amphitheatre and summer opera
Verona, on a bend of the Adige river, is one of the most beautiful cities in Italy and a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its urban structure and its monuments from two thousand years of history: Roman, medieval under the della Scala family, Venetian and Austrian. Its symbol is the Arena, in the vast Piazza Bra.
Built around AD 30, it is one of the best preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world: of the outer ring only four arches remain, the "ala", after an earthquake in 1117, but the inner ring and the cavea, with its pink marble steps, are almost intact. In Roman times it could hold about 30,000 spectators for gladiator fights. Since 1913, when Verdi's Aida was staged to celebrate the centenary of the composer's birth, the Arena has hosted the Arena di Verona Opera Festival every summer, from June to September, one of the largest open-air opera festivals in the world: on summer evenings up to about 15,000 spectators watch monumental productions of Aida, Carmen, Nabucco and Turandot, lighting candles at nightfall as tradition requires. It also hosts concerts of pop and rock music.
Tip: the cheapest seats are on the unnumbered stone steps; bring a cushion. The Liston, the wide pavement of Piazza Bra, is lined with cafés and restaurants.
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