destination360.orgPLACES / PEOPLE / STORIES
Arena di Verona, Verona

Landmark

Arena di Verona

Verona · Veneto

QUICK INFORMATION

CATEGORY
Landmark
COUNTRY
Italy
REGION
Verona · Veneto
DURATION
1 day

ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION

The Arena di Verona is the Roman amphitheatre at the heart of the city, built around AD 30 and the third-largest surviving Roman amphitheatre in Italy after the Colosseum and the arena at Capua. It once held up to 30,000 spectators for gladiatorial games; today it holds around 15,000 for the summer opera festival, the largest open-air opera season in the world, which has run every year since 1913. The arena survived the earthquake of 1117 that destroyed most of Roman Verona, and its open ring is the most complete Roman monument in the Veneto. Sitting in the stands for an opera on a summer night, with the stage built across the arena floor, is the most memorable experience the city offers.

HISTORY & BACKGROUND

The story behind it

The arena was built around AD 30, in the reign of Augustus or Tiberius, just outside the Roman city walls. It was the third-largest in Italy and held the standard programme of gladiatorial games and animal hunts. The earthquake of 3 January 1117 destroyed the outer ring of arches that encircled the arena — only a fragment of that outer wall, the “ala”, survives — but the inner elliptical bowl stood, and the arena was used for spectacles, tournaments and public gatherings through the Middle Ages. The modern opera festival was founded in 1913 to mark the centenary of Verdi’s birth with a production of Aida, and it has run every summer since, growing into the largest open-air opera season in the world.

WHAT TO SEE

What to see here

01

The elliptical bowl — the surviving Roman seating, four tiers of stone steps, holding 15,000 for the opera.

02

The “ala” — the fragment of the outer ring of arches that once encircled the arena, the only piece of the façade that survived the 1117 earthquake.

03

The opera stage — the vast set built across the arena floor for the summer festival, visible during the day as well as at the performance.

04

The Piazza Bra — the grand square the arena opens onto, lined with cafés and the neoclassical Palazzo Barbieri, the city hall.

WHY IT MATTERS

Why it matters

The Arena is the monument that makes Verona a living Roman city rather than a ruined one — the only Roman amphitheatre in Italy still used for its original purpose, on a scale, of public performance. The opera festival that fills it each summer is one of the great Italian cultural events, and the building itself is the most complete survival of Roman Verona. For a visitor, attending an opera here is the single most atmospheric experience the city offers.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Before you go

Tickets
The arena is open to visit by day on a ticket; opera tickets are sold separately through the Arena di Verona festival website, and book up for popular productions.
Access
The entrance is on the Piazza Bra. For the opera, bring a cushion — the stone steps are hard — and a shawl for the evening.
Best Time
Visit by day for the building; attend an opera on a summer evening for the experience.
Context
The arena sits at the western edge of the old town, on the Piazza Bra, a short walk from Juliet’s house and the Via Mazzini.

MAP & LOCATION

Arena di Verona

Arena di Verona, Verona, Veneto, Italy

45.4389, 10.9917

Open in OpenStreetMap

MORE ATTRACTIONS

More to see in Verona

Juliet’s House, Verona
Landmark

Juliet’s House

The 13th-century house on the Via Cappello traditionally identified as the home of the Capulets, with the famous balcony added in the 1930s and a bronze statue of Juliet in the courtyard.

View attraction
Piazza delle Erbe, Verona
Landmark

Piazza delle Erbe

The old Roman forum and the heart of medieval Verona — a long square of market stalls, frescoed houses, the medieval town hall and the Madonna Verona fountain.

View attraction
Castelvecchio and the Scaliger Bridge, Verona
Landmark

Castelvecchio and the Scaliger Bridge

The red-brick castle of the Scaliger rulers, built in the 1350s, with its fortified bridge over the Adige — the most powerful medieval monument in Verona, now a museum of the city’s art.

View attraction

THINGS TO DO

Things to do nearby

01

Attend an opera at the Arena

02

Tour the Valpolicella wine country

03

Walk the Adige riverside to the Roman theatre

FOOD & DRINK

Where to eat nearby

01

Osteria al Duca — a historic osteria near the Piazza delle Erbe for classic Veronese cooking

02

Trattoria al Pompiere — a relaxed trattoria near the Piazza delle Erbe, known for its cured meats and local wines

03

Antica Bottega del Vino — a 19th-century wine bar with 100 wines by the glass and a long Veronese menu

04

Ristorante Greppia — a refined Veronese restaurant near the Arena, the place for risotto all’Amarone

05

Osteria Sottoriva — a riverside osteria under the arcades, honest cooking and a local crowd

Explore destination

HOTELS & STAYS

Where to stay nearby

01

Due Torri Hotel — a historic hotel in a medieval palace beside the Arena, with frescoed rooms

02

Hotel Milano & Spa — a stylish hotel near the Arena with a spa and a rooftop bar

03

Hotel Antica Porta Leona — a boutique hotel in a Roman-era building near the Arena

04

Hotel Colomba d’Oro — a hotel in a medieval convent near the Piazza delle Erbe, good value for a central base

Explore destination

NEARBY DESTINATIONS

Continue the journey

Venice

Venice

Veneto

Cortina d’Ampezzo

Cortina d’Ampezzo

Veneto

Lake Maggiore / Stresa

Lake Maggiore / Stresa

Piedmont

INTERESTS

Explore by what you love

WildlifeHistory

PART OF

Keep exploring

The atlas goes on — more attractions, destinations and stories from every corner of the world.