Verona city gates Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016 |
We
found an underground parking by the Arena and walked downtown, wondering if we
would ever find our way back to the car. The grey sky was ominous, the rain had
stopped, but it was cold and damp even with a long sleeve shirt and a cashmere poncho.
I took many pictures but everything looked forlorn.
The
Arena appeared the same, white and partially weathered limestone against shades
of dark grey and liquid wetness. We had lunch under heat lamps at Emilia’s across
the Arena overlooking the cobbled stone plaza and the tiny park with the
fountain in the middle. Cold as it was, too few tourists were interested in
having their pictures taken with Italians clad in leather sandals and red
gladiatorial costumes. It was still fun to people-watch even though the
tourists were scarce and the locals were going about their daily lives.
Arena in Verona on a sunnier day Photo: Ileana Johnson 2007 |
Traffic
was heavy as usual, pedestrians were ping pong balls, but nothing compared to
northern Virginia’s bumper to bumper clusters for miles. I would describe
Italian city traffic as follow unspoken rules and organized chaos. If all else
fails, there are animated inimitable gestures and verbal clues which can be
used abundantly and with abandon.
Verona Roman Gavi Arch Photo: Ileana Johnson 2007 |
Roman chariot tracks in the road Photo: Ileana Johnson 2007 |
When
we finished our lunch, we walked along Via Mazzini to Piazza Erbe, past Juliet’s
alleged house, and found the Erbolario
where I used to purchase a wonderful hand cream made with olive oil. I bought a
couple to take home in my already bulging suitcase.
Piazza Bra Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016 |
Piazza delle Erbe Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016 |
Piazza delle Erbe fountain
Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016
Emilia's in Piazza Bra Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016 |
Entrance to Piazza Bra from the main road Photo: Ileana Johnson |
I
remember one summer when we bought tickets to watch and hear Aida, the multi-million dollar
performance that overwhelmed our senses with costumes, spectacular stage sets,
fabulous operatic voices, and drama. We felt like the poor Romans of long time
ago who were given tokens to enter the Arena, except that we paid 300 euros a
piece for our tickets.
Verona's typical street Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016 |
The
original amphitheater, the third largest in Italy, was built of pink and white
limestone during the first century A.D. and could seat 30,000 Romans. In 1117
an earthquake destroyed the outer ring.
I
could hear in the echo of the vast inner corridors the ancient spectators’
screams of life and death, a gory form of crass entertainment, pane et circenses, bread and circuses,
to keep the ordinary Romans lulled into a false sense of wellbeing.
Thousands
of animals were killed each year in the Roman Empire to satisfy the lust for ghastly
entertainment of the ancients. There were 93 Roman holidays dedicated to
gladiatorial games during the reign of Claudius (41-54 A.D.). They grew to 175
days by the fourth century A.D. The Roman citizens, who were employed, worked
short days in order to attend the games. Slaves were generally expected to do
most of the work in the empire. The Romans demanded bloody entertainment as
often as possible and considered it a right.
Whale bone to the side of Piazza delle Erbe Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016 |
Apparently
in 1303, during the reign of Bartolomeo I della Scala, the ruling families were
engaging in such infighting that the star-struck lovers, Romeo and Juliet,
children of the Ghibellines and the Guelphs, paid the ultimate price for their
forbidden love.
Reconstructed medieval bridge in Verona Photo: Ileana Johnson 2007 |
Juliet's alleged balcony in Verona Photo: Ileana Johnson |
Shakespeare
immortalized them as the children of the Montagues and Capulets. I have serious
doubts that the house is actually Juliet’s and the theatrical balcony is the famous
balcony, but it makes for an interesting tourist attraction for lovers from
around the world who scribble their names and short messages onto the stone
walls. A bronze statue of Juliet is touched by visitors for good luck, her
shiny breast beaconing more to take photographs. The house was purchased by
City Hall in 1905 at the insistence of wealthy Parisians who wanted to save it
from complete decay and destruction.
Inter-family
violence called for more revenge, murder, arson, and bloody vendettas. Even
Dante recounted some of the feuds in his poems. Peace was restored in 1320 when
the Montagues (Ghibellines) were exiled to Udine by Cangrande della Scala.
The
heart of the city is Piazza delle Erbe, the life blood of Verona Romana where
the Forum once stood. The Forum was the political, economic, legal, and
religious life of the Romans. It was here that the ancient stock exchange stood.
Palazzi, towers, houses, porticos, and a dangling whale bone from an arch encircle
the 140 m long Piazza delle Erbe.
Castelvecchio inner walls Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016 |
The
Venetian Republic allowed Jews to settle in Verona in the 1500s in the San
Tomio district if they paid a tax. Driven out in 978 for religious persecution,
the Jews were invited back in 1408 and allowed to engage in pawn broking.
Expelled again in 1499, they were not allowed to return until twenty years
later when Venice was in financial trouble and in need of money. Sadly, most of
the ghetto houses were demolished at the beginning of the 1900s, including the
synagogue.
Surviving Jewish houses in Piazza delle Erbe Photo: Ileana Johnson 2007 |
The
pawn brokers (Monte di Pieta) were highly regulated by 25 administrators, a
lucrative position because brokers and regulators would know all the dirty
secrets and financial problems of the wealthy and the noble in Verona.
The
Gonzaga family of Mantua is said to have deposited large amounts of jewelry
with the Monte di Pieta. When a fire broke out in 1630 and burned many
tapestries, period garments, and priceless pieces, the pawn brokers’ influence waned.
Currently, Casa di Risparmio (The Savings Bank) runs the Monte di Pieta.
At
the end of the Piazza delle Erbe, there is a typical Italian Ristorante that
showcases a well-stocked wine cellar. But is it not just a wine cellar. Because
I speak Italian, the owner proudly took us on a special tour of the basement. Part
of the floor was made of heavy glass under which Roman ruins, pieces of columns,
and partial mosaics were clearly visible.
Porta
Borsari, built on the original Roman street level, was called Porta Iovis
because of its proximity to the temple of Jupiter, and renamed Borsari, in
honor of those who in medieval times taxed goods passing through. The top level
had a watch tower. Below the frieze, I could still read the Latin name, Colonia Augusta Nova Galliena,
designating Verona in 265 B.C. a defense portal for Rome.
River Adige with snow-capped mountains in the distance Photo: Ileana Johnson |
The
river Adige flooded Verona many times. Markers on many old building bear
witness to various flood heights. Mile stone markers from Roman times were
perfectly preserved on a couple of streets. The remains of a Roman theatre built
in the first century A.D. still adorn the bank of the river Adige. On the
opposite bank, huge pavers were clearly marked by the deep ruts made by the
passage of Roman chariots. Large portions of the Roman walls that protected
Verona Romana are still standing.
Ponte
Pietra (the Stone Bridge) is the oldest, most austere bridge built across the
river Adige in 89 B.C. when Verona was a Roman colony. The five-arch bridge,
resembling a Roman aqueduct, was destroyed by serious floods, destroyed three
times, repaired, and finally demolished by retreating Germans in 1945. It was
restored in 1957 with many original stones salvaged from the river, in the same
ancient architectural style.
Roman mile marker in Verona Photo: Ileana Johnson |
Another
famous Roman landmark is the Gavi Arch built in the center of Postumia Way in
the first century A.D. by the architect Lucio Vitruvio Cerdone, an apprentice
to the famous Vitruvius. This magnificent arch, demolished for military reasons
in 1805, was rebuilt next to Castelvecchio in 1932, stone by stone, in
painstaking detail, following the original positioning from Via Cavour.
Vitruvius,
the author of De Architetura (known
today as The Ten Books of Architecture),
a famous treatise dedicated to Emperor Augustus, defined his Vitruvian Man, the
human body as the greatest work of art, later drawn by Leonardo da Vinci in a
circle and a square, the “fundamental geometric patterns of the cosmic order.”
San Zeno in his resting place Photo: Ileana Johnson |
The
mysticism I sought and found in the many Romanesque churches and cathedrals was
best described in San Zeno’s Basilica, an Italian Romanesque edifice built on
an earlier church from 372 A.D. and containing Verona’s oldest bells, dating
back to 1149.
The only painting known to depict the crucified Christ horizontally Photo: Ileana Johnson 2007 |
San Zeno crypt, the casket is lit in the background Photo: Ileana Johnson |
San Zeno exterior with photo bomb by hubby Photo: Ileana Johnson 2007 |
San Zeno church, interior courtyard Photo: Ileana Johnson 2007 |
The
African San Zeno was born in 300 A.D. and ordained Bishop of Verona in 362 A.D.
San Zeno was said to have performed many miracles, among them, most prominent
was the saving of the Basilica from a serious flood and of the parishioners
from eminent drowning by holding the waters of the furious Adige river in a
vertical position until the waters quieted and retreated.
Castelvecchio from across the Adige River Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016 |
Castelvecchio entrance Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016 |
My husband snapped this photo of me with the bridge in the background Photo: David Paugh |
Palazzo Carli Photo: Ileana Johnson 2007 |
Hanging tombs Photo: Ileana Johnson 2016 |
Tomb over the entrance Photo: Ileana Johnson |
The top tier tomb Photo: Ileana Johnson |
The
oldest tomb dates back to the year 1329. One tomb is located above the side
entrance to the church. The others are located to the left side of the façade,
encircled by wrought iron fences. A baldachin covers the temple-shaped tomb of
Guglielmo di Castelbarco.
No
matter how many times I visit Italy, Verona is a magnet that I cannot resist. I
feel transported in time and mesmerized by its strong ties to Roman history, and
ultimately to my people, the Dacians, who were colonized by Emperor Trajan
after two military campaigns (101-102, 105-106 A.D.) The Dacians, led by
Decebalus, were a threat to the Roman province of Moesia. The Romans needed Dacia’s
rich resources for the survival of the vast Roman Empire. The fierce battles
were immortalized on Trajan’s column in the Forum in Rome.
After
shopping in Piazza Erbe for t-shirts and a hat for our son Blane, we walked
back to the garage. The temperatures had dropped to shivering levels and,
before we reached our parked car, it started to rain again. The sun had peeked
from the clouds when we were in Piazza Erbe, just long enough to take some livelier
photographs.
TO BE CONTINUED
Maybe someday we will get back to Italy. Verona will be on the list!
ReplyDeleteI hope you do, Marianne, it is a fascinating place!
ReplyDelete