Travel Review: "Verona: A City that has inspired us throughout the Ages"

"There is no world without Verona walls, But purgatory, torture, hell itself.

Hence-banished is banish’d from the world, And world's exile is death..."

                                                                       - William Shakespeare, Romeo e Juliet - Act III, Scene III

During the early parts of the European summer holidays, my wife and I had the pleasure of traveling to our favorite cities in the world. A city that holds so many memories for us and is entrenched in history, myth, and inspiration. 

Verona has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, situated in the northern Italian region of Veneto, framed in the loop of the Adige River, and nestled by hillsides to visually look like a natural theater. A theater that inspired two plays by William Shakespeare, the Divine Comedy by Dante, and over two thousand years of history and significant personal inspiration. 

The core of the city consists of Roman remains, which include the city gate, Porta Borsari, the remains of the Porta Leoni, and the Arco Dei Gavi, which was dismantled in the Napoleonic period and rebuilt. A Roman bridge that was called Pons Lapidues and later renamed to Ponte Pietra. Other Roman sites include a Roman theater and the Amphitheatre Arena. The Verona Arena is one of the best preserved Roman amphitheaters and the third largest colosseum in the world. If you get your timing right, you might even be able to watch a live show inside the structure that was completed in 30 AD. 

During the Middle Ages, the Scaligers expanded the city by rebuilding the city walls, which remained the perimeter of the city into the 20th century.  The period also marked the addition of historic buildings such as the Palazzo del Comune, Palazzo del Governo, Loggia del Consiglio, Arche Scaligere, and Domus Nova.

For me personally, Verona is my connection to my heritage, as my grandfather grew up in a small town just outside the city called Poiano. In 2015, my wife and I got married in Verona and shared our vows at Tomba Di Giulietta, the resting place of Juliet, which has been placed in a museum constructed in the remains of the old church. My inspiration comes from more than just my connection with the city, but how the history of the city reminds me how small I am, yet how lasting my actions can be. 

And who better to be inspired by than William Shakespeare, who used Verona as inspiration to write both "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" and "Romeo and Juliet". Many speculate that Romeo and Juliet are based on the Capulet and Montague families, which were genuine Veronese aristocrats, also mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. Here is where we find our next inspiration in Dante Alighieri, the famous Italian poet, writer, and philosopher. In Piazza dei Signori, also known as Piazza Dante, a statue of him dominates the surrounding area. Dante stayed in Verona during the period he wrote the Divine Comedy, with many references to the city and its historical characters, and is home to his living descendants. Dante was known to frequent the Capitolare library and ended his stay in Verona after the teacher of logic, Artemisio, was preferred as a teacher at the famous Verona University. 

The city’s history reminds me that even the Dante’s of this world experienced rejection, as the greatest tragedy ever written was based on someone's "real life" and if you are willing to look, the past can be a great form of inspiration.