Illustrazione Elena Prette
The city is situated in northern Italy at the foot of the Lessini Mountains on the River Adige. It dates from prehistoric times: a small built-up area that developed between the 4th and 3rd century BCE became a Roman municipium in the 1st century BCE after which it rose rapidly in importance. During the 5th century, Verona was occupied by the Ostrogoth Theodoric I, later by the Lombards, and in 774 by Charlemagne. In the early 12th century, it became an independent commune. It prospered under the rule of the Scaliger family and particularly under Cangrande I, falling to Venice in 1405. From 1797, it became part of the Austrian Empire and joined the Kingdom of Italy in 1866. The core of the city consists of the Roman town nestled in the loop of the river containing one of the richest collections of Roman remains in northern Italy. Surviving remains of this era include the city gate, Porta Borsari, the remains of the Porta Leoni, the Arco dei Gavi, which was dismantled in the Napoleonic period and rebuilt next to Castelvecchio in the 1930s, the Ponte Pietra, the Roman theatre, and the Amphitheatre Arena. The Scaligers rebuilt the walls during the Middle Ages, embracing a much larger territory in the west and another vast area on the east bank of the river. This remained the size of the city until the 20th century. The heart of Verona is the ensemble consisting of the Piazza delle Erbe (with its picturesque fruit and vegetable market) and the Piazza dei Signori, with historic buildings that include the Palazzo del Comune, Palazzo del Governo, Loggia del Consiglio, Arche Scaligere, and Domus Nova. The Piazza Bra has a number of buildings dating back to different epochs. Verona’s surviving architecture and urban structure reflects the evolution of this fortified town over its 2,000 year history.
- Valore UNESCO
Verona played a key role in European history as the crossroads of arts and peoples, armies and cultures. Founded by ancient tribes, it became a Roman colony in the century BC, quickly rising in importance. It was occupied by Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths (V century), by the Lombards, and by Charlemagne. It throve under the Della Scala, especially under Cangrande I (XIV century). In 1405, it was annexed to Venice (XV-XVIII century); in 1797, it was taken over by the Cisalpine Republic, then in 1815, after the Congress of Vienna, it became part of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, annexed to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1866, it joined the Kingdom of Italy.
The origin and the thriving Roman age
Since its origin, Verona has benefited from its strategic location, which has made it a keystone at the crossroads between the Alps and the Po Valley, along the trade routes to the Adriatic Sea. The rolling bends of the Adige that flow through Verona and the hills that hug it on the northern side are what make it so beautiful and so harmonious to look at. Verona began its life as a Roman city in the I century BC. The Roman city, enclosed by the river Adige, is at the heart of it. Livy, the historian, tells that what used to be a mere ford, colonised by a Gaul tribe on the important waterway that was the Adige was raised to the rank of a Roman Municipium in 42 BC, a key administrative centre of the Roman state and of its military departments. Remarkable vestiges of the Roman age are still visible, the outstanding Arena, the Roman Theatre, Arco dei Gavi, Porta Borsari and the archaeological site of Porta Leoni.
The Della Scala (XIII and XIV centuries) and the rule of Venice (XV-XVIII century)
The House of the Della Scala is mentioned as being in Verona since as early as the XI century. Under the rule of the Della Scala, the city experienced a time of great splendour. The Della Scala rebuilt the walls to include a wider area west of the old one and another large area along the eastern riverbank: the size of the city remained the same until the XX century. Under the rule of Venice, Verona’s economic and cultural energy was not restrained; actually the city had a makeover and was decorated with new palaces and works of art.
The fortress city
The city walls are the best proof of the way Verona developed over time: their circles growing larger and larger depending on the year they were built, they give the city its distinctive appearance and provide an insight into its history and layout. Even if very little is left of the two later circles of walls erected by the Romans, the municipal walls, rebuilt after the flood of 1239, are still in perfect shape. The 450-hectare circle that the House of the Della Scala had had built was only strengthened by the Venetians in the 16th century, and so did the Austrians in the 19th century, making Verona one of the four walled cities of the Quadrilatero, the defensive system of the Austrian Empire. Monumental gates and fortifications hint at the strategic importance of the city, a grand example of a military stronghold.
Verona, a city of art
Verona was a hothouse of artists: since its origin, it has been a city of culture, a vibrant destination that has attracted artists and men of letters. The city owes its beauty to many artists, such as Fra’ Giocondo, Girolamo dai Libri, Liberale da Verona, Michele Sanmicheli, Pisanello and Veronese. It has always been a favourite destination, even for such illustrious names as Dante, Mozart, Goethe, Ruskin, constantly celebrated in paintings, books, writings and poems; let’s mention William Shakespeare who never visited the city but celebrated it in one of his most famous works, Romeo and Juliet. With its sophisticated elegance, Verona is still a vibrant cultural centre for all of Europe.
Per saperne di più
Verona in the years of Cangrande della Scala
In the 14th century, Verona was an extremely lively city; noblemen and gentlemen, ladies and crowds of lower-class people could be seen rushing in the streets to enjoy “a magnificenza di messer Cane de la Scala”, the munificence of Master Cangrande della Scala. The following passage re-enacts a scene of everyday life at Cangrande’s court.
“Per le vie che conducono a palazzo si aggirano destrieri e corsieri, masnade con bandiere, corazze e scudi, musici con loro trombe, chitarre, liuti, viole, tamburi, zufoli e flauti; nei cortili si agita il ‘poverame’ […], i villani […] si frammischiano ai baroni e i marchesi gentili e cortesi ai dottori di astrologia e di filosofia e di teologia fra loro disputando in latino; uomini d’arme e mercanti italiani, tedeschi, francesi, fiamminghi, inglesi conversano nelle rispettive lingue, come se fosse in Babele. […] Nel palazzo di Cangrande si balla, si canta, si suona, si ride, si mangia e si ruba il tagliere senza che il signore se ne dia preoccupazione, felice della felicità altrui che deriva dalla sua magnificenza, dalla sua gioia di vivere”.
(M. Carrara, Gli Scaligeri, quoted, pp.117-118)
The Barbarians in Verona and Rosamund’s conspiracy
Verona was the grand centre of Ostrogoth power in Italy, under King Theodoric (493-526). Under his rule, the city was the most important military centre in the Kingdom and the King’s favourite dwelling, which he renovated and decorated. Palaces, colonnades, baths were built, and the walls, knocked down by Barbarian forays, were raised again. Later on, Verona was conquered by the Lombards, who marched down into Italy in 568 AD, led by King Alboin. According to Paolo Diacono, a historian, in 572 Queen Rosamund joined forces with the King’s enemies against her husband, King Alboin. As a very famous tradition goes, as the King had forced Rosamund to drink from a cup made from the skull of her murdered father, she decided to do all she could to take her revenge and had Alboin killed.
Juliet's House
Via Cappello 23, not far from Piazza delle Erbe, is the address of a 13th-century building, owned for many years by the Dal Cappello family, that spread the legend and the popular belief that it was the birthplace of Juliet Capulet, the heroine of Shakespeare’s tragedy. In the house, there are the furnishings and costumes used in the famous film Romeo and Juliet, directed by Franco Zeffirelli in 1968, Medieval and early Renaissance Veronese pottery, and a collection of engravings with scenes inspired by the tragic story of the two lovers.
“Juliet: – How camest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore? The orchard walls are high and hard to climb, And the place death, considering who thou art, If any of my kinsmen find thee here.
Romeo: – With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls, For stony limits cannot hold love out, And what love can do, that dares love attempt. Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me.”
(William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II)
The Veronese Riddle
In 1924, Luigi Schiaparelli found an ancient codex in the Biblioteca Capitolare in Verona, with VIII-IX century lines written at the edges of a scroll. The Veronese Riddle, probably handwritten by an amanuensis from the same Library, was widely studied, investigated and discussed by the linguist-philological community. The assumption that it may be the oldest specimen of Italian vernacular has been currently ruled out, as the language does not seem to deliberately take its distance from Latin. In addition, the writing exhibits some typical traits of Veronese dialect.
“Boves se pareba
Alba pratalia araba
Et albo versorio teneba
Et negro semen seminaba”
The explanation of these lines reveals a self-referential meaning: a metaphor of the act or art of writing, where the writer’s fingers are compared to oxen fastened to an albo versoio (a rough plough, the goose quill), which ploughs white fields (the sheets), sowing black seeds (the ink the words are written with).
The Congress of the Holy Alliance, Verona 1822
After the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814, Verona became a city of the Austrian Empire. The new Emperor, Franz Joseph I Habsburg-Lorraine, was welcomed by the population, sorely tried by decades of fights and repressions, and wanted the Congress of the Holy Alliance (October 9-14, 1822) to take place precisely in Verona. Princes and ambassadors came to Verona from the most powerful European nations and stayed in the local palaces; the atmosphere in town was that of a great capital, even though briefly. For the occasion, a show was organised in the amphitheatre or Arena in honour of the Holy Alliance, with Gioacchino Rossini as the choir director.
The Arena, from gladiator fights to opera challenges
The elliptical amphitheatre was founded circa 30 AD. In the early Middle Ages, the Arena was the place of ‘trial procedures’ that took inspiration from the ancient tradition of the Germanic ordeal: a judicial practice by which the guilt or innocence of the accused was determined by subjecting them to a painful experience or a duel. The proof of innocence was completing the experience undamaged or winning the duel. Nowadays, the amphitheatre hosts an opera festival and music shows, with international stars.
Protagonisti
Cangrande I Della Scala
Cangrande I Della Scala (Verona, March 9th 1291 – Treviso, July 22nd 1329)A local chronicle describes him as “di grande statura e bella, piacente a tutti, grazioso di modi e di parola e valoroso in armi”. Kind to his enemies, a generous patron of the arts, the writers of that time conveyed and sealed his reputation as one of a brave ruler, who was as strong as he was kind. Even if Cangrande, a champion of the 14th-century Ghibelline world, was a tyrant to Guelfs, the greatest Italian poets celebrated him for his kind and generous nature. He had no direct heirs from his wife, Joanna of Swabia, the daughter of Conrad of Antioch, but had many illegitimate children. His father, Alberto della Scala, chose his name – Cane Francesco or Canfrancesco, known as “Canis magnus” – probably thinking of the Great Khan of Marco Polo’s travels. And one should bear in mind that, in Medieval heraldry, the dog was associated with lofty virtues, such as nobility, loyalty, pride and elegance. Throughout his political career, Cangrande was loyal to the Emperor, Henry VII, and fought all the time with Padua. He built up prestigious, close-knit family connections, thus strengthening his possessions and alliances. Cangrande left his mark on history by designing a deliberate pro-imperial ‘political mission’ in Italy – a decision that caused the Lord of Verona to be excommunicated by the Pope, but earned him the respect and honours of Dante Alighieri, the Supreme Poet, who dedicated the Paradise section of The Divine Comedy to him.
Testimonianze d’autore
Testimonianze
► “Non c’è mondo al di fuori delle mura di Verona…”
William Shakespeare
► “Deliziosa Verona! Con i suoi bei palazzi antichi e l’incantevole campagna vista in distanza da sentieri praticabili e da solide gallerie con balaustra. Con i suoi tranquilli ponti romani che tracciano la retta via illuminando, nell’odierna luce solare, con tonalità antiche di secoli. Con le chiese marmoree, le alte torri, la ricca architettura che si affaccia sulle antiche e quiete strade nelle quali riecheggiavano le grida dei Montecchi e dei Capuleti…”
Charles Dickens
Legami tra i siti Unesco italiani
Verona and... the Lombards in Italy
Verona was one of the first cities to fall under the Lombard rule, after Cividale del Friuli. Until then the centre of Theodoric’s Ostrogoth Kingdom, it was chosen by Alboin, King of the Lombards, as his dwelling, and remained one the main centres of power in that area known as Langobardia Maior, the name given to the domains of the Lombard Kingdom in Northern Italy.
Verona and... Venice
Paolo Caliari, the painter, commonly known as Veronese, was born in 1528 and studied in Verona: he trained in Antonio Badile’s studio, but Veronese owed his talent to the relationship that Paolo had had at a young age with Michele Sanmicheli, the architect who influenced him with his Tuscan-Roman mannerist style. In 1556, Veronese went to live and work in Venice, where he left a shining mark of his outstanding artistic genius on Renaissance art. Even in Venice, Veronese’s genius was always associated with a somewhat “different”, “foreign” artistic identity, as may be noticed, for instance, in the way he uses colour in his paintings, which is different from the native Venetian tradition: Veronese never really mastered tonalist painting (an underlying feature of the Venetian painting style of that time that involved a special sense of colour), as he preferred a sharp, vibrant use of colour, with clear-cut, distinctive backgrounds.
Note bibliografiche
Bibliografia
Mantegna e le arti a Verona, 1450-1500, a cura di S. Marinelli, Paola Marini, Venezia, Marsilio, 2006
Il Museo del Risorgimento. Verona dagli Asburgo al Regno d’Italia, a cura di E. Napione, Silvana Editoriale, Milano, 2011
Gli Scaligeri: 1277-1387. Saggi e schede pubblicati in occasione della mostra storico-documentaria allestita dal Museo di Castelvecchio di Verona, giugno-novembre 1988, a cura di G.M. Varanini, Verona, Mondadori, 1988
M. Carrara, Gli Scaligeri, Dall’Oglio Editore, Varese, 1966
A. Castellani, I più antichi testi italiani: edizione e commento di Arrigo Castellani, Bologna, Patron, 1973
L. Puppi, Michele Sanmicheli architetto di Verona, Marsilio, Venezia, 1971
M. Girardi, Verona tra Ottocento e Novecento, Canova, 2004
- Valore UNESCO
Verona played a key role in European history as the crossroads of arts and peoples, armies and cultures. Founded by ancient tribes, it became a Roman colony in the century BC, quickly rising in importance. It was occupied by Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths (V century), by the Lombards, and by Charlemagne. It throve under the Della Scala, especially under Cangrande I (XIV century). In 1405, it was annexed to Venice (XV-XVIII century); in 1797, it was taken over by the Cisalpine Republic, then in 1815, after the Congress of Vienna, it became part of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, annexed to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1866, it joined the Kingdom of Italy.
The origin and the thriving Roman age
Since its origin, Verona has benefited from its strategic location, which has made it a keystone at the crossroads between the Alps and the Po Valley, along the trade routes to the Adriatic Sea. Verona began its life as a Roman city in the I century BC. The Roman city, enclosed by the river Adige, is at the heart of it. Livy, the historian, tells that what used to be a mere ford, colonised by a Gaul tribe on the important waterway that was the Adige was raised to the rank of a Roman Municipium in 42 BC, a key administrative centre of the Roman state and of its military departments. Remarkable vestiges of the Roman age are still visible, the outstanding Arena, the Roman Theatre, Arco dei Gavi, Porta Borsari and the archaeological site of Porta Leoni.
The Della Scala (XIII and XIV centuries) and the rule of Venice (XV-XVIII century)
The House of the Della Scala is mentioned as being in Verona since as early as the XI century. Under the rule of the Della Scala, the city experienced a time of great splendour. Even under the rule of Venice, Verona kept thriving and was embellished with new palaces and works of art.
The fortress city
The city walls are the best proof of the way Verona developed over time: their circles growing larger and larger depending on the year they were built, they give the city its distinctive appearance. Even if very little is left of the two later circles of walls erected by the Romans, the municipal walls, rebuilt after the flood of 1239, are still in perfect shape. The 450-hectare circle that the House of the Della Scala had had built was only strengthened by the Venetians in the 16th century, and so did the Austrians in the 19th century, making Verona one of the four walled cities of the Quadrilatero, the defensive system of the Austrian Empire. Monumental gates and fortifications hint at the strategic importance of the city, a grand example of a military stronghold.
Verona a city of art
Verona was a hothouse of artists: since its origin, it has been a city of culture, a vibrant destination that has attracted artists and men of letters. The city owes its beauty to many artists, such as Fra’ Giocondo, Girolamo dai Libri, Liberale da Verona, Michele Sanmicheli, Pisanello and Veronese. It has always been a favourite destination, even for such illustrious names as Dante, Mozart, Goethe, Ruskin, constantly celebrated in paintings, books, writings and poems; let’s mention William Shakespeare who never visited the city but celebrated it in one of his most famous works, Romeo and Juliet. With its sophisticated elegance, Verona is still a vibrant cultural centre for all of Europe.
Per saperne di più
Verona in the years of Cangrande della Scala
In the 14th century, Verona was an extremely lively city; noblemen and gentlemen, ladies and crowds of lower-class people could be seen rushing in the streets to enjoy “a magnificenza di messer Cane de la Scala”, the munificence of Master Cangrande della Scala. The following passage re-enacts a scene of everyday life at Cangrande’s court.
“Per le vie che conducono a palazzo si aggirano destrieri e corsieri, masnade con bandiere, corazze e scudi, musici con loro trombe, chitarre, liuti, viole, tamburi, zufoli e flauti; nei cortili si agita il ‘poverame’ […], i villani […] si frammischiano ai baroni e i marchesi gentili e cortesi ai dottori di astrologia e di filosofia e di teologia fra loro disputando in latino; uomini d’arme e mercanti italiani, tedeschi, francesi, fiamminghi, inglesi conversano nelle rispettive lingue, come se fosse in Babele. […] Nel palazzo di Cangrande si balla, si canta, si suona, si ride, si mangia e si ruba il tagliere senza che il signore se ne dia preoccupazione, felice della felicità altrui che deriva dalla sua magnificenza, dalla sua gioia di vivere”.
(M. Carrara, Gli Scaligeri, quoted, pp.117-118)
The Barbarians in Verona and Rosamund’s conspiracy
Verona was the grand centre of Ostrogoth power in Italy, under King Theodoric (493-526). Under his rule, the city was the most important military centre in the Kingdom and the King’s favourite dwelling, which he renovated and decorated. Palaces, colonnades, baths were built, and the walls, knocked down by Barbarian forays, were raised again. Later on, Verona was conquered by the Lombards, who marched down into Italy in 568 AD, led by King Alboin. According to Paolo Diacono, a historian, in 572 Queen Rosamund joined forces with the King’s enemies against her husband, King Alboin. As a very famous tradition goes, as the King had forced Rosamund to drink from a cup made from the skull of her murdered father, she decided to do all she could to take her revenge and had Alboin killed.
Juliet’s House
Via Cappello 23, not far from Piazza delle Erbe, is the address of a 13th-century building, owned for many years by the Dal Cappello family, that spread the legend and the popular belief that it was the birthplace of Juliet Capulet, the heroine of Shakespeare’s tragedy. In the house, there are the furnishings and costumes used in the famous film Romeo and Juliet, directed by Franco Zeffirelli in 1968, Medieval and early Renaissance Veronese pottery, and a collection of engravings with scenes inspired by the tragic story of the two lovers.
The Congress of the Holy Alliance, Verona 1822
After the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814, Verona became a city of the Austrian Empire. The new Emperor, Franz Joseph I Habsburg-Lorraine, was welcomed by the population, sorely tried by decades of fights and repressions, and wanted the Congress of the Holy Alliance (October 9-14, 1822) to take place precisely in Verona. Princes and ambassadors came to Verona from the most powerful European nations and stayed in the local palaces; the atmosphere in town was that of a great capital, even though briefly. For the occasion, a show was organised in the amphitheatre or Arena in honour of the Holy Alliance, with Gioacchino Rossini as the choir director.
The Arena, from gladiator fights to opera challenges
The elliptical amphitheatre was founded circa 30 AD. In the early Middle Ages, the Arena was the place of ‘trial procedures’ that took inspiration from the ancient tradition of the Germanic ordeal: a judicial practice by which the guilt or innocence of the accused was determined by subjecting them to a painful experience or a duel. The proof of innocence was completing the experience undamaged or winning the duel. Nowadays, the amphitheatre hosts an opera festival and music shows, with international stars.
Protagonisti
Cangrande I Della Scala
Cangrande I Della Scala (Verona, March 9th 1291 – Treviso, July 22nd 1329)A local chronicle describes him as “di grande statura e bella, piacente a tutti, grazioso di modi e di parola e valoroso in armi”. Kind to his enemies, a generous patron of the arts, the writers of that time conveyed and sealed his reputation as one of a brave ruler, who was as strong as he was kind. Even if Cangrande, a champion of the 14th-century Ghibelline world, was a tyrant to Guelfs, the greatest Italian poets celebrated him for his kind and generous nature. He had no direct heirs from his wife, Joanna of Swabia, the daughter of Conrad of Antioch, but had many illegitimate children. His father, Alberto della Scala, chose his name – Cane Francesco or Canfrancesco, known as “Canis magnus” – probably thinking of the Great Khan of Marco Polo’s travels. And one should bear in mind that, in Medieval heraldry, the dog was associated with lofty virtues, such as nobility, loyalty, pride and elegance.
Legami tra i siti Unesco italiani
Verona and... the Lombards in Italy
Verona was one of the first cities to fall under the Lombard rule, after Cividale del Friuli. Until then the centre of Theodoric’s Ostrogoth Kingdom, it was chosen by Alboin, King of the Lombards, as his dwelling, and remained one the main centres of power in that area known as Langobardia Maior, the name given to the domains of the Lombard Kingdom in Northern Italy.
Verona and... Venice
Paolo Caliari, the painter, commonly known as Veronese, was born in 1528 and studied in Verona: he trained in Antonio Badile’s studio, but Veronese owed his talent to the relationship that Paolo had had at a young age with Michele Sanmicheli, the architect who influenced him with his Tuscan-Roman mannerist style. In 1556, Veronese went to live and work in Venice, where he left a shining mark of his outstanding artistic genius on Renaissance art. Even in Venice, Veronese’s genius was always associated with a somewhat “different”, “foreign” artistic identity, as may be noticed, for instance, in the way he uses colour in his paintings, which is different from the native Venetian tradition: Veronese never really mastered tonalist painting (an underlying feature of the Venetian painting style of that time that involved a special sense of colour), as he preferred a sharp, vibrant use of colour, with clear-cut, distinctive backgrounds.
Glossario
Glossario
Quadrilateral, noun, in plane geometry it is a polygon with four edges, a quadrangle. The word is borrowed from mathematics, and in historiography it means the Austrian defensive system designed by Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky, governor of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. The Quadrilateral included the strongholds of Verona, Mantua, Peschiera and Legnago; Verona was a logistic centre.
Hotbed, noun, a bed of soil enclosed in glass, heated especially by fermenting manure, and used for forcing or for raising seedlings. In a figurative sense, a place that has highly creative power, where highly productive minds are at work or are trained.
Magnanimous, adj. (from the Latin magnus, great, noble) having or showing a kind nature; being magnanimous also means being generous, tolerant, wise and sympathetic.
Conspiracy, noun, a plot, a secret plan, an intrigue.
Elliptical, adj., oval, ovoid.
Municipium, noun, In ancient Rome, particularly in the Roman Republic, the word municipality (mūnǐcǐpǐum in Latin) meant an urban community related to Rome. A municipium maintained some independence, as it kept its own magistrates and institutions, but they did not have the same political rights as the Roman citizens.
2000, Cairns, Australia, 24th session of the Committee
Cultural Sites
Ancient Age, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Modern Age, Contemporary age
North East Italy
Veneto Region
Criteri di Iscrizione
Criterion (ii): In its urban structure and its architecture, Verona is an outstanding example of a town that has developed progressively and uninterruptedly over 2,000 years, incorporating artistic elements of the highest quality from each succeeding period.
Criterion (iv): Verona represents in an exceptional way the concept of the fortified town at several seminal stages of European history.
Integrity
The historic city of Verona today contains elements representing its 2,000 year history: the Roman period, Romanesque, Middle Ages and Renaissance which have survived intact until the 19th century. The walls surrounding the city prevented 19th century development such as industry and railroads within the historic city. The urban structure, as a result, shows exceptional coherence and a large degree of homogeneity. Although Verona’s buildings suffered significant damage during World War II, the post-war reconstruction plan (1946) maintained its original structure and the reconstruction process was carried out with utmost care. The role of Professor Piero Gazzola, first President of ICOMOS and Supervisor of the heritage of Verona, was crucial in this process. He was also responsible for the reconstruction of the Roman bridge. Threats to the historic city are low. Until the late 19th century, river flooding was common but measures put in place at that time have controlled this risk. The city is classified as “low risk” for seismic activity. Moreover, tourism is managed to control risk to historic resources.
Authenticity
The authenticity of the City of Verona is high. The present city has been an urban settlement on the River Adige for over 2,000 years. The original Roman urban form continues to be evident in the existing street pattern and the city’s historic fabric remained intact until World War II. As far as the fortified town is concerned, the defence system has been well preserved through the continuity of its military use over time. Surviving evidence of the fortified town, such as Roman gates and Renaissance bastions, reflect this long military history. Interventions of architectural and urban restoration carried out after World War II were based on the established restoration principle, peculiar to the Italian tradition dating back to the mid 19th century, which has always brought the respect for historical and material testimonies to the foreground. Specifically, the principle is designed to preserve the urban structure and the buildings intact, and to create continuity by carefully incorporating the destroyed areas into the urban pattern while meeting the urban restoration criteria. The reconstruction of the Roman bridge, for example, was based on careful documentation and reuse of original materials.
