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Roman Arena
- August 24, 2008
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Joy S from Manchester, United Kingdom
The heart of Verona is its pink marble first century Roman Arena. Once the scene of gladiatorial spectacles, it now stages an annual open-air annual opera season.
It is the third largest Roman amphitheatre in existence and seats 20,000 people. It is enormous and spectacular - crumbling on the outside but obviously still functioning.
The Arena was built in the first century AD and is an elliptical shape. Much of the outer wall was lost during an earthquake, but the passageways floored in marble and the seating and floor of the ancient colisseum remain. During the Opera Season, you can visit it during the day.
Franco Zefferelli said that you should close your eyes walking into the arena, to experience the impact of the space.
The elliptical shape produces perfect acoustics from every point inside.
The facade was built in limestone (white and pink) from the Valpolicella quarrie. Its original colour has come to life thanks to recent restoration. The second internal ring remains intact with its double tier of 72 arches.
This is one of the most fascinating venues for live and microphoneless performances in the world. Since 1913, when it was first performed to commemorate the anniversary of Verdi's birth, Aida has been the one constant in each year's changing schedule. Tickets to see Aida are the most cherished.
On our visit we climbed to the very back seats, where it is mind blowing to imagine that the performers would seem an inch tall from here, but their voices would still be as clear as the cool night air. Apparently all 20,000 seats - including the highest and cheapest sell out regularly.
The website for ordering tickets is www.arena.it. We unfortunately did not get the chance to go to the opera during our visit (our 4 year old son is not a fan!), but I think it would be a wonderful experience.
We did nonetheless enjoy exploring this fascinating space during the day. We had to stand in a line for about 15 minutes before we got in and paid 6 Euros entrance fee. The arena closes at 5pm to day visitors.
We enjoyed just wandering around and climbing up to the top rows of seats. It was interesting to watch them setting up the stage and moving some huge props around for the evening performance. It was intensely hot during the day, and we only stayed about 20 minutes. Do check out the wonderful view of the Piazza Bra from the top seats at the back of the Arena.
From journal One Night in Verona
L'Arena di Verona
Entering Verona through the Portoni della Bra you cannot miss the massive arena that dominates the Piazza. Built during the first century AD this was allegedly the third largest of all Roman amphitheatres (only beaten by the Colisseum in Rome, and that in the Imperial playground of Capua); personally I'm convinced that the amphitheatre ar Djem in Tunisia is larger, but not according to my guidebook! In actual fact the arena seems quite low and hulking at first glance - you need to enter it to truly appreciate its size. And while you cannot miss the arena it is quite easy to miss the entrance - follow the wall clockwise, and not anti-clockwise!
A ticket is €3.10, and is a must if you have children - they will love the opportunity to clamber around the 44 tiers of stepped seating and circumnavigate the arena. Just watch them carefully when you are at the top-most level, as I wouldn't class the precautions against plummeting over the edge as overly secure.
Don't be surprised to find the arena still in use. Nowadays there are no gladiators and wild beasts, the acts that used to pull in around 20 000 bloodthirsty spectators. Instead an opera festival takes place here every July and August. The bill may vary, but there is always a production of Verdi's Aida. www.arena.it should be able to give you an idea of what is in store. At other times of the year they often have other theatrical performances - and maybe even the odd Shakespeare! (The other principal site for drama is the Teatro Romano across the Adige to the north-east).
You can also get some fabulous views from the top of the arena over the old town's roofs towards the scaffolding-swathed Torre Lamberti, and the mountains beyond).
From journal We Next Play Verona...
L'Arena di Verona
- February 20, 2007
- Rated 2 of 5 by
ShannonBrooke from Somerville, Massachusetts
The Roman Arena, quarried from pink stone, is an impressive site, dominating Piazza Bra. The square surrounding the Arena has become a central location in Verona, with many piazza-side cafés and restaurants, a small park, and grand buildings surrounding the piazza on all sides.
The Arena itself is the site for opera shows, and I imagine it would be quite romantic to see an opera there under the stars.
Otherwise, there isn't much to see. After gaining admission, you can walk around the underside, which looks like the underside of any old, grotty public arena, like the baseball stadiums of my country. Above, you can walk up to the top of the stands and get a great view. I'm not sure though whether it's worth the price of admissions, as there isn't much to see.
All around the Arena, people dress up like Xena, Hercules, and gladiators, and will pose for a picture in exchange for a euro or two.
From journal Northern Italy with the Famiglia!
Arena di Verona
- March 11, 2005
- Rated 5 of 5 by
caromeow from Prague, Czech Republic
The Arena di Verona is a Roman structure dating back to the first century A.D. It's fun to walk around and explore inside and then climb up the steps to get a nice view of the city. Just be careful, as the steps can be rather steep and are slippery when wet, and there's not much in the way of railings.
There are some placards with information on the renovations of the arena inside, but they're entirely in Italian.
From journal Visiting Verona
Arena di Verona
- August 14, 2004
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Tolik from Tampa, Florida
The northern part of the Brà Square is dominated by the Arena Amphitheater. The name Arena comes from the Latin word for sand, which covered the area where the games were held.
This is the best-preserved amphitheater in Italy (and the third largest in the world). It was built in 30 AD and could seat about 30,000 spectators. What makes this amphitheater unique is the second Outer wall, over 30 meters high. Only part of it - four arches in three levels - survived the earthquake in 1117. This part is called “Ala” or ‘Wing”.
Every summer since 1913 operas have been held at the Arena, the largest open-air theatre of its kind. During our visit they were preparing for the different kind of entertainment. We were told that Sting was planning to perform at Arena di Verona in June.
From journal Delightful Verona