Take a plunge into history and nature, follow food and wine itineraries and experience the flavours of yesteryear, go on a holiday filled with sport, follow an itinerary to discover old religious places. This land offers a wide variety of opportunities, capable of meeting all and any needs.
The first stop is Verona, with its remarkable Arena. This is the third biggest roman amphitheatre in Italy and emblem of the city. In summertime it becomes the stage for important shows, concerts and opera. Verona is also known worldwide as the city of lovers. It is, in fact the city of Romeo and Juliet where you can see Juliet’s house, with the famous balcony that evokes the sad love story told by Shakespeare. A Unesco heritage site since 2000, Verona is a wonderful example of urban, artistic and architectonic integration of the different historical periods that have followed one another over 2000 years. Piazza Erbe is the best example: architecture from the Roman, Medieval and Renaissance periods is integrated parts relative to the period of the Della Scala family and buildings of the 19th century. Not far away, Piazza dei Signori, Verona’s drawing room, is another example of perfect historical stratification, adorned by the monument dedicated to Dante Alighieri.
In the Adige river area there are other remarkable buildings from the Roman and Della Scala family periods, which are probably the two periods that most influenced the history of this city: the fortress of Castelvecchio, now site of the Modern Art Museum, the Ponte Scaligero, outstanding example of medieval architecture, and the Arche Scaligere, superb tombs built for the lords of Verona. On the other bank of the river it is possible to admire the remains of the Roman Theatre where important performances like the Shakespearian Festival and the Verona Jazz Festival take place. From the theatre it is possible to access the Archaeological Museum, with sculptures and decorative objects of the Roman period. Not far away, Giardino Giusti, one of the most beautiful Italian gardens of the Renaissance, an example of such beautiful landscaping that it has been declared a national monument. There are many religious buildings of remarkable architectural and artistic interest that are well worth visiting: the Cathedral, whose superb frescoes and marble interior have recently been restored; the Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore, a Romanesque church rich in important paintings and sculptures; the Basilica di San Fermo Maggiore, consisting of two overlapping Romanesque structures that have been modified in the upper regions.
The artistic treasures of Verona are not limited to its city. For instance, there are sumptuous villas and impressive castles along the banks of Lake Garda, such as Villa Albertini, a magnificent medieval building surrounded by an enormous park with tree-lined avenues, waterfalls, fountains and caves. The plains of the Verona area have many buildings from the Della Scala family period, such the Bevilacqua, Villafranca, and Azzano Castles. The Valpolicella area has its Palladian villas,-many of them now important wine-producing concerns-, emblem of the bygone domination of the Serenissima Republic of Venice.
A walk into the past exploring charming and suggestive landscapes. Nature has been generous with this strip of land, and the wonders to be found in Lessinia are a good example. The Ponte di Veja is a monumental natural feature of prehistoric origins, formed by the collapse of a cave. It is the biggest natural bridge in Europe (50 m arch, about 29 m in height).
Our trip into the prehistory leads on to Bolca, a unique field of fossils from where thousands of finds in an excellent state of preservation have been extracted, and are now exhibited in many Museums of Natural History in Italy and all over the world. Another unmissable stop is the Grotta Roverè Mille, a200 metres subterranean route through wonderful stalagmites, stalactites and flows of white calcite.
On the northern banks of Lake Garda, there is the astonishing landscape of Mount Baldo, accessible by a modern and unique cableway, with a rotating car that makes it possible to admire 360 degrees of breathtaking scenery. This is the perfect place both for the summer, when it becomes a huge and colourful garden with orchids, ginger lilies, edelweiss, anemones and peonies and the winter when white snow covers everything turning this area into a huge winter sports resort.