The ecclesiastical complex of San Giovanni in Valle includes the church, the portico, the bell tower and the rectory. It was built in the second decade of the 12th century to house a community of priests, where a religious centre dating back to the Carolingian era had already existed. The church was consecrated by Bishop Ognibene in 1164. The architectural complex reflects the image of a medieval urban parish church.
The sacred building has a basilica layout with three naves and semicircular apses, featuring a long raised chancel, below which is a crypt area that may have already existed in the older church. The naves are separated by an alternating system of pillars and columns. The latter are topped with different capitals, derived from the Corinthian style. The capital with the ram's heads refers to the same sculptor who created those on the outside of the right apse. One can see how the construction work, which began on the left apse with a wall of alternating bricks and pebbles, continued in the central apse and the right apse with a wall of square blocks. Both of these masonry techniques are characteristic of the Romanesque culture of Verona.
The church suffered extensive damage during the bombings of 10 and 11 October 1944, when two bays were torn apart, causing part of the crypt ceiling to collapse.
The crypt houses an early Christian sarcophagus containing the relics of Saints Simon and Jude Thaddeus. The cover with the figures of the saints was carved by Antonio da Mestre in 1395.