Coming from the train station, you
pass Verona's south gate, the
Porta
Nuova, and come onto the long
Corso Porta Nuova, which ends at the
battlemented arches that precede the
Piazza Bra . Here stands the
mightiest of Verona's Roman
monuments, the
Arena . Dating
from the first century AD, the Arena
has survived in remarkable
condition, despite the
twelfth-century earthquake that
destroyed all but four of the arches
of the outer wall. The interior
(Tues-Sun 9am-6pm, closes 3.30pm
during the opera season, usually
July-Aug; L6000/?3.10) was scarcely
damaged by the tremor, and nowadays
audiences come to watch gargantuan
opera productions where once crowds
of around 20,000 packed the benches
for gladiatorial contests and the
like. Originally measuring 152m by
123m overall, and thus the third
largest of all Roman amphitheatres,
the Arena is still an awesome sight
- and as an added treat offers a
tremendous urban panorama from the
topmost of the 44 pink marble tiers.
