OLD TOWN, Piazza Dei Signori

From Piazza delle Erbe, an archway - known as “Arco della Costa” because of the whale rib (costola) that hangs from the center of it - will take you into the splendid, austere Piazza dei Signori, surrounded on all sides by porticos and closed by archways, almost as if it were a courtyard.

The fulcrum of public life under the Della Scala family during the centuries the city was under Venetian rule, the square boasts a number of statues, starting from the nineteenth-century monument to Dante Alighieri, built in memory of the hospitality offered to the great poet by Cangrande Della Scala.

From the Arco della Costa, if you look to the right, you’ll see Palazzo della Ragione, the facade of which faces Piazza delle Erbe. On this side, you can recognize the Romanesque construction from the end of the 12th century, with alterations made in the 16th century. Inside, you can visit the large Old Market courtyard, surrounded by porticoes supported by pillars, with the usual red and white stripes created by alternating stone with brick. The beautifully elegant external stairway, a jewel of Late Gothic architecture, dates to the 15th century.

Looking down over all this is the Lamberti Tower, a brick construction dating to the 12th century, to which the stone part was added in the 15th century, taking the height up to 84 meters. From the top, you can enjoy the most famous views of the center of Verona....