a city in Veneto, northeastern Italy, at the foot of the Alps on both sides of the Adige River. Administrative center of Verona Province. Population, 254,900 (1969). It is an important transport junction on the roads leading from Venice to Milan and from the Paduan Plain to Austria (through the Brenner Pass). Machine-building, chemical, printing, textile, wood-processing, paper, and food industries are located in Verona. It is the site of periodic international agricultural fairs. It has an industrial institute.
Verona is an ancient settlement that became a Roman colony in 89 B.C. Near Verona, in 489, the Ostrogoth king Theodoric won a victory over Odoacer and made it one of his residences. Under the Lombards (568-774), Verona was the center of one of the duchies. In the beginning of the 12th century Verona was a city commune and later in the century entered the Lombard League. Despotism came to Verona before most other Italian cities. In 1387, Verona was annexed by Milan, and in 1405 it was conquered by Venice; along with Venice it became an Austrian possession by the terms of the Campo Formio Treaty in 1797. In 1866 it became part of the Kingdom of Italy.
Preserved are a Roman arena, a theater, the remains of fortifications (Porta dei Borsari, Porta dei Leoni), and the Ponte Pietra, which dates back to antiquity. The appearance of the old part of Verona, with its narrow straight streets, derives its character from the numerous medieval structures. In the center of Verona are two squares: Piazza delle Erbe (in classical times, a forum), with Gothic houses known as Casa dei Mercanti (1301), the Torre del Gardello (1370), and the baroque Palazzo Maffei (1668); and Piazza dei Signori, with the romantic Palazzo del Commune (begun in 1193), the Scaliger Palace (Palazzo del Goberno; late 13th century), and the Renaissance Loggia del Consiglio (1475-92, architect, Fra Giaconde). The church of Zeno Maggiore (fifth century, rebuilt in the ninth century and again during 1120-38; bronze portals, 11th and 12th centuries) and a cathedral (1139-87; with campanile, 16th century; architect, M. Sanmicheli) are romanesque. The church of Santa Anastasia (1291-1323 and 1422-81, its interior decorated with Pisanello’s frescoes) is Gothic. The Castle Vecchio (1354-75) and the Ponte Scaligero, which has towers at the entrance, are also Gothic. Verona’s Renaissance palaces (Pompei, 1530; Canossa, c. 1530; Bevilaqua, 1532) and gates (Porta Nuova, 1533-40; Porta Palio, 1557) were all designed by M. Sanmicheli. Verona has an archaeological Museum, the Castle Vecchio Museum, and a gallery of modern art.