An afternoon walk along the Adige River

Saturday                                                                                            October 16, 2021

We'd had a full and interesting day touring Verona on foot, already racking up over 10,000 steps and still had to return to our car in the parking garage near the old castle.  Fortunately, we could follow the river walk along the way and enjoy the late afternoon sun while doing so.

The Adige River is very attractive and many people go down the banks of the river for picnics or leisurely visits.  It is the second longest river in Italy (the Po is the longest), and starts out in the Alps and empties into the southern Venetian Lagoon.  Michael and I read a bit about the women who make their living by fishing from the river.

The church of San Giorgio in Braida, and on the hill, the Sanctuary della Madonna da Lourdes

A nice walk in the afternoon sun

A group of rafters, behind them, two kayaks, people lounging on the riverbanks

On the hill terrace of the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Lourdes - a great view of the Adige River and Verona.

The brick Ponte Pietra bridge, Sta. Anastasia's bell tower, the Duomo's white bell tower, in front right, San Giorgio.

Heading back to our agriturismo for our last night and our last dinner with Cortile San Mattia.  We decided to spend our final vacation night in Mestre, near Venice's Marco Polo Airport, as we have to be at the airport not later than 7:30 AM for our Monday morning flight.  So we want to soak up our time at the agriturismo while we can.

Evening colors are the best - everything just glows.

Having just spend the day in the city, we can now point out everything that we are seeing from this view.

So nice to see Michael relaxing and comfortable, soaking it all in before we walk up the hill for dinner.

A lovely oasis of peace and serenity

 

Verona's Duomo - a Titian, a blue angel and an enchanting cloister

 

The Canon's Cloister is located adjacent to the St. Elena's within the Duomo complex

Saturday                                                                                            October 16, 2021

Verona's Duomo is actually a complex of buildings - the church, consecrated in 1187, the Baptistery of St. Giovanni in Fonte, the church of St. Elena, the Canon's cloister and the Chapter Library.  Known as Santa Maria Matricolare, it is build upon the site of two previous churches and was consecrated in 1187.

Both it's exterior, including the facade, and its separate campanile (bell tower) are a mix of styles.  The facade has a two story Romanesque projecting porch (protiro), which is covered in sculptures and supported on the backs of two large griffins.

The Duomo, with its two story porch and free standing bell tower

The bell tower was begun in the 1500's and has nine bells.  It was finally completed in the 20th century.

The south portico carvings are from the 12th century and include a lion and an angel

One of the two large griffins that hold up the exterior double story porch

Light and airy interior.  The Titian painting is in the arch on the left.

The frescoes surround the high altar.

The Assumption of the Virgin - a painting by Titian

The Canon's Cloister,  double columned and doubled rows of arches

Mosaic floors from the earliest church on this site (4th century) are displayed as windows into the layers below.

The cloister well

                      The bell tower peeks over the cloister in the late afternoon

There was an exhibition of ancient maps in the aisles of the cloister - this is an early map of Europe (upside down)

Early map of the city of Verona and surrounding hills.  You can see the bend in the Adige River.

A statue of Dante outside the famous and important Chapter Library

 The Blue Angel of Acceptance by Albano Poli, from 2015 

Basilica of Santa Anastasia - the largest church in Verona

 

Floor mosaic in Santa Anastasia, in the transept in front of the altar.

Saturday                                                                                October 16, 2021

Santa Anastasia benefits from a recent thorough cleaning and restoration.  It is bright and light inside, and its trove of beautiful artwork glows with bright colors.  It is the largest church in Verona and its best example of Italian Gothic architecture.

The church, built on the site of a previous church dedicated to the 4th century martyr Anastasia, began construction in 1280 and was completed in 1400.  It benefited greatly from its association with the Scala ruling family during that time.  It has a famous fresco in its Pellegrini Chapel by Pisanello which shows St. George freeing the Princess.

The unfinished facade of Santa Anastasia and its separate bell tower, peeking above on the left.

Twelve red Verona marble pillars support and form the nave, with colorful mosaic stone flooring 

The ceiling paintings of floral decorations and red and white detailing 

The Basilica is known for its carving of two "hunchbacks" who support the holy water fonts

The Centrigo altar, dedicated to Thomas Aquinus

The Pisanello fresco of St. George rescuing the Princess

The Gate Tower to the Ponte Pietra bridge

We walked from the Basilica of Santa Anastasia to the Ponte Pietra, intending to visit Castel San Pietro across the bridge via the funicular.  The Ponte Pietra dates from  Roman times (100 AD) and was one of two bridges used to access the Roman theater that was located across the Adige River.  Unfortunately, this bridge was also destroyed by the Nazi's in WW II and was rebuilt in the 1950s from remains of the original.  The funicular wasn't operating, so we did a pivot and decided to look for a lunch location nearby.

Castle San Pietro and the Adige River, viewed from the Ponte Pietra (Stone Bridge)

We opted for lunch at the Alcova del Frate, near the Gate Tower of the Ponte Pietra

Octopus for lunch, grilled and on top of creamy polenta.  Biggest piece of tentacle I've ever been served!

Dante loved Verona and they love him back

 

The Piazza dei Signori (Square of the Lords), it's central statue of Dante and the Torre dei Lamberti on the right

Saturday                                                                                        October 16, 2021

When Dante Alighieri was banned from Florence, he came to Verona and remained under the protection of Cangrande della Scala ("the big dog") from 1312 - 1318.   He wrote much of his Paradiso while in Verona and dedicated the whole epic poem to Cangrande.

This year is the 700th anniversary of Dante's death and Verona is having an interesting exhibition celebrating his connection to the town.  In every major place, there is a large poster or placard, (with a QR code for English) that explains details of Dante's life and work.  I enjoyed it, as it made the city's history seem more real, in the places that are still standing from 700 years ago.

Piazza dei Signori was hosting another special exhibition, in addition to being part of the Dante celebration.

Large printed papers were taped all over the pavement of the piazza.  You needed 3 D glasses to see what they were.

The exhibit was an illustration of the disorientation that people with dyslexia feel in unfamiliar places - very impressive.

At the corner of the Palazzos del Governo & Cansignorio are the memorials & tombs of the Scala family

The Chiesa della Santa Maria Antica, a church from the 11th century and the Scala sarcophagi

Another Scala monument, Cansignorio ("lord dog") - he rides on his horse in his knight's armor at the top.

Dante's statue and the Casa della Pieta,  which now houses the Antico Caffe Dante, oldest coffee house in Verona.

Looking at the arches from Piazza dei Signori to Piazza delle Erbe - with a view of the whale rib on the Arco da Costa

This tall and imposing statue of Dante is carved from Carrera marble and was erected in 1865.