Traces of the Roman Empire: a civilization carved in stone in Verona

When people think of Verona, Shakespeare’s tragic lovers, medieval romance, or Italian elegance often come to mind. Yet the city’s true memory bears the marks of a far older civilization: the Roman Empire.

Located at the intersection of the Via Postumia, Via Gallica, and Via Claudia Augusta, Verona was a city of great importance in Roman times. Its remains are so numerous and well preserved that, after Rome itself, Verona is considered the Italian city with the richest concentration of visible archaeological evidence.

To walk through Verona, in the Veneto region of northern Italy, east of Lake Garda, is not merely to stroll through a city, but to move within a world built by Rome in stone. With a history reaching back to the 4th century BC, Rome in Verona appears not as a distant archaeological relic, but as a timeless continuity woven into the urban fabric.

An amphitheatre, a triumphal arch, two city gates, a bridge, a theatre, underground mosaics, paved streets, and defensive walls: Verona is, with its remains spanning from the Republican era to early Christianity, an open-air archaeological museum. It is one of the strongest legacies Rome left in the north.

From Forum to Square: Piazza delle Erbe and Rome’s public heart

Today the liveliest spot in Verona, Piazza delle Erbe was once the forum of Roman Verona. The Romans laid out the city according to a typical Roman urban plan: a regular grid of intersecting streets enclosed by walls. At its center stood the forum—the heart of every Roman city.

The forum was not merely a marketplace, but the center of political, commercial, and public life. The city’s pulse beat here. Rectangular in shape, the Roman forum was almost twice the size of today’s square. Public buildings such as the curia, basilica, and Capitoline temple surrounded it. Even today, in the basements of nearby restaurants, one can encounter temple foundations, columns, and Roman stone roads.

As we walk among the colorful market stalls, we still sense the rhythm of Rome’s social and public life.

A stage by the river: the Roman Theatre

Verona’s Roman Theatre was built at the end of the 1st century BC during Augustus’ urban renewal. For Rome, theatre was not just entertainment, but a stage upon which imperial culture was carved into the city itself. Leaning against the banks of the Adige River, the theatre reflects the harmony between Roman engineering and nature.

Here, tragedies and comedies were performed, but alongside myth, Roman order and values were also conveyed. Covered by houses in the Middle Ages, the theatre fell into obscurity until modern excavations brought it back to light. Rome’s voice once again echoes from the stone.

The roar within stone: the Verona Arena

Built in the early 1st century AD, the Verona Arena is one of the finest surviving Roman amphitheatres. Its original location outside the city walls reflects Roman pragmatism in urban planning: crowds were kept beyond the city center.

Gladiatorial combat, wild animal hunts, and grand public spectacles transformed the Arena into a stage for imperial power. It was not only architecture, but also political theatre. Its continued use today for concerts and festivals proves that Roman structures are not frozen in the past, but living heritage.

Rome’s signature on the river: Ponte Pietra

The oldest Roman structure in Verona, Ponte Pietra is a masterpiece of engineering spanning the Adige River. It led to the theatre and functioned as one of the city’s vital arteries. Destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries, the bridge symbolizes Verona’s enduring attachment to its Roman legacy. The river flows, ages change, yet the bridge still bears Rome’s stone signature.

Gates, walls, and the frame of the Roman city

Roman Verona was not only monumental, but also a strategic crossroads. Its ancient gates are among the most striking remnants of this role. Porta Borsari, one of the city’s main entrances, still stands today. Porta Leoni is another important trace of the defensive system. Together, they remind us that Verona held not only cultural, but also military and commercial significance in the Roman world.

A monumental memory: the Arch of the Gavi

One of the most elegant examples of Verona’s Roman heritage is the Arch of the Gavi, built in the 1st century AD for the noble Gavi family. Demolished during the Napoleonic era and later reconstructed, the arch alone tells the story of the continuity of Roman heritage within European culture.

Mosaics and everyday Rome

Rome was not defined solely by the roar of its arenas. Mosaics in villas, inscriptions along streets, and domestic aesthetics reveal the Empire’s ability to transform everyday life into art. The Archaeological Museum at the Roman Theatre offers a window into this daily Roman world.