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10 Interesting Facts About Verona’s Ancient Roman Arena

Asia London Palomba | PUBLISHED: June 20, 2023

Asia London Palomba
June 17, 2023

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The incredibly well-preserved ancient Roman amphitheater of Verona is the city’s most iconic and popular monument. The impressive structure has weathered nearly 2,000 years of history and is a testament to the ancient Romans’ enduring engineering genius. For centuries, it has entertained scores of spectators with bloody gladiator games, exotic animal exhibitions, moving theatrical performances, exciting jousting tournaments, and contemporary opera concerts. Today, it is one of the best-preserved ancient structures of its kind.

  • The arena was constructed in the 1st century AD and is considered to be the third largest amphitheater of its time.
  • The structure was originally composed of three elliptical rings of arches.
  • The arena’s elliptical structure ensured great acoustics from any seat.
  • The amphitheater’s outer layer was constructed out of pink and white limestone sourced from nearby Valpolicella.
  • At its height, the arena could hold up to 30,000 people and hosted dancing, music, and circus processions as well as prisoner executions, battles between wild exotic animals, and gladiator games.
  • The word “arena” means sand and refers to the sand that coated the floors of amphitheaters to easily absorb the blood that was spilled during games and executions.
  • While the arena today is in Verona’s historic city center, in ancient Roman times it was located outside the city’s walls.
  • In the 16th and 17th centuries, it hosted games and tournaments between knights, and the first documented joust took place in 1590.
  • In the 17th and 18th centuries, shows centered around bull hunting and exhibitions of wild animals were popular.
  • It has been home to the Verona Opera Festival since 1913, inaugurated to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi, one of Italy’s most celebrated composers.

Asia London Palomba

Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy. In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, The Christian Science Monitor, and Grub Street, New York Magazine's food section. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.

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Asia London Palomba

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