During our visit to the splendid church of Santa Maria in Organo in the summer of 2021 we met an exceptionally kind and erudite guide who gave us a tour of the building for free. The man only spoke Italian, but when that became too technical for us, he could…
There is a lot to see in the Duomo complex of Verona. Apart from the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the complex comprises the baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte, the church of Sant’Elena and the cloister of the canons (Chiostro dei Canonici). The Duomo has the most intelligent staff…
I must say our visit to the church of San Giorgio in Braida was particularly pleasant. While visitors need to buy tickets to visit the top churches in Verona, this is not the case with the San Giorgio. It should, however, be stressed that the fact that a visit is…
The famous Romanesque church of San Zeno is located quite far outside Verona’s city centre. There is a sound historical explanation for this. In Antiquity there was a Roman cemetery here, where somewhere between 372 and 380 the eighth bishop of the city was buried. Little is certain about the…
Remarkably, the large basilica of Santa Anastasia in Verona is not dedicated to the eponymous saint. Instead the immense church is dedicated to Saint Peter of Verona, also known as Saint Peter Martyr. This Dominican preacher, inquisitor and persecutor of heretics was murdered by a hired assassin in 1252 and…
The famous Castelvecchio (‘old castle’) of Verona was built in a bend of the river Adige. An equally famous bridge, the Ponte di Castelvecchio or Ponte Scaligero, connects it to the other river bank. Both the castle and the bridge were constructed by Cangrande II della Scala, lord of the…
The beautiful Romanesque church of San Lorenzo is almost completely surrounded by other buildings. People taking a stroll along the Corso Cavour might very well pass by the church without noticing it. Only a Gothic gate topped by a statue of Saint Lawrence with his gridiron and a sign with…
The splendid church of San Fermo Maggiore is also known as the church of Santi Fermo e Rustico. Fermus (or Firmus) and Rusticus were according to tradition Christians from Bergamo who were martyred in Verona in the year 304. The execution supposedly took place on the shores of the river…
Between 1263 and 1387, the city of Verona was ruled by members of the Della Scala family, also known as the Scaligeri. The Scaligeri dynasty was founded by Leonardino della Scala, a condottiero (mercenary captain) who was nicknamed Mastino (‘mastiff’). He managed to acquire the offices of podestà and capitano…
The historical centre of Verona, much beloved by tourists, is situated in a bend of the river Adige. But this is not where the city of Verona came into existence. That happened on the other side of the river, on the hill that is called the Colle San Pietro. From…
Vicenza’s Teatro Olimpico can be counted among the most famous creations of the architect Andrea Palladio (1508-1580). Palladio designed the theatre, but died before it could be completed. It is therefore only fair to see the theatre as a work by his student Vincenzo Scamozzi (1548-1616) as well. Scamozzi not…
It is a five-minute walk from the church of San Severo to the minuscule church of San Zeno, a true gem just outside the centre of Bardolino. You are unlikely to encounter many other visitors here. According to my travel guide, the San Zeno is among the oldest churches in…
On the edge of Bardolino’s small centre, we find the Romanesque church of San Severo. This church should not be confused with the church of San Nicolò e San Severo situated in the centre itself. The latter is a neo-classicist monstrosity that visitors to Bardolino should really skip. The San…
Our trip to Bassano del Grappa in the summer of 2017 can basically be summarised as follows: the Duomo: closed; the church of San Giovanni Battista on the Piazza Libertà: closed for maintenance; the famous Ponte Vecchio or Ponte degli Alpini: only partly accessible because of much needed repairs; the…
Ah, Asolo! This lovely little town in the foothills of the Dolomites was high on our list during our most recent summer holiday in Italy. And yet for some reason we kept procrastinating visiting it until the very last day of that holiday. We were certainly not disappointed when we…
The thirteenth century church of San Lorenzo in Vicenza is of course dedicated to Saint Lawrence the Deacon, martyred in 258 (more information here and here). The church and adjacent monastery have always been administered by members of the Franciscan Order. Now Saint Lawrence is not a typical Franciscan saint…
As the name suggests, the church of Santa Corona in Vicenza is named after the sacred crown of thorns that Jezus was forced to wear after his arrest and that was part of his Passion. The church possesses one of the thorns of this crown as a precious relic. It…
The city of Vicenza was known as Vicetia during the Roman era. It seems to have been of relatively minor importance, but its cathedral goes back a long way. By the third century CE, Vicenza had a Christian community that made use of a Roman building from the first century.…
I like to consider myself somewhat of a museum tiger. I can spend hours in succession exploring the collections of the largest museums in the world. But Padova’s Musei Civici or Eremitani Museums were just too much for me. They are anything but boring, but simply too large to visit…
The Cappella degli Scrovegni is arguably Padova’s most famous monument. I had been looking forward to visiting it for quite some time and had made my reservation to see the chapel weeks in advance. These reservations are compulsory, and to protect the vulnerable frescoes inside, a maximum of 25 visitors…