_Sant’ Eufemia_--_Porta dei Borsari_--_S.S. Apostoli_--_S.
Lorenzo_--_S. Bernardino_--_Sta. Trinità_--_Tomb of Romeo and
Juliet_--_Ponte Rofiolo_--_Piazza Brà_
The church of Sant’ Eufemia may be reached either by following the broad
open way of the Lungadige Panvinio, or by proceeding along the Corso
Porta Borsari and turning up to the right. The church, of Gothic style,
dates from the thirteenth century, but it is much spoilt internally by
modern restorations. The façade is imposing, and each side of the door
is flanked by a tomb: that on the right being a grand sarcophagus of the
fourteenth century of red Verona marble to the Cavalcani-Bandi family;
the one on the left, of the sixteenth century, by San Micheli, to the
Counts Lavagnolo. There is also some more of San Micheli’s work to be
seen close to a lateral door on the south side in the shape of a
monument to the Verită family; while over this same door is a fresco
by Stefano da Zevio. San Micheli was also the designer for the cloister
of this church. Inside, the building strikes one as cold and poor. There
are though some good frescoes by Caroto and Domenico Brusasorci, and an
altar-piece by this latter of the Madonna in glory may certainly rank
among his best works. In the Spolverini Chapel (to the proper left of
the high altar) are some very interesting frescoes by Caroto
“representing the story of Tobias, in which the compositions are
skilfully balanced, the personages natural in movement and expression,
and the colouring especially entitled to commendation.”[59]
[Illustration: BALCONY IN VIA S. EUFEMIA]
Returning to the Corso di Porta Borsari the ancient church of S.
Giovanni in Foro (so called because it was close to the old Roman Forum)
stands to the right, and claims a moment’s attention on account of its
Gothic wall decorations, and the fresco by Domenico Brusasorci of the
“Deposition from the Cross.” There is also here an inscription let into
the wall which tells that in the year A.D. 1172 a fire devastated the
town of Verona. Beyond the little church rises the Porta dei Borsari,
the famous Roman gateway, or, it may be, triumphal arch. It consists of
a double archway with two storeys of windows overhead, while the side
looking towards the Corso Cavour retains still the carvings and
ornamentations round the architraves and on the sides. The style is
Corinthian, having pediments over the archways as well as over the
windows on the upper storeys, while spiral fluted columns flanking these
windows bring in a style of architecture of a different character and
form an anomaly altogether unexpected. Opinions differ as to the date of
this archway, some placing it at the year A.D. 265 when Roman art was at
a low ebb, others maintaining that it shows evidence of a good period as
to style, and that an inscription which it bore in honour of the Emperor
Gallienus was not of the same date as the archway. This inscription was
formed of bronze letters fastened in relief upon the stone. These
letters were removed at a very early date, but the marks they left
served for deciphering the words originally placed on the archway. The
conclusion generally arrived at as to the age of the building is that it
was probably erected at the time of Vespasian, or of the Antonines--a
good period as far as the art of building was concerned--and that in
spite of its inconsistencies it is a remarkable and grand piece of
architecture, forming a link of consummate interest between the Verona
of to-day and the great Roman Empire of more than fifteen hundred years
ago.
Immediately beyond the “Porta” the street opens out into the Corso
Cavour, and some interesting houses and palaces spring up around. There
is first the house of the painter Nicolò Giolfino, where some restored
[Illustration: CORSO CAVOUR]
and damaged frescoes are all that is left of the decoration once
lavished on this house by Andrea Mantegna. Opposite in the little square
of S. Micheletto stands a column surmounted by a lamb, placed there to
mark that at one time the Guild of Wool--“Arte della Lana”--whose device
was a lamb bearing a banner, had their offices there. Immediately beside
the column stands the Palazzo Carlotti, a handsome though somewhat heavy
edifice of the decadent period, with an ornate door set in a colonnade.
This is followed by the Casa Pozzoni, a palace of Venetian Gothic of the
fourteenth century, fine and well preserved. Facing it is a still finer
building, the Palazzo della Banca Nazionale, with beautiful balconies,
windows, and decorations, all good specimens of the best Renaissance
date. Further on is the Piazza dei S.S. Apostoli, where a statue to the
poet and patriot Aleardi (born in Verona in 1812) was put up in 1878,
the very year in which he died. The sculptor was Ugo Zannini, the same
who executed the statue to Dante in the Piazza dei Signori. Behind
Aleardi’s statue is the church of the S.S. Apostoli, with that of Sta.
Fosca and Sta. Teuteria annexed to it. These churches date from very
early times, that of the S.S. Apostoli being prior to the eleventh
century, and they bear to this day traces of the construction carried
out at so remote an epoch. The apse and the belfry are Romanesque; and
at the side of the belfry are some primitive stone sarcophagi that
belonged of old to three patrician families of Verona. The interior of
the church contains some fine Lombard-Byzantine decorations, and some
later ones of the Renaissance epoch. The Virgin Saints Sta. Fosca and
Sta. Teuteria--(and might one without undue levity or irreverence
venture to inquire if this latter were the patron saint of toy
terriers?) lie buried in the little church that bears their names. This
church is of even earlier date than that of the S.S. Apostoli, being
said to belong to the eighth century, and to have been consecrated in
751. There are tombs within it of the Bevilacqua family, whose palace
close by was designed by San Micheli, and is looked upon as one of his
masterpieces.
Opposite Aleardi’s statue and on the other side of the Corso Cavour is
the church of S. Lorenzo, which stands off from the street, and is
reached under an archway, which bears a figure of the saint aloft
holding his gridiron, and through a picturesque courtyard. It is said
that this church is built on the ruins of a Roman basilica dedicated
presumably to Venus, and that it dates from the fifth century. The plan
is altogether on the lines of the Roman basilicas, and consists of two
tiers, the upper one having been set apart for the use of the women.
This again was split up into compartments, one being for the virgins,
another for the widows, and another for the matrons. The style of this
church is Roman-Lombardesque, and in spite of a good deal of misdirected
zeal and modern renovation there is much to admire in the building. The
plans for restoring it to its original condition are also to be admired
and encouraged, and one can but wish success to Don Pietro Scapini, the
worthy vicar of the church, for his schemes for lowering the floor to
its former level, and for other designs calculated to add to the beauty
and interest of the old church of S. Lorenzo. The round towers at the
west front are striking and characteristic. They led up formerly to the
women’s gallery, and have curious circular basements, not often to be
seen, though similar ones exist in one or two other places in Verona.
The round arches in the interior of S. Lorenzo are very fine; and the
alternate columns and pillars are of Veronese and foreign marbles and
have all differently ornamented capitals. The material of which the
church is chiefly built--“tufo” and brick--is very effective, and the
layers of alternate red and yellow form a mixture of colour at once
harmonious and peculiar. The discovery of frescoes on the walls points
strongly to the probability that once the church was all covered with
paintings; many doubtless having still to come to light, while others
have disappeared irretrievably. Above the high altar is a Madonna and
Child in the clouds by Domenico Brusasorci, with S.S. John and Lorenzo
below (1566).
Emerging again into the Corso Cavour, and on this same right hand side,
is the Palazzo Portalupi, with an Ionic front of the eighteenth century,
but “barocco” as to style, and over-ornamented. A little higher
up--always on the same side--is the Palazzo Canossa, by San Micheli, one
of the finest palaces in this Corso, and commanding an extensive view
over the Adige and the country beyond it. The next point of interest is
the Castel Vecchio, built as we have seen by Cangrande II. between the
years 1353 and 1358. It will also be remembered that this second
Cangrande della Scala built too the bridge across the river opening out
from the castle, whereby he could receive help from Germany, and over
which it may be that the hosts of Brandenburg marched to his assistance
into the city. A third arch was added to the bridge in later times in
order to strengthen it against the impetuous rush of the Adige; and the
whole surmounted with the forked battlements wherewith the Scaligers
usually crowned their buildings is a marked addition to the beauty of
this mediæval stronghold. It is now used as a barrack, but carts and
wagons cross under the archway over the bridge, and foot passengers may
go in and out as their business or fancy leads them. It is well to stand
for a while on the bridge to ponder over the days of yore and to watch
the rapid, swirling river as it rushes along, oblivious of Past and
Present, and seeking only in headlong fashion to reach the home which
awaits it in the far off distant sea.
From the Castel Vecchio the “Stradone di S. Bernardino” leads away to
the left till it reaches the church of that name. The entrance into the
church is through a cloister, to which some courteous monks open the
door, and show the way into the building itself. This is of the
fifteenth century, and belongs to the Franciscan brotherhood. The rood
screen and organ loft are worthy of notice, but the object of special
interest is the beautiful “Cappella Pellegrini,” a gem in its way, and
the masterpiece--in so far as a religious edifice is concerned--of San
Micheli. It is a circular chapel in Renaissance style, and was erected
by Margherita Pellegrini to the memory of her husband. The decorations
and classical severity of the pediments, cornices, and pilasters are
considered almost faultless as to symmetry and design. The fact that San
Micheli did not superintend its completion may account however for some
blemishes, and for the falling away from the absolute purity of style
which would otherwise have doubtless been preserved. In spite of this it
is an exquisite piece of graceful refined work, unique in its way, and
an abiding proof of the versatility and power of Verona’s greatest
architect. It must be owned that there is no picture of extraordinary
renown in this church, those that possessed any special merit having
been transferred to the Public Gallery, and copies placed in their
stead. There is however a good Crucifixion, by Francesco Morone in the
interesting Cappella di Sta. Croce, and other fair work by Nicolò
Giolfino and Caroto. To the left of the altar is a good picture by
Benaglio of the Madonna and saints, “inscribed with his name, with an
architectural background and festoons of fruit and flowers, such as
[Illustration: FRESCO BY DOMENICO MORONE IN THE LIBRARY OF S.
BERNARDINO]
painters of the (Veronese) school were fond of introducing into their
pictures.”[60] The pictures in S. Bernardino are for the most part by
the less famous of the Veronese masters, and the celebrity of the church
rests mainly on the classical architectural merits of the Pelligrini
Chapel. The cloisters are lined with tablets and mortuary records, for
the cemetery of the town existed for some twenty years here before it
was transferred, nearly a century ago, to the site which it now occupies
on the other side of the Adige just below the iron bridge, the Ponte
Aleardi.
The Library of S. Bernardino (now a boys’ school) contains a striking
fresco by Domenico Morone, which is rarely seen by the traveller though
well worth a visit on account of its individuality and interest. The
fresco--a large composition divided into three parts by classical
columns, represents Franciscan saints and dignitaries. In the centre is
placed the Madonna and Child enthroned, with numerous saints around
them, among them being the donors of the painting under the form of St
Francis and Sta. Chiara. The effect of the background, giving as it does
the idea of a distant and most lovely landscape, is beautiful, and goes
far to redeem the stiffness of outline evident in the drawing and the
awkward treatment of the figures and drapery.
Following the road which runs beside the grand wall of bastions set up
by the Viscontis, we gain a small height on which stands the church of
Sta. Trinità. On the right going up the slope is the former church of
Sta. Maria degli Angeli, now used as a college for girls of good
families, but containing no treasures of art. The little hill is known
as the “clivo del Monte Oliveto” from the Olivetan monks who came from
Vallombrosa to settle here, and to build the church of Sta. Trinità,
which was consecrated in 1117. The façade of the church is lovely, with
beautiful arches severe in their simplicity, and in the grace and
evenness of their design. In fact simplicity is the keynote of the front
and vestibule of this church, and in spite of the alterations and
restorations now going on, this characteristic has been successfully
maintained. The building is in sad need of funds, and it is easy to see
how beautiful the church could again become once many an arch, now
filled in, were opened out, and the original scheme adhered to and
executed. This scheme was symbolical as well as beautiful, for not only
is it clear that the steps which led down into the church were meant to
be so to show that man should humble himself when about to enter the
house of God, but also the right transept (the church is cruciform) has
a curved irregular shape, intended to represent the pressure made on the
cross by our Lord’s right shoulder weighing more heavily on that side of
it. There are some fine frescoes above the principal arch that have only
just been uncovered, but their authorship is unknown. The exterior of
the east end of the church is very interesting and well worth
inspecting. To arrive there one must go through a side corridor and the
sacristy, and then one comes upon as fine an apse and belfry as can well
be seen. Here is some remarkable Roman masonry with the oft-repeated
layers of “tufo,” and brick, together with dentellated work, now in
brick and now in stone, which is very effective and shows off forcibly
some carved heads placed immediately under a succession of arches. Two
shapeless and ugly windows have been opened out on both sides of the
apse, and wanton sacrilegious hands have ruthlessly broken through a
large portion of the beautiful work of Roman days. The belfry too is a
grand specimen of Roman building, combining the force and beauty of
vigour and stability with all the grace and loveliness of proportion
and elegance; and this out-of-the-way unknown bell-tower may certainly
rank as one of the loveliest among the many lovely ones here in Verona.
Below the church of Sta. Trinità and now leading past a huge barrack
built by the Austrians, runs the old Roman road which led out towards
Ostiglia on the Po, and into the town through the gate formerly known as
that of Sta. Croce. It was along this road that the race was run to
which Dante alludes in the _Inferno_--
... “e parve di coloro
Che corrono a Verona il drappo verde
Per la campagna; e parve di costoro
Quegli che vince e non colui che perde.”[61]
--(_Inf._ xv. 121, etc.)
Mr Vernon says:[62] “During his sojourn at Verona Dante would often have
witnessed the foot race that took place annually on the first Sunday in
Lent for the _Pallio_, or green mantle, in which race Boccaccio says the
runners were naked.... Scartazzini says this popular spectacle was
instituted to celebrate the victory that was won on the 29th September
1207, by Azzo d’Este, Podestà of Verona, over the adherents of the Conte
di San Bonifazio and the Conte Montecchi. The statutes of Verona state
that four prizes were to be exhibited for competition, the first of
which was to be run for by virtuous women, even if _only one_ could be
found.”
Soon after the Palazzo Gazzalo, which boasted a fine garden now only
kept as a nursery garden, is the old church of the Cappucines, with
traces here and there of Roman masonry. It is now given up to the
manufacture of torpedo boats. A few paces further on (going always
towards the town) we come to a large enclosure where a horse fair is
held twice a year, and where a brisk trade is done in that line, horses
to the number of about a thousand coming from Italy, Hungary and other
countries to be bought and sold. Through this modern commercial part of
Verona we pass to the garden of the Orfanotrofio, where the made-up tomb
of Romeo and Juliet has been placed. The tomb is of red Verona marble,
but before it was put to this use it served as a washing-trough. A
feeling of pity and disdain cannot but be felt over the fraud here
practised to arouse false sentimentality. The story of the two lovers,
as is well known, had no foundation, and was taken by Shakespeare from
one of the tales of Luigi di Porto, a novelist of the sixteenth century.
The enmity between the two houses of Montagu and Capulet was indeed a
fact historically true, and a fact also whose effect made itself felt in
the civil wars and dissensions that had so often disturbed the internal
life of Verona. This enmity has also been noticed by Dante, who speaks
of it in the _Purg._ vi. 107. But the very silence maintained by the
great Tuscan over the story of the lovers is proof enough that so
touching a romance had no foundation. Had there been one we may be sure
that the master-hand at whose touch Paolo and Francesca have been
endowed with immortal fame, and who in six short lines has sketched for
us the tragedy of _La Pia_, would not have left “unwept, unhonoured and
unsung” the memory of the lovers of Verona. Romeo and Juliet lived only
in the imagination of our great dramatist, who has bestowed on them a
fame and immortality which they could never have gained for themselves,
and which has endeared them to every heart.
The bridge called “Rofiolo” leads into the wide Via Pallone, and close
beside it is to be seen a tablet with some heads carved on it in high
relief. The story of this tablet and of the strange name of “Rofiolo”
has been explained as follows: some “guilty sons” (_rei figli_, hence
_rofiolo_) murdered their parents and threw them into the canal which
flows hard by. The name of these “guilty sons” has consequently been
affixed to the spot where their iniquity was perpetrated, and their
effigies have been placed near at hand. Such at least is the tradition,
into whose absolute veracity it were perhaps well not to inquire too
closely.
The Via Pallone leads into the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, or Piazza Brà
(from Preatum, a meadow) where on one side is an equestrian statue of
Victor Emanuel by Borghi, placed there in 1883. The Arena on the east
side of the Square forms naturally enough the chief object of interest,
but there are also some buildings and palaces around for which a
moment’s notice may be claimed. The double archway which leads out of
the Piazza into the Corso Vittorio Emanuele dates from the epoch of the
Scaligers, or more probably from that of the Visconti, as does also the
pentagonal tower beside it. Close to this again is the Palazzo della
Gran Guardia Vecchia, a huge massive building ascribed to one Curtoni
(1609), a pupil of San Micheli. It was built for public meetings,
concerts, lectures and the like, and serves for such purposes still. On
the other side of the archway, or as it is called, the Portone della
Brà, is the Museo Lapidario, which stands inside the courtyard of the
Philharmonic Theatre. It was founded and organised by the historian
Scipione Maffei, and contains a large amount of precious lapidary relics
among which are to be discovered runic, Latin, Greek, Arabic, Egyptian,
Persian and Hebrew inscriptions. The most fashionable cafés are also to
be found in this Piazza, and in hot weather those inhabitants of Verona
who cannot escape for change of air and scene to the country wend their
way thither to court the fresh breeze of the wide open square at
even-time.