La Funicolare | Verona East Side: Scopriamo Veronetta

Duration: 3 hours and 50' (approximately)

Lenght: 5.6 kilometres

Difficulty: medium

Points of interest of the itinerary: Funicular of Castel San Pietro | Castel San Pietro | Scaligeri walls | Shielded tower | Castel San Felice | Terrace of Don Calabria | Rondella di San Zeno in Monte | Porta Vescovo | Bastione delle Maddalene | Provianda Santa Marta | Museum of Natural History c/o Palazzo Pompei | Episcopal Seminary

A unique itinerary that takes as a reference point the Funicular of Castel San Pietro to lead you to discover Veronetta area and the true jewels of the culture, history and architecture of our city. An urban trekking path that runs along the magnificent walls of Verona and allows you to admire the city of Verona with its precious gems.

The Funicular is located near Ponte Pietra, between the Roman Theatre and the Church of Santo Stefano. It was inaugurated in 1941 and the operation was initially divided into 11 daily rides. The service of the funicular was suspended in 1944 due to the Second World War. After years of abandonment, in 1975 the funicular station became the host of Teatro Laboratorio, an avant-garde theatre company founded by Ezio Maria Caserta. Reopened in June 2017, the new funicular is designed as an inclined lift, with a back and forth system and a 25-passenger cabin. The 159-metre track takes 90 seconds at a maximum speed of 2 m/s and can carry 800 passengers per hour. The covered difference in altitude is 55 metres with a gradine of 37%.

Starting from the Funicular of Castel San Pietro, in via Madonna del Terraglio, you will reach in just over a minute the panoramic point from which our journey begins: the terrace on the top of the hill that housed the first Roman settlements in the territory. Alternatively, you can reach the terrace by walking along the 231 steps staircase, offering its spectators a suggestive view of the beautiful Verona, with its bell towers and the architecture of the past. Splendid setting that embraces the most beautiful view of the city of love, the gentle and winding flow of the Adige river flowing under Ponte Pietra, right at the foot of the hill.

After enjoying this breathtaking view, continue to discover Verona fortified city – which in 2000 earned the city the inscription in the World Heritage List with the title of “City of Verona – UNESCO World Heritage. ” Exceptional example of a stronghold that preserves the clearly visible and identifiable signs of the different periods that have followed one another progressively and uninterruptedly over two thousand years.

With the help of the road signs it will be possible to penetrate the corners of severe and refined military architecture, often unknown even to many locals. We start walking along the Scaligeri Walls, built by Cangrande I della Scala, which, interspersed with shielded towers, follow the gentle hill profile, passing through Castel San Felice until we reach the Terrace of the Don Calabria Religious Institute, from which it is possible to enjoy an equally wonderful panoramic view of the city (accessible, of privately owned) and, with clear days, the Verona plain with the Apennines in the distance. From there, continue towards the Rondella di San Zeno in Monte and finally reach the destination, all to be discovered, which gives its name to this itinerary: Veronetta.

This is the district in which you will enter once you have passed through Porta Vescovo, after which you will find the Bastione delle Maddalene, open to free admission (consulting the opening hours) and now home to the Documentation Centre Verona Fortified City – Unesco World Heritage, a space dedicated to the valorization of Veronese military architectural heritage. The route continues along Via Cantarane and Via Nicola Mazza passing through the Provianda Santa Marta, former military bakery currently destined to house the Economics departments of the University of Verona. For the more curious who would like to continue to the Lungadige, a visit to the Natural History Museum, located in the 16th century Palazzo Pompei is recommended. A great stop to admire a collection of hundreds of thousands of pieces – among which fossil finds, rocks and minerals, the famous collection of fossils of Bolca, which still fascinate scholars from all over the world!

Now resume your journey towards the Episcopal Seminary – which, in 2009, saw the completion of a major restoration of the entire complex during which pre-Roman and Roman archaeological finds were found – and then reach the Church of S. Maria in Organo, passing through the Porta Organa, whose ancient origins are still unclear. In the church of Benedictine foundation, it is not to be missed the sight of the precious wooden inlays of the choir and the cupboards of the sacristy, made between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries by Fra Giovanni da Verona. A marvel of place made usable and visitable thanks to the commitment of volunteers of Verona Minor Hierusalem.

Finally, after passing through the bustling Piazza Isolo, the best conclusion for this adventure can only be the landing at the Archaeological Museum at the Roman Theatre!

You can find the information material for your visit at the Tourist Office located in via degli Alpini, 9.

The project is conceived and promoted by the Municipality of Verona and Associazione Quartiere Attivo in collaboration with AGEC and the Tourist Office of Verona.

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