Tutti a bordo: cambiamo prospettiva

The boat moves away from the shore and begins its journey towards the city, helped on by the force of our paddles and the river current.

Following your guide’s instructions we begin the trip which will take us into the ancient heart of Verona. Our mode of transport is little used today but was once commonplace and essential for the flow of trade.

An example of this is the first architectural structure we come across. Constructed in the 14th century by order of Alberto della Scala, the “Tower of the Chain” was used to control the river traffic moving downstream.

Pushed onward by the current, we come close to touching the original iron rings that used to support the chain that would be stretched across the water in order to prevent boats from entering the city at night.

We are now inside old Verona as indicated by the waterfront houses on the right hand side of the river. These houses once belonged to Veronese merchants involved with the river trade.

Now in the old city, as we approach the first of two broad curves in the river we are able to glimpse the fortifications and bridge of the Castelvecchio, or “old castle”.

At this point we make a brief stop to examine the ancient arches of the bridge. Their irregular shape was designed with the powerful river current in mind. Here we can also see the remains of the ancient watershed that once diverted water into the Adigetto. This small canal was used as a secondary line of defense as far back as Roman times.

On the right hand side of the river we can also imagine the large waterwheel that once supplied water to the irrigation ditches in the area of Beverara next to San Zeno.

Relaunching our boats into the river, we float past the Roman arch known as the “Arco dei Gavi” as well as numerous noble residences that had direct access to the river up until the 19th century. The river now makes a broad right hand turn, within which is found the ancient Roman heart of Verona. After passing the Garibaldi bridge we are presented on the left with the dome of Saint Giorgio in Braida, and on the right with the magnificent palace of the bishop of Verona.

Sweeping around the river bend we discover the romanesque church of Saint Stefano, San Pietro hill with its austrian castle, and the Roman bridge called Ponte Pietra. As we prepare ourselves to take on the challenge of the rapids beneath the bridge, looking briefly up we can make out the Venetian lion of San Marco holding the Scaligero shield of Verona, hardly visible from the shore.

Taken aback by the turbulent waters that thrust our boat quickly forwards, we are suddenly overcome by yet another magnificent spectacle. A stretch of roman embankment, built utilising the opus reticolatum technique, marks the spot where the Adige once split in two creating the shape of the “Isolo”, the isle in the Adige, the ancient industrial heart of Verona. To the right we can see the church of Sant’Anastasia as well as the old watermiller’s houses, in front of which once turned dozens of floating mills suspended on the long chains.

A few more paddle strokes takes us past the church steeples of Saint Fermo after which we dock at the ancient Venetian customs building. A quick visit inside before we make our last departure, passing under the railway bridge and its crashing waves to our final destination.

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