The heart of the most romantic city in the world, the city of lovers, Verona, is its main city square, Piazza Bra. Before seeing the magnificent architectural monuments with colorful central facades of this square, tourists are amazed at its impressive size.

Today, the old square is still Verona's social center. It is where the main political and cultural events take place, and where all tourists arriving in the city of love, sung by Shakespeare, go in the first place.

It is best to start exploring the square from its main entrance, Porto Nuova Street, by coming through the arched gate called Portoni della Bra. Two stone battlemented arches were once part of the Verona defensive walls. Today, they are crowned with a huge antique clock.

In the very center of the picturesque Piazza Bra, there is the famous fountain of the Alps with memorial plaques of the twin cities. The fountain is surrounded by a charming park, which provides a pleasant shade to escape from the midday sun. Besides, other attractions of the square are visible from here, for example, a bronze equestrian statue of the first king of united Italy, Victor Emmanuel II, and a monument to Italian partisans, heroes of World War II.

The facades of two legendary palaces, Palazzo Barbieri and Palazzo della Gran Guardia, overlook the square. The first one was built at the beginning of the 19th century by the famous architect Barbieri and was named in his honor. The second appeared thanks to the master Domenico Curtoni. Its construction began at the beginning of the 17th century and lasted more than two centuries.

But the main treasure of the square, its dominant, is the legendary Arena, the third-largest amphitheater in Italy after the Roman ones. It was built in 30 and designed to accommodate more than 30 thousand spectators on its seating tiers. Today, the Verona Arena is known all over the world for its grandiose opera performances, large-scale music concerts, and spectacular shows.