Arena di Verona

Our walking tour ended at Verona's arena, the 1st century AD amphitheatre that predates the Colosseum by about 30 years. Although the outer tier of the building has long since been looted the two inner tiers that remain are still imposing and impressive. Having recently been restored they are in continual use both as a tourist attraction and also for the Verona Opera Festival, where 13,000 people can sit in the arena and listen to the music. The structure is massive and impressive, 2000 years old and still in use! A lot of the detail and ornamentation has been removed but the scale is still breathtaking.

Not bad for a local Christmas market. The wine was really good, probably one of the best I’ve ever had in Europe, look out Prague. The Bombardino was really tasty as well. All the vendors with the coolest trinkets & gifts was amazing. The churros dipped in hot chocolate (thick) was delicious.This was an easy location to get to & parking was not bad, recommend to visit on the weekend.

Wow!!! Absolutely stunning.. so worth a visit. We walked up our 1st afternoon in Verona and walked in and had our breath taken away! We loved being able to walk around, look at the city from the top, touch the smooth seats, imagine how it would have felt to be here 2000yrs ago. It really was my favourite part of the trip. 10/10

The Arena di Verona is more than just a monument; it is a functioning time machine. Completed around 30 AD, it is older than the Colosseum in Rome and, in many ways, better preserved. It dominates the piazza with its massive pink Valpolicella limestone blocks, serving as a reminder of the city's Roman imperial past.

It is must see if you’re in Verona. There was a little queue, probably 20 min waiting to get in. But it’s worth it. We do recommend to seat in one of the cafe in front of Arena for a nice Italian coffee. 😊

Great place to visit and see how it was back in the Roman times. The Arena has ongoing restoration and refurbishment, but still is worth a visit, as there is a lot of it intact! Watch the film gladiator before visiting to really get a feel for how it would have been when originally built by the Romans! If you book online there is a booking fee, but you can then go straight to the front of the queue via the group bookings lane. We waited in line for the tickets, originally we went for around 12.30, however, the queue was pretty long, so we went for lunch while it went down a bit. After a relaxed lunch in the square, we went back and the line was significantly less. We only waited 10mins in line and no booking fees!

Standing in front of the Verona Arena resets your sense of time. • Second oldest arena in the world • Around 2,000 years old • Older than the Colosseum in Rome Rome might get the press. Verona quietly gets on with it. This place has history stacked thick. • Outer walls were pulled apart to build Verona’s city walls • Used to protect the city from German invasions • Stones doing double duty long before recycling was trendy Perspective check. • About four times older than modern Australia • Still about 69,000 years younger than Aboriginal rock art • Age does not equal relevance and this place proves it Aussie take. If buildings earned service medals, this one would have a chest full. It has survived empires, earthquakes, wars and tourists with selfie sticks. You walk inside and feel it. • Acoustics that still host opera • Scale that humbles you • Stonework that has outlasted entire nations Why visit. Because you can touch it. Sit in it. Watch a performance in it. How many places can say that after two millennia? If you are in Verona and skip this. That is like going to Australia and missing the beach. Do yourself a favour. Go stand in history.

Well preserved arena, unfortunately with modifications that dont fit with the original purpose but understandably made for the comfort of visitors during held events. Entrance is a bit stiff for what is offered. Anyway worth a visit especially during the later hours to get that beautiful sunlight.

Home of Romeo & Juliet, built in the 1st Century older than the Coliseum, before MMA there was gladiator gore. Stand in awe of history, trying to imagine how this awesome arena was constructed is mind boggling. Pink limestone with a bluebird sky is stunning and beautiful. A must visit to Verona.

If you are in Verona, you might as well go and see this Colosseum. Honestly, if you seen the one in Rome, you're good. Again get tickets for this in advance because the line was really long, we lucked out by seeing the QR code at the entrance and just use that on our phones to buy tickets and we got in right away. Don't be fooled by the long line there is that easier way. And honestly, I was a bit disappointed because they were all set up for a concert inside which took away from the Colosseum I think. I was also pooped on. The restrooms were horrible. They had pretty much only one stall with toilet paper, and then only one soap dispenser that actually worked which was inside of a stall, so it took forever for me to find soap to wash the bird poop off! Ridiculous! Seeing it from the outside at night is good enough. That was honestly the best view we had of it. People who work there are not very helpful either..

No big events happening during our visit to Verona but we had the opportunity to enjoy this magnificent amphitheater. Built in 30 AD and still in use today, it is in amazing condition. The original capacity was as much as 30,000 though with stages and concerts set up, it fits more like 15,000. And amazingly, it will be used as the closing ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics. How cool is that? There is a definite historical vibe here and if you sit quietly and let your imagination roam, you can hear the original gladiators of two thousand years ago. Or maybe picture Bruce Springsteen and Evanescence on tour here. [Review 16974 overall - 179 in Italy - 490 of 2022.]

Incredible experience and a must do while visiting Verona! I purchased tickets online to watch the opera here. I somehow navigated the website (no Italian here) and purchased my tickets. It's much cheaper to go direct versus go through a ticketing company (e.g. Viator). The show was insane! Just watch me video...trust. A true opera. I admit it was kind of long but we tried our best to stay engaged. With the jet lag and reading if the captions, my eyes were so tired I nodded off a few times. Entering the facility was a little inconvenient as you had to find the correct entry based on your ticket and there's no signage. Also, to enter you needed to have a n95/kn95 mask. We were lucky the weather was nice!

Worth it, if this is your first time at a Roman amphitheatre, but personally we found it to be underwhelming. The lines to get in are pretty long, but seem to move fairly quickly. Entrance fee is $10 per person. We recommend buying the Verona card instead for only $10 more and skipping the long lines ( we wish we had done that in hindsight). There's no museum or gift shop, and only two signs with the history of the amphitheatre. We were somewhat disappointed with the landmark and visitor experience , but would love to come back in the future for an opera performance. We much preferred the amphitheatre in Pula (zero crowds and museum attached)!!

This arena is not as famous as Rome's Coliseum, and I had never heard of it. I just ended a walking tour at this Arena and became very curious. I asked the tour guide when it was built--and that was some time before the Roman Coliseum. Also, it was built for gladiator sports. There were killings--brutality yes. The outside is astounding and kept in great shape. The building looks like an ancient ruin. Just imagine it was built like 2000 years ago. It was in a busy, bustling center of Verona near some restaurants and shops. And not too far from the Romeo and Juliet building. Old Varona.

While visiting Verona for the day from Venice. I visited the arena which happens to be older then Rome's Colosseum. The arena is still used for live concerts and is in still good condition. I didn't tour the inside but was happy I rode the Verona sightseeing tour bus which visited the highlights of the city. The city is quaint and has many parks and people bike riding. Another nice attraction is the seeing the statue of Juliet and visiting the small square where her statue is located.

A must see sight in Verona! It looks just like a small Colosseum, and tours are available to walk around the inside. It is also located next to a beautiful little park and surrounded by nice (though touristy) restaurants. Even if you don't take the tour, I would definitely recommend seeing the site while in Verona.

Came here for my first ever opera. It's a cool atmosphere in an ancient Roman amphitheater. I didn't really understand the opera Tosca that we watched, because it was all in Italian, but it was still interesting to listen to the music and watch the large-scale production. The rows were a bit close together, so when we sat in our seats, you had to be careful not to poke the people in front of you with your knees. 84 euros paid for seats in the middle section (Poltroncina di gradinata). I wore a long evening gown, but I saw a range of clothing choices from very elegant to way more casual.

This is a Roman amphitheater in lovely Verona. Just imagine it's older than Rome's coliseum, it was constructed in the first century AD!

**MUST-SEE IN VERONA** The Arena is a Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Bra in Verona, Italy, which is famous for opera performances (seating 30,000 peeps). COST ===== 6 euros, or 15 euros for a 2-day Verona card (which will admit you to most of the city's main attractions) THE ARENA ========== Despite an earthquake in 1117 that destroyed most of the arena's gates, the interior dating from the first century remains almost completely intact. One of Europe's best preserved amphitheaters, and the view from the top tier offers a great view of the city. Great architectural history. PRO TIPS ======== *Bathrooms (separate for men and women) are located near the front entrance. *Get in line early to avoid the afternoon crowds. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Need to return for an opera performance during the summer time.

Visited this arena twice on the same day, during the day and night. During the day, you need to pay to get in. They were setting up for the night's David Gilmour concert. At night, we were at the concert, which was a different experience.

What a beautiful venue! Talk about atmposphere, couldn't do better than here. When you think about the history, what occurred there - sitting on those steps, looking down on the arena imagining the people who hundreds of years ago sat exactly where you are but witnessing scenes of terrible carnage, it fair takes your breath away. I was lucky enough to see both Aida and Carmen here, fantastic productions, so opulent and grand, the scenery and sets were fabulous, huge, towering obelisks, horses on stage, hundreds of extras.. Better than I ever could've imagined. We took the cheap seats (the unreserved stone steps at the very top of the arena) which cost something like 25 euros. But we weren't let down, the view and the sound were amazingly good, they don't use microphones or speakers as the acoustics are tremendous, every note, every word so clear. To be honest I don't believe the atmosphere would've been so good sitting in the more expensive seats (and they are expensive - over 200 euros) and we saved money by picking up the tickets at the office rather than having them posted to us. They have a tradition whereby they switch the lights off before the opera starts and hand around small candles, like birthday candle size, and everyone lights them and holds them up, the effect is magical and again sets the mood and transports you away from the modern world. I have uploaded a picture of this, but it doesn't do it justice! Honestly, I can't think of words to describe this properly, I just can't tell you how wonderful this was - go and experience it for yourself!

I prefer reviewing stuff I can give 4 or 5 stars. Arena di Verona is a pleasure to review. This place is the best location to Opera. If you opera, opera here. And BYOB, just put it in a bag at the bottom. Might be a long night with all the breaks in an opera. They don't really check bags or so. BYOB and BYOP (...Pillow... to sit on. Not so but-friendly seats. At least not after the first two hours...) Enjoy!

You can't go wrong in a 2000 year old arena made from pink marble. The best way to spend a summer night, even in the cheap seats (since you can bring your own picnic and wine) And were else can you get 4 horses on stage. Book online and you won't have to deal with the tourist lines.

Still incredibly intact after 2000 years, this is a must visit for anyone with an appreciation for history, art, and ultra violence.

One of the best things I have ever done! We sat up on the ancient stone steps, which remained heated all night from the sun that day. When the opera was about to begin everyone lit candles (in the tradition of the ancient Romans) and let them burn out. It was beautiful and almost kind of rock n'roll, except the arena was filled with the glittering light of the candles instead of from lighters ;) I personally loved the opera. I had read "Carmen" (the opera we saw) in English before I went and I purchased a book for 5 euros (I believe that was the price?) which had the entire opera in both English and Italian. However, the wonderful performances and amazing voices were enough to hold me spellbound despite the language gap. Overall a great evening that I would live over again and again if I could.

We were so excited about going to the Arena di Verona but sadly were left disappointed. The seats were crammed together and very uncomfortable. We went to see La Traviatta, and the first impression of the stage set was fabulous, the costumes spectacular, but unfortunately the thing we went for, the music and the singing was so uninspiring. As excellent as the orchestra were and the singers, sadly there were no microphones or speakers and the sound was lost in this huge arena. I believe the Italians think that the acoustics of the arena are enough to carry the sound, but for my partner and I we had to strain to hear. The music although excellent needed some amplifiers to give the sound some impact. The lead Soprano fortunately had enough power in her voice to carry, however the lead tenor could barely be heard. What a shame, let me say it needs microphones and speakers in order for the music to make an impact. Disappointting.

Always a great time visiting the Arena. Getting an appertivo prior to attending a spectacular show or concert. Open air and most of the seats are excellent. We went to La Boheme, Don Giovanni, a Cold Play concert and more.... Must place to visit when in Verona!

A great place for photo ops! The Arena Di Verona is a Roman amphitheatre famous of hosting a lot of opera performances.

This place was quite impressive to see needless to say! I did find out that they still preform at the Arena and plan on making a trip back this year to watch the Romeo and Juliet showing there. I will be back to update the review after that....but its a must stop and see sight in Verona!

I found it very interesting to come here a couple of times when there wasn't an opera being performed, just in the daytime, to wander around inside. It's fascinating to think that it was built as far back as the first century (AD) and is the second largest Roman amphitheatre in Italy. Certainly an awe-inspiring sight to see and well worth a visit, whether you go to the opera or not.

Beautiful place to people watch! Grab outdoor seating at any of the restaurants to enjoy a wine and gelato!

One of the most spectacular musical experiences I've ever had. I would recommend seeing "Aida," which they perform every year, and thus not surprisingly they do unbelievably well. I think you get a better view from the seats in the arena, rather than sitting down in the expensive seats. The acoustics are amazing. It took some convincing of me to accept that there was no amplification of the sound--it's all natural. If you do sit in the arena itself, bring some padding--and then rent/buy a pad that they are selling. The stone surface is incredibly hard, which is why the arena has lasted for 2000 years.