There is a moment, in the late afternoon, when Corso Castelvecchio empties of tour groups and only a few locals pass by with their shopping bags. That is the right moment to walk in. The Museo di Castelvecchio turns one hundred in 2026 — and it marks the occasion with a programme that reshapes the experience of a visit, even for those who have been before. You do not need to be an art enthusiast: you just need to know where to look and what to look for.
Pisanello at Castelvecchio: the quail nobody forgets
In the pantheon of Veronese works that tourists routinely overlook, the Madonna della Quaglia by Pisanello occupies an embarrassing position. It is small — a tempera and gold on panel measuring just 50x33 cm — and could easily be mistaken for a liturgical object from a sacristy. Yet it is something far more nuanced: a painting that acts as a bridge between traditional Gothic painting and the new Renaissance style, with a background that is half gold leaf and half a naturalistic rose garden in which the Madonna and Child are seated.
It is the first work attributed with reasonable certainty to Pisanello, dating to around 1420. The artist was then under thirty years old and already displaying something that would captivate the courts of half of Italy: an ability to render the animal world with striking lifelikeness, through direct study from life rather than from pre-existing models — reaching a level of naturalism that only Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer would later surpass.
The quail in the foreground, at the feet of the Virgin, may allude to the immortality of the soul, as a metaphor for Christ, or to humility, the virtue with which the Madonna prepares to receive her crown from the angels. But the real story is the one the panel still carries with it: in 2015 it was stolen along with sixteen other masterpieces in one of the most sensational museum thefts in Italian history. Verona was shaken. Visitors to the museum stood in silence before the marks left by the frames on the empty walls. After months of investigation, the paintings were recovered in Ukraine. Today it hangs again in its gallery, as though nothing had happened. But something lingers in the air.
Pisanello can be found elsewhere in Verona too: he left the city some of the greatest masterpieces of Gothic painting, including the Annunciation in San Fermo and Saint George and the Princess in Santa Anastasia. For those who wish to explore further, the complete Pisanello trail requires half a day more — but Castelvecchio is the essential starting point.
The 2026 centenary and where to eat vegan nearby
The centenary falls on 25 April, a date that takes us back to 1926, when the museum was inaugurated in the presence of Vittorio Emanuele III, marking the definitive transformation of the Scaligeri fortress into a place of culture. To celebrate, the Musei Civici have put together something substantial: the new thematic itinerary "Un museo, una statua. Dall'allestimento del 1926 al Cangrande secondo Carlo Scarpa" is open from 24 April 2026 to 10 January 2027, with panels, historical photographs, films and audio guides tracing the dialogue between art, architecture and museography.
At the heart of the narrative stands the equestrian statue of Cangrande della Scala. In the 1960s, Carlo Scarpa placed it at the centre of the redesigned museum route, on a daring concrete plinth, creating a spectacular arrangement that helped make the image of Cangrande even more celebrated. Cangrande's smile, turned upward, is still the first thing to strike visitors as they enter. Some say he looks as though he knows something we do not.
For your visit: the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, with last admission at 17:15. There will be special opening on Monday 1 June and 7 December 2026. Please note: the walkways are temporarily closed for maintenance works, but all the galleries are accessible during normal opening hours. Tickets can be purchased online at museiverona.com or at the ticket desk.
After your visit — or before, if you arrive hungry — Verona offers a few plant-based options within walking distance. Flora, at Stradone Scipione Maffei 8C, is a vegan and gluten-free restaurant three minutes on foot from the Arena, serving dishes free from gluten, lactose and chemical additives. At lunch it offers a pay-by-weight buffet, while in the evening the menu is à la carte. For something more intimate, La Lanterna in Piazzetta Portichetti 6 is a venue well known among locals and regularly visited by non-vegans too. Here you will find dishes that could appear on any restaurant menu, reimagined in vegan form — such as gnocco fritto with plant-based cured meats or bronze-drawn bigoli with a vegetable carbonara sauce.
How long does a visit to Castelvecchio take?
Most visitors suggest allowing 1.5 to 2 hours, though giving yourself more time improves the experience considerably. With the centenary itinerary included, plan for at least 2 hours to avoid feeling rushed.
How do you buy tickets?
The official online ticketing site is verona.midaticket.it, also reachable via museiverona.com. It is advisable to avoid third-party sites, particularly those charging inflated prices or advertising skip-the-line tickets.
Is the Verona Card valid here?
Yes: with the Verona Card you can access Castelvecchio and the other civic museums at a reduced rate or free of charge, including the Arche Scaligere if you visit one of the museums on the same day.
To organise your visit to Castelvecchio without losing time on logistics, the apartments of The Verona Stay in Via Roma 21 — less than ten minutes on foot from the museum — place you at the heart of the city from the very first moment. Check availability at theveronastay.it.