You've already seen the Arena. You've walked across Piazza Bra, maybe paused beneath Juliet's balcony. Good. But Verona owes you three things — three places the city reveals almost in a whisper, without fanfare, that change the way you remember it. All reachable on foot from the historic centre. All capable of catching you off guard.
The Jewish ghetto: a thousand years of history between via Mazzini and Piazza delle Erbe
The first debt is one of depth. Only a few metres separate the busy shops of via Mazzini from one of the most complex chapters in Verona's history. The presence of the Jewish community in Verona is documented as far back as 978, and spans centuries of expulsions, returns, commerce and uneasy coexistence. The confinement to the ghetto came in 1600 at the behest of Bishop Agostino Valier, as a reaction to the excessive social mixing that had developed alongside the growth of Jewish businesses.
There is, however, a detail that always surprises: unlike Venice, where Jews were forcibly confined to a ghetto in 1516, the creation of Verona's ghetto was actually welcomed by the Jewish community itself. Antisemitic violence was far from rare, and segregation, paradoxically, also meant protection. The ghetto survived until 1797, when Napoleon's troops arrived.
The area designated as the ghetto occupies what is today the zone between via Mazzini and via dei Pellicciai, close to Piazza delle Erbe. Of the old ghetto, only a few traces remain visible today, having survived the urban renewal works carried out in the area during the 1920s: among these are the tower houses — typical of ghetto architecture — at the corner of Piazza delle Erbe and via Mazzini.
At the heart of this area stands the synagogue. In what was for many centuries the Jewish ghetto of Verona, between via Mazzini and via Pellicciai, stands one of the largest synagogues in northern Italy, capable of holding around a thousand people. The new synagogue, inaugurated in 1929, has been perfectly preserved to this day, thanks in part to a restoration carried out in 2002. The façade is ochre yellow and white, and on one side bears a plaque in honour of Rita Rosani, a partisan killed in 1944 in the hills above Verona.
Local tip: a visit to the ghetto is enhanced by a leaflet/map and the audio tour "Tracce e memorie del ghetto di Verona", available for free on the Izi.Travel app or by scanning the QR code. To visit the interior of the synagogue, you need to contact the Comunità Ebraica di Verona (comebraicavr.it). The exterior, however, can be read simply by walking — and it's worth every step.
San Zeno and Mantegna's Altarpiece: where the Renaissance has an exact date
The second and third debts come together, and are settled at San Zeno, roughly a 15-minute walk from the Arena along the banks of the Adige.
The Basilica di San Zeno is Verona's main religious building dedicated to the city's patron saint, and stands out as one of the most spectacular examples of Romanesque architecture in Italy. The façade stops you before you even step inside: the rose window of the Wheel of Fortune, the bronze portal with its 48 panels, the lions supporting the porch. In the crypt, among nine naves and 49 columns each with a different capital, lie the remains of San Zeno, kept in a sarcophagus with a silver mask covering his face. A place that speaks of ancient stone and silence.
But it is before the high altar that something rare happens: you find yourself standing in front of the Pala di Mantegna. Still housed in its original position on the basilica's high altar, it is the first fully Renaissance altarpiece painted in northern Italy, and one that inspired the entire Veronese Renaissance school of painting. The work was commissioned between 1456 and 1457 by Gregorio Correr, abbot of the church, executed in the artist's Paduan workshop and sent to Verona in 1459, when on 31 July it was placed on the high altar in the presence of the artist himself.
The history of this altarpiece is not entirely happy. With the Napoleonic requisitions of 1797 the triptych was transported to Paris, while the frame remained in San Zeno, before returning to Verona — without the predella — in 1817. The central panel of the predella, the Crucifixion, is currently held at the Musée du Louvre, while the Agony in the Garden and the Resurrection are at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Tours. What you see in the predella today is a copy — but the main triptych, that is the original. And it is enough.
The encounter with Abbot Correr was a pivotal one for Mantegna: it was Correr himself who recommended the artist to the Gonzaga court, which would seal the Venetian painter's fame. San Zeno was not merely a stop along the way — it was a launchpad to Mantua. Verona can claim to have launched one of the greatest painters of the fifteenth century.
Opening hours and tickets for San Zeno
From March to October the basilica is open daily from 8.30 to 18.00, and on Sundays from 12.30 to 18.00; from November to February daily from 10.00 to 13.00 and from 13.30 to 17.00, and on Sundays from 12.30 to 17.00. Admission costs 6 euro, and the ticket is also valid for the Duomo, the Chiesa di San Fermo and the Chiesa di Sant'Anastasia. Free entry for holders of the Verona Card. The official Verona Card is available in two versions: 27 euro for 24-hour validity and 32 euro for 48-hour validity from first use.
How to reach San Zeno from the centre?
On foot from Piazza Bra: roughly 15 minutes heading west along Corso Cavour. By bus: ATV lines stopping near Piazza San Zeno (free with the Verona Card). Tourist visits are suspended during religious services — it's worth checking Mass times before you set out.
Can you visit the synagogue in Verona?
The synagogue is normally a place of worship and not accessible to the public without a prior booking. For guided visits, contact the Comunità Ebraica di Verona through the official website comebraicavr.it. The outdoor spaces of the ghetto, on the other hand, are freely accessible, right in the heart of the historic centre.
Before your next stay in Verona, consider basing yourself close to where all of this unfolds: The Verona Stay has apartments both near the Arena (Via Roma 21) and near the Teatro Ristori — ideal starting points for reaching both the ghetto and San Zeno on foot, with no need for taxis or buses. The historic centre is best explored when you step outside in the morning and find yourself already inside the city.