Beneath every pavement in Verona's historic centre lies, on average, two to three metres of Roman history. That's no exaggeration: it's the result of two thousand years of Adige floods, rubble, restorations and new construction layered one on top of the other. Most of the city's archaeological finds lie two to three metres below the current street level, the product of a continuous accumulation of debris and new building over two millennia — a process that recent studies show is still ongoing. The real challenge, for anyone visiting Verona in summer 2026, is to go beneath the surface and resist the pull of the obvious.
1. Scavi Scaligeri: just reopened, book now
The key fact: after more than ten years of closure, the Scavi Scaligeri are once again welcoming residents and visitors with a programme of guided tours. From 20 June to 11 July 2026, the newly renovated spaces of the Scavi Scaligeri – Centro Internazionale di Fotografia are open every Saturday at 17:00, with a guided tour lasting approximately one hour.
The Scavi Scaligeri represent one of the most evocative testimonies to Verona's urban history: an underground route that takes visitors through centuries of archaeological strata, offering a unique cross-section of the city's evolution. Among the most significant finds: the remains of a Roman road paved with limestone slabs and the original sewer system, still visible today. The underground levels also reveal a 2nd-century AD mosaic floor, a room with an apse dating to the 4th century, and the earliest traces of the Scaligeri presence from the 13th century.
The Scavi Scaligeri have been made independent from the Palazzo del Capitanio through a new entrance from the courtyard of the Palazzo della Ragione and a new emergency exit towards Piazza Dante. Among the new features: updated museum lighting, a lift and walkways for accessibility, and a reorganised welcome area and ticket office.
Practical information: meet at Cortile Mercato Vecchio, 8 — every Saturday at 17:00. Cost: 8 euros per person; advance booking required online via the Aster website. Groups may request special openings from Tuesday to Sunday: guided tour in Italian at 90 euros.
2. Criptoportico di Corte Sgarzerie: the temple nobody sees
A short walk from Piazza Erbe, beneath the Loggia delle Sgarzerie, lies one of the most remarkable sites in Verona's city centre. The archaeological area of Corte Sgarzerie is an extraordinary palimpsest of structures that allows visitors to trace the central history of Verona from the Roman era to the Middle Ages. Excavations carried out between 1988 and 2004 brought to light a section of the underground portico that once surrounded the Capitolium — the city's principal temple, dedicated to Jupiter, Minerva and Juno.
The Capitolium, built on the north side of the Forum in the second half of the 1st century BC, had a frontage of 35 metres with three rows of six columns. Along the portico walls were displayed inscriptions and bronze tablets: laws, decrees, lists of magistrates, cadastral documents. The visitable cryptoporticus extended for over 200 metres beneath the portico. The complex remained in use until the 4th century, when it fell into disuse. Theodoric then initiated the systematic stripping of the building to recover construction materials.
The name "Sgarzerie" comes from the Veronese dialect: sgarzar means to card wool, evoking the medieval textile work that once took place here. Above a Roman temple, a medieval workshop — history preserved layer by layer.
This is no ordinary guided tour: descending underground alongside the archaeologists who conducted the excavations, visitors can observe the ancient structures at close range and understand them with remarkable clarity. Practical information: cost: 25 euros for adults, 15 euros concession (ages 7–14), free for children under 6. Duration: approximately 3 hours for the Grand Tour. Booking required: archeonaute@gmail.com.
3. Verona Time Machine: holding the line with augmented reality
When the physical underground isn't enough, there is a surface-level route that reconstructs what has disappeared — itself a form of active archaeology, a way of "holding ground" against forgetting. The route touches seven points of interest in the historic centre, following the original street plan of the ancient Roman city. Using smartglass — state-of-the-art transparent multimedia glasses — visitors explore immersive digital reconstructions of buildings, streets and monuments that have been partly lost or absorbed into the contemporary urban fabric.
Practical information: duration approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, cost 20 euros per person. Booking required: archeonaute@gmail.com. Limited availability.
4. Archeonaute Grand Tour: three sites, one morning
For those who want to build a complete itinerary without leaving anything to chance, the Archeonaute Grand Tour is the most efficient option. The stops: Villa Romana di Valdonega, the archaeological area of the Criptoportico di Corte Sgarzerie, the archaeological area of via San Cosimo. The tour concludes in the via San Cosimo area, where visitors explore the city's ancient fortifications: from the municipal walls to the early medieval period, a sweeping overview of how Verona's defences evolved across the centuries.
Three sites, three eras, one morning. An itinerary that moves up and down through the subsoil, uncovering an ancient Verona full of surprises. Duration approximately 1 hour for the narrative-musical format; family option available: 4 admissions for 50 euros, valid for any group of 4 people including at least one child. Booking required online at www.archeonaute.it or by email at archeonaute@gmail.com.
How long does a visit to Verona's underground sites take?
It depends on the route you choose. The Archeonaute Grand Tour (3 sites) lasts approximately 3 hours. The Scavi Scaligeri guided tour lasts approximately 1 hour. The Verona Time Machine augmented reality tour lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes. To visit all four sites over a long weekend, allow two full days.
Do I need to book to visit Verona's underground sites?
Yes, advance booking is required for all the sites listed here, and places are limited. The Scavi Scaligeri are booked through the Aster website; the Criptoportico di Corte Sgarzerie and the Archeonaute Grand Tour are booked via archeonaute.it or by email.
The apartments at The Verona Stay are just a few minutes' walk from all these sites: staying in the historic centre means you can head underground without losing a moment. Check availability for summer 2026 at theveronastay.it.