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COSA VEDERE
WHAT TO SEE
ЧТО ПОСМОТРЕТЬ
he Castle that dominates Verona.
Built on the hill of the city bearing the same name, on a leveled
area where the Romans built a temple in connection with the Teatro
Romano, Castel San Pietro represents a magnificent belvedere, offe-
ring a breathtaking view over the center of Verona, where one sees how
the Adige River embraces the town. However, in the old days this was an area of
primary strategic importance. It was on these eternally inhabited hills that the city
of Verona was actually born. Indeed, archaeological finds have been made of pre-
Roman settlements, dating back to the Iron Age, which leads to the hypothesis
that this was a castelliere. During Roman times, already at the beginning of the first
century B.C., there was the Arx, a sacred and fortified place guarding the passage
of the Adige River, overlooking via Postumia and the Oppidum, situated at the foot
of the hill. And later it guarded the city which developed on the other side of the
river. Scholars maintain that the church dedicated to San Pietro, which existed and
was restored during the eighth century, was built on the foundation of a pre-existing
Roman temple. The construction of a castrum is attributed to Berengarius, in 890,
which was completely dismantled and replaced by reconstruction work in 1393
commissioned by Gian Galeazzo Visconti. After that, in 1450, the castle was integra-
ted into the medieval walls. In the year 1801, the French destroyed most of the castle
and its internal buildings, including the church and the fortress, whose ruins can still
be found within the enclosure walls. Some remains of the Visconti castle and of the
medieval walls are still visible. The demolition was completed by the Austrians