The hidden little gems of the town, Verona

The bust of Felice Cavallotti, 1842-1898, stands on the wall in the passage of Scaliger palace. He was Italian politician, poet and dramatic. In 1860 and 1866 he faught with the Garibaldi Corps. Cavalotti was killed on the 6th of March 1898 in a duel with Count Macola, editor of the conservative Gazetta di Venezia, whom he had assailed with characteristic intemperance of language.

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This statue, which stands on Piazza delle Erbe right next to the Domus Mercatorum, is dedicated to the Justice.
On its piedestal is written:
"Dal luogo sacro la civilta Italica arra di liberta e giustizia tende la spada".

To be honest, I've discovered this what used to be a Market place only by chance when strolling around. It is situated in Via Marcini, left of Corso Porta Nuova and now it looks very neglected and in a poor conditions. I hope it wont be pulled down.

Just a foot from the Old Market you can find this defending tower which is hidden and interpolated in between new buildings. It was obviously a part of the city walls and defending system of the town. In fact, it is in the same line as the Hexagonal Tower of Portoni Bra and the city walls behind the Vecchia Guardia.

When strolling around the old core of the city, take a look at the balconies of Verona. Most of them are decorated by the flowers and plants, especially those in Via Porta Borsari and Santa Anastasia (on the picture). It looks like a kind of the competition between the local citizens.

This old well (pozzo in Italian) is situated in a tiny street next to the Piazza dei Signori. It was obviously built in the medieval times of Verona. The well is built of stone and nicely decorated.

The Holy water stoup from 1591 was carved by Paolo Orefice. It is known as "Pasquino" (from Pasqua, Easter in Italian) because it first appeared in the Basilica at Easter in the year 1591. This hunchback is slightly larger and more ornat than the one next to it.

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Watch this splendid entrance at Palazzo del Capitano. It was designed by famous architect Michele Sanmicheli and was added to the palace in the 16th century, in the same period when the front facade was reconstruated.
Through the gateway, on the other side of the courtyard, you can see the famous Porta Bombardiera which leads you to Piazza F. Viviani.

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Via Sottoriva can be reached by walking down by side facade of the Church of St. Anastasia in direction of the River Adige. It is one of the oldest streets of Verona and certainly best preserved of all ancient streets of the town. Most of the buildings along the street date from the Middle Ages and one side is completely composed of arcades, or porticoes as its called in Italian. There are couple of nice taverns in this street and two very nice souvenir shops.

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The Courtyard of the Mercato Vecchio is the name given to the inner courtyard of the Palazzo del Comune. The square courtyard is bounded by the four inner walls of the Palazzo, the zebra striped decorative effect, obtained by using bands of brick and stone, is common to both the exterior and interior walls. The courtyard is distinguished by the bold design of its gallery, which is built in the solid Romanesque style.
The elegant Gothic staircase, its two flights supported on various kinds of arches, was added in the mid-15th century.