Arena, Verona

The main reason maybe for people to arrive here, in Verona.
The Arena, the Amphitheater in Verona was built in 1 AD & now being used as an Opera House.
The 3rd largest amphitheater in existence, it could seat nearly 20,000 people !

If there is one must see sight in Verona it would have to be the Arena.

There are two main events that take place at the Arena.
1. Concerts
-There is usually one really big rock concert in the summer time and occasionally there are smaller concerts as well.
2. The Opera
-One of the most famous operas in all the world takes place every summer (June, July, August) in Verona. There are usually three or four different operas per season. If you are an opera fan then this is also a must for a visit to Verona.

You can also just tour the Arena at your leisure. You can generally walk in and around the Arena anytime you want. It is a great free activity.

It would be hard to miss the Roman Arena and you should not. It is one of the best preserved ones around. Inside the pit is about 45 by 74 metres and has 44 tiers of steps. When we arrived, there was a lot of stage "stuff" outside in preparation for operatic performances. I think the two sphinxes in the photo are part of the set.

I found this picture in a travel guide. It´s not a picture of me, but it shows you the miracle of the atmosphere, when thousands of visitors waiting for the spectacle with a little candle in the hand,

In my opinion Arena, the ancient gladator's fighting place is the no.1 sightseeing in Verona. As I've heard it should be the third in size accomodating in old good time over 20K people...
Though I was greatly disappointed by going inside. The place was refurbished inside and a new arena for some Pop Singer's Performance was erected there.

The Roman Amphitheater, known as The Arena. It was constructed in the first century outside the city walls, but in the third century the walls were extended to include this arena. Arena is one of the biggest and best preserved theaters from the Roman Empire times. There’s place for more than 22,000 spectators. Nowadays world famous operas are performed in the Theater .

Do you already have the Verona Card?
Ok...so get into the Arena....well...I thought it would be better...really...'cause they have closed some parts...and what u can see isn't much. But I'm sure that an opera or concert there is great....
It's great to see that something from the 1st century is still standing...can u imagine todays' buildings holding on so long?no...yeah...that's how it is...they had a really good way and material to build things.

Although the building is now used for operas and other cultural shows, its original use was (as you can imagine) crueler: the famous Gladiators fights.

This arena is specially well preserved because the people of Verona have always taken good care of it. Already in the 16th century a special commission was designated to restore and preserve it. The Arena is 138x109 meters big.