Bra Square

Piazza Bra is the largest and most important square in Verona, the beating heart of the city where history, culture and social life meet daily. With a surface area of about 40,000 square metres, this huge square is dominated by the majestic presence of the Arena, the Roman amphitheatre that with its two thousand years of history continues to be the symbol of Verona in the world.

The name "Bra" probably derives from the Lombard term "braida" meaning "wide field" or "open space", referring to the broad area that extended outside the city's medieval walls. The square took on its current configuration between the 16th and 19th centuries, when the monumental palaces that surround it were built and the great central space was laid out.

Today Piazza Bra is the favourite gathering place for Veronese and the first place that tourists visit when arriving in the city, an elegant and lively drawing-room square where one can stroll, sit at the historic cafés and admire the imposing architecture surrounding it.

The evolution from medieval braida to modern square

In medieval times, the area of Piazza Bra was located outside the walls of the Scaliger city and was occupied by vegetable gardens, fields and a few scattered constructions. The Arena, a Roman heritage, was surrounded by a working-class neighbourhood that grew using the stones of the amphitheatre itself as building material. Only in the 14th century, during the Scaliger lordship, did the area begin to take on a more important role in city life.

The decisive turning point came in the 16th century, when the Republic of Venice, which had governed Verona since 1405, decided to lay out the area as a representative space worthy of one of the main cities of the Venetian State.

The dilapidated buildings leaning against the Arena were demolished, freeing the amphitheatre and creating an open space that allowed people to admire its magnificence. It was in this period that the construction of the noble palaces that still surround the square today began: the Palazzo della Gran Guardia, the Palazzo Barbieri (then called Gran Guardia Nuova) and other monumental buildings.

In the 19th century, under Austrian rule and then after the Unification of Italy, Piazza Bra took on its current appearance with the laying out of the great central garden, called the Liston, and the installation of the statues and commemorative monuments. The square became the centre of Veronese social life, with elegant cafés, luxury shops and the evening promenade of citizens who met here to see and be seen.

On the north side of the square stands Palazzo Barbieri, the imposing neoclassical building constructed between 1836 and 1848 to a design by the architect Giuseppe Barbieri. With its monumental facade of over 150 metres, this palace today houses the Verona City Hall and represents one of the most significant examples of Venetian neoclassical architecture. Its Corinthian columns, triangular pediment and entrance staircase give the palace a majestic appearance reminiscent of classical temples.

Next to Palazzo Barbieri is the Palazzo della Gran Guardia, begun in 1610 to a design by the architect Domenico Curtoni but completed only in 1853.

The building, with its long arcaded facade, was originally conceived as the venue for the military exercises of the Venetian guard. Today it houses temporary exhibitions, cultural events and demonstrations that make it one of the city's main exhibition spaces.

The south side of the square is characterised by the presence of the Portici del Liston, a series of elegant palaces with porticoes on the ground floor housing historic cafés, restaurants and luxury shops. These palaces were built between the 17th and 19th centuries by Veronese noble families who wanted a residence overlooking the most important square in the city.

The porticoes create a covered route much loved by Veronese for the traditional evening promenade, called precisely "doing the Liston".

On the west side of the square opens the Portoni della Bra, a monumental sixteenth-century city gate flanked by crenellated towers that constitutes the scenic entrance to the square for those coming from the historic centre via Via Mazzini.

At the centre of the square is the great garden of the Liston, a green area with flowerbeds, paths and tall trees that offers an oasis of coolness in the summer heat. The garden is crossed by a wide tree-lined avenue that connects the Arena to the Portoni della Bra, creating a scenic perspective much appreciated by photographers.

In the garden stands the equestrian statue of Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy, inaugurated in 1883 to celebrate the Unification of Italy and the liberation from Austrian rule. The statue, the work of the sculptor Augusto Benvenuti, depicts the king on horseback in a triumphant pose and is placed on a tall pedestal decorated with bas-reliefs that narrate episodes of the Italian Risorgimento.

A short distance away is another significant monument: the Alpine Fountain, also called the Fountain of the Alps, built in 1975 on the occasion of the centenary of the Alpini Corps.

This large marble fountain is characterised by water jets that create striking scenic effects, particularly enjoyed by children who on holidays have fun running through the spray.

During the Christmas period, Piazza Bra is completely transformed with the installation of a giant luminous comet star that overlooks the square from the top of a metal structure of more than 70 metres, becoming one of the most photographed Christmas decorations in Italy. The square also hosts Christmas markets with wooden huts selling artisan products, traditional sweets and mulled wine, creating a magical atmosphere that attracts visitors from all over Europe.