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Castelvecchio is a castle in the city of Verona, Italy. It was built by the Scaligeri dynasty that ruled the city from 1308-1387 and now houses a museum. It’s included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing for the city of Verona. We walked through the castle before getting picked up across the street for our Valpolicella wine tour.
History
The castle sits on the former site of a Roman fortress. It was built by Cangrande II to defend Verona from Venice, the Gonzaga clan from Mantua, and the Sforza clan from Milan. Construction lasted from 1354 to 1376 and included a fortified bridge over the Adige River.
Later on, after the Venetians were driven out by Napoleon, the emperor stayed there on his trips to Verona. Under Austrian rule, the castle was turned into a barracks. Castelvecchio was restored in 1923 and again from 1963 to 1965.
Church Ruins
One thing we noticed while walking through the castle was the ruins of a small church, San Martino in Aquaro. The church dates back to at least the 8th century and was incorporated into the castle. In fact, the castle was originally named after the church, which probably served as the court chapel. The church was dismantled under Napoleon.
Museum
The castle is the home of the Castelvecchio Museum (Museo di Castelvecchio). It displays works of art and ancient artifacts. Most of the items are from the Romanesque period until the 14th century. Admission is €9 for adults, €6 for seniors over 65, €2 for visitors aged 18-25, and free for children up to 17 or holders of the Verona Card (as of August 2024). The museum is open daily except Mondays. We didn’t visit.
Bridge
After visiting the castle, we walked onto the Castelvecchio Bridge (Ponte di Castelvecchio), also known as the Scaliger Bridge (Ponte Scaligero). The bridge had the world’s largest span at the time of its construction around 1354, at 48.7 meters. Unfortunately, the original bridge was completely destroyed by retreating Nazi troops on April 24, 1945. It was rebuilt between 1949 and 1951 with the exception of one tower.
There are excellent views down the Adige River on both sides of the bridge, which is a total of 120m in length.
