Description of the attraction
The ancient Roman theater, located on the hill of San Pietro in Verona, was built at the end of the 1st century AD. between the bridges Ponte Pietra and Ponte Postumio. The semi-circular cavea with steps, schenas with a brick backdrop and an orchestra with places for noble visitors have been well preserved to this day. In front of the stage there is a proscenium, behind which a curtain was once located. The cavea, up to 105 meters wide, "rests" on a hill and is supported only on the sides by circular walls. Once upon a time, three terraces about 120 meters wide were arranged above it, and today in their place is the castle of Castel San Pietro. The facade of the theater was decorated with semi-columns, which had a different style on each floor: on the first - Tuscan, on the second - Ionic, on the top floor there were pillars.
Due to its proximity to the Adige River, the theater repeatedly suffered from floods, which led to the fact that already in the Middle Ages its site was covered with earth and built up with various buildings. Once upon a time, it even housed the residence of Theodoric the Great, King of the Ostrogoths. Only in 1830 the ancient Roman theater was brought back to life - the dilapidated buildings erected on the site of its stage were demolished, the amphitheater itself was dug up, and the wide staircase and numerous arches were restored. In 1851, at the top of the hill of San Pietro, the remains of an ancient temple were also discovered, crowning the original structure of the theater - the whole complex stretched from the Adige River to the top of the hill at 60 meters in height. The "discoverer" of the theater was Andrea Monga, a wealthy businessman who acquired this land and ordered large-scale excavations on it. In 1904, this area became the property of the Verona City Council.
Today, next to the historic theater, considered the most important Roman theater in Northern Italy, you can see the monastery of San Girolamo with an archaeological museum and the church of Saints Syra and Libera, built in the 10th century. By the way, Saint Sire was the first Christian priest of the city and secretly celebrated liturgies within the walls of the theater.
