Foundations of Verona - Austrian Verona, Verona, Italy

Austrian Verona could also be described as the Hidden Verona. The period when Verona was part of the Austro-Hapsburg Empire, 1815 to 1866, was not a happy time for the Veronese. Once it had become part of the new Italian Republic in 1866 they took measures to hide some of the buildings from that era. Verona had been coveted by the Austrians due to its strategic position. They made it the capital of their territory in Italy and turned it into a fortress town. It became part of a strong defensive system that incorporated the whole Veneto region. During their rule the town was re-designed by Austrian engineers and architects. They created walls, gates and fortresses. They also built functional buildings such as the Santa Marta, a huge neo-Gothic style bakery that produced food for all the soldiers in the city. This building is now the headquarters of the University of Economics of Verona. But the architects from Vienna also took inspiration from the different styles of Verona, in particular Romanesque and Gothic. Some of their buildings blended perfectly with the existing architecture. Palazzo Barbieri is a good example. This neoclassical building was built on the north side of Piazza Bra between 1836 and 1848. This elegant, yellow building that was originally constructed to house the soldiers of the Civil Guard Corps blends well with the other buildings in this beautiful square. While it was being built the piazza itself was cleaned up and the level was lowered exposing the underground sections of the Arena, the Roman amphitheatre. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).