The Verona Arena is a Romanamphitheater in Verona, Italy, which is famous for the opera performances given there. It is one of the best preserved structure of its kind.
The building was built in AD 30 on a site which at the time was outside of the city walls. The ludii (shows and games) staged there were so famous that spectators came from many other (sometimes very distant) places. The amphitheatre could host more than 30,000 spectators.
The round façade was originally in white and pink limestone from Valpolicella, but during the Middle Ages, the Arena was used as a quarry for other buildings. The first interventions to recover its functionality as a theatre were started during the Renaissance.
Thanks to its outstanding accoustics, the building lends itself to musical performances, the practice of which began in 1913. Nowadays, some four productions from the standard operatic repertoire are mounted each year between June and August.
The Roman amphiteatre, the Arena of Verona is one of the greatest and most prestigious archeological monuments in Europe.
The good state of preservation of the monument is clearly due to the way the monument has always been used; as it was in the past, the amphitheatre must also be in the future, an important place for culture, and a harmonious meeting point for society.
Since then the Arena has been a centre of opera and has progressively improved in two respects: the artistic standard is high and performances are popular.
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