Verona (2): The Arena

Arena Amphitheatre: mid first century AD

• Fourth largest Roman amphitheatre in Italy
• Elliptical ground plan – 152m x 123m, with an internal auditorium of 76m x 44m.
• Ruins of external ring, or ‘Ala’ (wing), is 31m high and made of limestone from Valpolicella
• Originally the Arena would have held 30,000 spectators
• Today it holds an audience of approximately 15,000
• The Arena has been used for events throughout the ages although it began to show signs of decay in the 3rd century.
• In the Municipal Statutes of 1276 fines were established for those who damaged or disfigured the Arena
• Public services were also carried out at the Arena, including hay-weighing.
• The first musical and dance performance was in 1822 and directed by Gioacchino Rossini
• The modern annual opera season was established in 1913 with a performance of Aida to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the birth of its composer, Giuseppe Verdi.

Whilst we were unable to get tickets for the performance of Il Trovatore by Verdi, it was fascinating to see some of the technical aspects inside and outside of the Arena - as even with his extensive professional experience Paul has never had to work on a set which required a crane to move its consummate parts!