Verona and Bethlehem

Country: Italy
Date of Agreement:22 May 1998
Name of Mayor: Michela Sironi Mariotti
Tel: 0039 45 8077713
Fax: 0039 45 8066494
Address: Comune Di Verona

Verona, is a city in northern Italy. It is the capital of Verona Province, in the Veneto Region, on the Adige River. The city is strategically located on the route from Milan to Venice and from Italy to central Europe via the Brenner Pass. It is an important railroad and marketing center. Manufactures include textiles, machinery, paper, chemicals, processed food, and shoes. Noteworthy architectural landmarks include the Romanesque basilica of San Zeno Maggiore (mainly 12th-13th century), the tombs of the Scaliger family (14th century), the Gothic Church of Sant'Anastasia (completed 15th century), the magnificent 16th-century palaces of Bevilacqua, Canossa, and Pompei, and the Castel Vecchio (1354), now housing a museum of art. A Roman amphitheater from the 1st century AD is still used for open-air concerts. The events that inspired the play by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, took place in Verona. Once an Etruscan village, Verona became a Roman possession in 89 BC. The German barbarian ruler Odoacer made it a military stronghold in the 5th century AD. In the 12th century it became a free commune. The city reached the height of its political and artistic prominence in the 14th century, under Ghibelline rule. Conquered by Venice in 1405, it was a part of the Venetian Republic until 1797, when it was occupied by French forces under Napoleon. The Veronese school of painting (15th and 16th centuries) is known for its landscapes and portraits. In the 19th century Verona was under Austrian control until 1866, when it became part of the kingdom of Italy. It was badly damaged during World War II (1939-1945).