Arena di Verona 2027

Arena di Verona: a Roman amphitheatre, a living opera house

The Arena di Verona is a Roman amphitheatre built around 30 AD. It once seated some 30,000 spectators for the spectacles of the ancient city and has stood at the centre of Verona’s Piazza Bra for some two thousand years. Its weathered pink-and-white limestone tiers are still in use today.

Since 1913, when “Aida” was staged to mark the centenary of Verdi’s birth, the Arena has been home to an open-air opera festival. Each summer its stone steps fill for productions of “Aida”, “Nabucco”, “Turandot” and more, as well as concerts, and spectators traditionally light small candles at dusk.

What to expect at the Arena

Performances take place in the open air on summer evenings, with large sets and choruses. Much of the historic seating is on the original stone steps (the gradinata), which are bare, so many visitors bring or hire a cushion; the highest steps are unnumbered and unreserved, so it is worth arriving early to take your place.

Arena di Verona — Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Arena di Verona? The amphitheatre stands in Piazza Bra, in the historic centre of Verona, in the Veneto region of northern Italy.

How do I get there? Verona Porta Nuova railway station is about a 20-minute walk away along Corso Porta Nuova, or around 10 minutes on city buses 11, 12 and 13, and connects to Milan and Venice. The historic centre is largely pedestrian, so walking and public transport are the easiest options.

What kind of events are held here? The Arena is best known for its summer opera festival and for open-air concerts. Programmes run mainly through the warmer months, so it is worth checking what is on for the dates of your visit.