Scaliger Castle and Bridge

The castle is entered by the small wooden drawbridge. On the other side of the lawn in the internal courtyard can be seen the giass entrance to the museum. Inside, one is immediately struck by the austere elegance of the walls.

The red-walled castle, majestic yet not without a hint of frivolity, was built between 1354 and 1356 at the orders of Cangrande II della Scala to serve the dual purpose of residential place and stronghold. It has witnessed centuries of complex and varied history and the dramatic vicissitudes which befell the city under successive periods of domination by the Visconti family (1389-1405), Venice (1405-1796), Napoleon, and lastly Austria. During these upheavals the castle was used as a residential palace, an ammunition depot, a military college and a barracks, until finally, in 1925, it became home to the Verona Civic Museum.

Since then Castelvecchio has undergone two restructuring. The second of these, to a project by Carlo Scarpa, was initiated in 1958. In 1964 the 29 rooms of the museum were finally open to the public and now about 400 works can be admired, donated by important Veronese benefactors such as the Bernasconi, the Pompei, and the Monga families in the rush of patriotic fervour inspired by the Risorgimento.