Renaissance military walls designed by Sanmicheli. Ten kilometres. Free. Almost nobody walks them
Bastioni di Verona
In the 16th century, the Venetian Republic hired the Veronese architect Michele Sanmicheli to build a ring of military bastions around Verona — one of the most sophisticated defensive systems in Renaissance Italy. Ten kilometres of walls, with massive angular bastions and gates, most of it still intact. You can walk the entire circuit. It's free. Nobody does it. The grass-covered ramparts in the western sector are wide enough to picnic on, and the views back over the city toward the Arena are spectacular. Sanmicheli also designed most of the monumental gates — Porta Nuova, Porta Palio, Porta San Zeno — that are now just junctions on the traffic map.
Visitor Tip
Take bus line 73 from the centro and get off at the Porta Palio stop. The walls are always open. Bring a map — the bastions form an irregular polygon and it's easy to lose your bearings. The views back toward the Roman amphitheater are spectacular.