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Verona Cathedral

The Duomo, and the Church Everyone Walks Past

Romanesque Portal • Sanmicheli's Choir Screen • Titian's Assumption

Visit the Duomo Get Early Access

⛪ Visiting the Duomo

🗺️

North of the Squares

In a bend of the Adige, ten minutes from Piazza delle Erbe

⏱️

Thirty Minutes

Plus ten outside for the portal

🎫

Church Ticket

The combined churches ticket covers it

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A Titian

The Assumption, first chapel on the left

🧭 Why Visit

Verona's cathedral is north of the squares in a loop of the river, far enough off the Juliet route that most visitors never reach it. Inside is one of Sanmicheli's best pieces of work, a curved screen of columns wrapped around the choir, and a Titian in the first chapel on the left. The carved portal outside is twelfth century and worth ten minutes on its own.

🏛️ A Little History

Consecrated in 1187 on a site that had held churches since late antiquity, and rebuilt and extended repeatedly after earthquake damage. Michele Sanmicheli, Verona's own architect, added the choir screen in the 1530s. The bell tower was still being finished in the twentieth century and remains incomplete.

💡 Did You Know?

The porch columns rest on griffins, and among the carvings on the portal are Roland and Oliver, the paladins of the Charlemagne cycle, named in the stone. A cathedral door carrying characters from a chanson de geste is not a common thing.

Arrival

The Portal and the Choir

Twelfth century carving outside, sixteenth century architecture within.

The carved marble portal and bronze doors of Verona cathedral
The PortalTwelfth century carving in banded marble, with the paladins Roland and Oliver among the figures and griffins under the porch columns.
The apse, choir stalls and organ at the east end of Verona cathedral
The ChoirSanmicheli wrapped the choir in a curved screen of columns in the 1530s, which divides it from the nave without shutting it away.
Look Up

The Vaults

Painted apse, ribbed nave, and a lot of pale stone.

The painted apse vault of Verona cathedral above its windows
The Apse VaultPainted above the choir windows, and best seen from just outside the screen.
The ribbed nave vaults of Verona cathedral in pale stone
The Nave VaultsRibbed and pale, and a deliberate contrast with everything painted below them.
Down the Sides

The Chapels

Including the one with the Titian in it.

A gilded side chapel glowing between marble columns in Verona cathedral
A Gilded ChapelThe side chapels are where the cathedral keeps its colour. This one lights up from within.

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Visiting Verona Cathedral

  • Give the portal ten minutes before you go in. The carving is twelfth century and includes the paladins Roland and Oliver, named on the stone.
  • The Titian is in the first chapel on the left and easy to walk straight past.
  • Sanmicheli's choir screen is the reason architects come here. Walk round it rather than looking at it head on.
  • It is the quietest of the three big churches and the furthest from the crowds, so put it at the end of the circuit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Duomo worth the walk from the squares?
Yes, and the walk is only ten minutes along the river. It is the least visited of Verona's major churches, which on a busy day is the point.
What is the choir screen?
A curved colonnade that Michele Sanmicheli built round the choir in the 1530s, separating it from the nave without closing it off. It is one of the best surviving pieces by Verona's own Renaissance architect.
Is there a combined ticket?
Yes. A single church ticket sold across Verona covers the Duomo, Santa Anastasia, San Fermo and others. If you are seeing more than one it is worth it, and prices change, so check before buying.
What else is nearby?
The Roman theatre is across the river, and the Ponte Pietra is a two minute walk. The cathedral sits in the quiet loop of the Adige at the top of the old town.

Explore More of Verona

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San Fermo Maggiore

Two Churches, One Building, One on Top of the Other

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Santa Anastasia

Verona's Largest Church, and Its Most Painted

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Palaces and Gates

Sanmicheli's Verona, and the Roman Gate That Came First

📷 Gallery

Piazza delle Erbe

Verona's Ancient Market Square

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Castelvecchio

Medieval Fortress & Renaissance Art Museum

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