Museo di Castelvecchio

The Museo di Castelvecchio occupies a fourteenth-century fortress on Corso Castelvecchio beside the Adige in Verona, in Italy's Veneto region. The castle was built in the 1350s for Cangrande II della Scala, ruler of Verona, as both a residence and a defensive stronghold, with a fortified bridge, the Ponte Scaligero, allowing escape across the river. In the twentieth century the architect Carlo Scarpa converted the building into an art museum between 1957 and 1975, and his careful design is considered a landmark of modern museum architecture. Scarpa opened up the rooms, exposed layers of the building's history, and set sculptures on specially designed supports so that works can be seen from unusual angles. The collection covers Veronese art from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century: Romanesque and Gothic sculpture, painted crosses, Renaissance paintings by artists such as Pisanello, Mantegna, Veronese and Tintoretto, as well as medieval jewellery, weapons and ceramics. The star exhibit is the equestrian statue of Cangrande I della Scala, placed on a raised concrete platform in the courtyard-side hall so that visitors can see its smiling face at close range. A visit takes about one and a half to two hours. Visitors can also walk along the ramparts and the crenellated Ponte Scaligero, a brick-and-marble bridge with three arches that offers views up and down the river and back toward the castle's towers. Golden hour gives the best photo light on the bridge and brickwork. Crowds are modest even in high season, and weekday mornings are the quietest time, while special exhibitions may bring more people. Mondays open only in the afternoon. The museum is a 20-minute walk from Piazza Bra along Corso Cavour, and the Arco dei Gavi stands right beside it, so the two combine well. The museum is included in the Verona Card.