“Be as a tower, firmly set…” Dante

Professor Mauro Albirgi, the self-described tour guide of “The Queen,” led the architects studying sustainable design in stone there on a tour of the city of Verona. We finally figured out that THE Queen to which Professor Albirgi referred is Elizabeth II and not Elton John. Mauro, in his Italian version of red Converse All-Star tennis shoes, provided insightful information about the city’s history and architecture, as well as humorous anecdotes regarding Dante’s stint in Verona, Romeo and Juliet, The Scala Family who developed the city, and Maria Callas. The unforgettable city of Verona tells its own story in photography, with a few notes from Steve…

Professor Mauro Albirgi lectures to architects.

The tour begins at Castelvecchio, one of the most prominent examples of Gothic architecture of the age. The most remarkable feature is its imposing M-shaped merlons running along the castle and bridge walls.

The imposing 1493 frescoed Renaissance facade of the Loggia del Consiglio on Piazza dei Signori

Verona Palazzo del Municipale (city hall).

1173 AD, 48 bronze panels of west door of San Zeno are forceful in their depiction of biblical stories from the life of San Zeno.

San Zeno Maggiore, built in 1120 AD; the vault shown here. was constructed in 1383 when the apse was rebuilt.

The oldest bridge on the Adige River which supposedly dates back to the 1st century A.D., Ponte Pietra (stone bridge) represents the entire history of Verona. The two arches near the hills preserve the original stone structure built by the Romans, while the two central brick arches date back to the 16th century.

West side of Adige River, adjacent to the Roman Theater.