VERONA, Italy -- Today Verona is known as the city of Romeo and Juliet, but once it was famous as the seat of a powerful warrior dynasty. Between 1260 and 1387, the Della Scala Family, commonly known as Scaliger or Scaligeri, ruled territory as far as Lucca in Tuscany and was patron to Dante Alighieri and Giotto.
Despite Scaligeri's lengthy imposing rule, history buffs would not find museums or exhibitions exclusively devoted to their legacy. Yet Veneto still preserves many of their stunning castles--now famous tourist attractions in Marostica, Soave and Sermione. All of the Scaligeri undertakings are easily recognizable by the family crest representing stairs, the actual meaning of name Della Scala.
For visitors sightseeing in Verona, the Scaligeri family's most beautiful edifice is at the heart of the city, the warlords' own tombs in the courtyard of the church Santa Maria Antica. Rushing to popular but quirky attractions like Juliet's House, visitors often miss the quiet beauty of Piazza dei Signori, one narrow passage away from Piazza delle Erbe. Piazza dei Signori, with Dante's magnificent statue in the middle, was once Verona's main square surrounded by various Scaligeri palaces. Today, neat information panels in English and Italian explain buildings' history and most interesting features. Another narrow passage, this one on the opposite end of Piazza delle Erbe, leads to the Santa Maria church and the tombs.
Five gothic monuments are placed at the tombs within a wrought-iron enclosure. Visitors should not despair because the marble tombs are built to be appreciated from afar. Massive and standing high above street level, each is its own small temple with elegant towers, knightly figures and craved images of angles, with sarcophagi in the middle and glorious warriors at the top.
The greatest of all Scaligeri warlords was Cangrande I, with the formidable tomb over the church entrance. Just months after coming to power in 1312, at barely 20 years old, he seized Vicenza and then snatched primacy over Northern Italy from Padova. Cangrande welcomed Dante, a political exile from Florence, to Verona. The poet paid him back with beautiful verses in the epic Divine Comedy.
Recently the warlord made news again when his mummy was exhumed and small sample of feces was discovered. For centuries, Cangrande's death was a mystery. In 1329 he seized Treviso, thus finally uniting Northern Italy, but suddenly died four days later. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the six-centuries-old cold case is finally solved. Scientists discovered the warlord was poisoned with the toxic foxglove plant, probably by his power-hungry relatives. Verona never again ruled Northern Italy.
Just as in life, so in death Cangrande remains a gregarious character. Next to his sarcophagus two dogs hold the family crest, an analogy with the meaning of his name ("big dog" in English). Quite unusual for Gothic art, Cangrande's statue is also smiling. Visitors can come face-to-face with the original displayed in Museum of Castelvecchio, another of Scaligeri's marvelous castles in Verona. An ironic smile from a glorious warrior, who, at very same moment of his greatest triumph, lost it all.
Visit the Scaligeri Tombs (Arche scaligere) at Via Arche Scaligere, Verona. Castelvecchio Museum (Museo di Castelvecchio) can be found at Corso Castelvecchio, Verona. Entrance fee to the museum is 6 euros/4.50 euros reduced. Open 1:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, and 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday.
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