Magical Italy: Stories Of Verona - Fact Or Fantasy?

Spending few days in one of the resorts in the centre of Verona, can be a excellent way to dive into its history and know its legends: some tales already made the tour of the world, such as the one of Romeo and Juliet, and others that the people of the city gladly tell to the tourists, curious to get to learn the city they're visiting.

Both in the centre and in the nearby periphery you can hear interesting stories: being in a resort in San Michele Extra, as an example, you'll be capable to hear the story of the Montorio Castle, which is stated to hide a book of command, while in the hotels in the centre of Verona you'll hear stories regarding the arena as well as other ancient places.

The books of command were said to be very common in the past times, however the story goes that they have been destroyed along the centuries by the priests, who burned them: the story goes that they were full of magic formulas, and possessing them you'd have been capable to command the elements, fly, discover treasures...it would have been like getting some superpowers. One of the last book of command which have survived to the fires, then, would be in the surgeons of the castle; the surgeons, though, would also hide a passage which would take to the arena in the city centre: the hidden passage could be some kilometres long, and its entrances are unidentified as well as its constructor.

The legends of the city centre, obviously, aim around the majestic arena, telling that it would have been built in only 1 night: the people of Verona, in fact, wished an arena in their city, and a man condemned to death, in his final night, receive a visit of the devil, who proposed to create an arena that night in change of his soul. This would have kept his life, and the man accepted: but as soon as he saw the demons working he repented, and spent the night praying Our Lady to save his soul. Some mins before the dawn Our Lady, feeling a sincere repentance, satisfied the mans prayer and made the bells ring the Angelus melody: the demons ran away at that sound, even though they still hadnt completed their work. Hence, the arena remained incomplete, in order that the devil couldn't have the soul of the man, but the work accomplished was already enough to save his life.

Then, theres the huge rib hang from an arch in Piazza delle Erbe, and no one understands whose rib it is: maybe a pre-historical animal? Last only, because everybody already knows the story, theres the legend of Romeo and Juliet, which tells the story of the unlucky love of the young children of two rival families, who died for their love: the story gets confounded in between historical past and legend, handing down stories and still showing the locations where the most popular love story on the planet would have happened.