Castel San Pietro
Piazzale Castel San Pietro
Verona, May 2025
“Colle San Pietro (Saint Peter’s Hill) is a hill, which rises a few hundred meters above the Roman Theatre. It is a place of great touristic interest. It's possible to reach it on foot thanks to the suggestive stairway that leaving from Ponte Pietra bordering the Roman Theatre, swiftly leads to its top. You can also easily reach Castel San Pietro using the funicular, so enjoying the view of the city. Then you can come back through a pleasant walk alongside the Roman Theatre, reaching Ponte Pietra. During the Roman age the hill was called ‘Monte Gallo’ (Rooster Mountain), and had a strong religious function because of its temple and theatre which is still preserved. The name ‘Colle San Pietro’ was given to the hill during the Medieval Period when a church dedicated to Saint Peter was erected on the remains of the ancient Roman temple. Being a strategic place of the town, starting from the medieval period up to 1321, when Cangrande della Scala was lord of the town, was fortified as a battlements point as typical of that historical period. Between the XIV and XV centuries, the hill, together with lots of other building works, the famous Castello Visconteo (the Castel of the Viscount) was erected, the reason being Gian Galeazzo Visconti, lord of the town, wanted the place to become a fortified stronghold controlling the whole town. The fortified citadel gained further importance with the Serenissima, which maintained the castle and constructed more around it. In 1801, when the Napoleonic army arrived, most of the ancient buildings were destroyed. The function of the site definitively chanced when the Austrians arrived. The ancient Saint Peter’s church was destroyed and, according to field marshal Radetzky will, an army base and barracks were built as a residence for the Austrian soldiers. The barracks are still at the top of the hill. The fortress style, designed by the Austrian engineer-officer Conrad Petrasch, dramatically changed the original look of the site: the structure had a clearly military look even though ‘softened’ by the crenels resembling the ancient ‘mura scaligere’, the surrounding city walls. The historical name ‘Castel San Pietro’ remains to identify this architectural complex rich in history. Thanks to its rich historical vestiges that still are preserved, Saint Peter’s Hill is a picturesque place, full of history and charm. Loved by tourists but most of all by Veronese people, it is a place not to be missed to enjoy the magnificent view of the fascinating Scaliger town.” (Castle San Pietro, VisitVerona)
