Museum visits · Verona · Italy
The basilica of San Zeno Maggiore in Verona
Veronese Romanesque, the bronze portal and Mantegna's triptych
San Zeno stands outside the centre, on a wide square that is empty early in the morning. The front is twelfth century Veronese Romanesque: alternating tuff and brick, Brioloto's rose window known as the Wheel of Fortune, and beneath the porch a bronze portal of forty-eight panels. Inside you climb and descend, because there are three levels: the church below, the chancel two flights up with Mantegna's triptych, the crypt underneath. Tourist visits stop during services, so it is worth checking the timetable before setting off.
Getting there
- You set off from the Porta Palio motorhome area, on via Gianattilio dalla Bona, which has an automatic barrier
- On foot you pass through the sixteenth century Porta Palio and carry on through the streets of the quarter that takes its name
- By bicycle there is a cycle path for almost the whole way
- The basilica is on piazza San Zeno, outside the pedestrian zone and away from the Arena
Practical information
Duration 1.5-2 hours for an unhurried visit; at least 2 hours to really look at the frescoes, the sculpture and the crypt, 45 minutes the bare minimum for a quick round
Price 4 euros, 8 euros for the combined ticket to four churches
Suitable for anyone, children included; wheelchair access is only partial, and admission is free for visitors with a disability and one companion
Booking not needed, the ticket is bought at the first of the four churches you visit
Contacts
Where it is
Verona · Veneto
You set off from
Notes
- Hours declared by the official site chieseverona.it for 2026, March to October: Monday to Friday 9:00-18:30, Saturday 9:00-18:00, Sunday and religious holidays 13:00-18:30
- November to February: Monday to Friday 10:00-17:00, Saturday and eves of holidays 9:30-17:30, Sunday and religious holidays 13:00-17:30
- Tourist visits are suspended during services, and the last entry is fifteen minutes before closing
- Fares declared by the same site for 2026: the combined ticket costs 8 euros, is valid ninety days and covers San Zeno, the Cathedral complex, Santa Anastasia and San Fermo
- Reduced to 7 euros for the combined ticket for the over 65s, students and groups of more than twenty, or of more than nine with an authorised tourist guide; the single entry drops to 3 euros only for groups of more than twenty
- Admission is free for residents of Verona, its province and its diocese, and for children under 11
- An audioguide is part of the ticket, in Italian, English, German, French and Spanish, handed out until 45 minutes before closing and while stocks last; the online audioguide is always available and is listened to on your own phone
- The first church rose in the sixth century over the tomb of bishop Zeno, and the rebuilt one was consecrated in 806 under king Pippin
- The panels of Mantegna's original predella are at the Louvre and at the museum of Tours, the altar carries the copies
- On the frescoes of the nave you can read the names scratched in by German speaking visitors
