The most famous museums in Verona are the Castelvecchio Museum and the Archaeological Museum at the Roman Theatre. An Opera Museum is of course not to be missed and for children there are both a carriage museum and a railway museum.
Museums Verona
Castelvecchio Museum
The Castelvecchio Museum is housed in the castle of the same name. In the approximately 30 rooms of this museum mainly Italian art can be seen, mostly from Verona and surroundings. The rest of the collection consists of weapons, ceramics, jewellery and some enormous city clocks.
Archaeological Museum
The Archaeological Museum of Verona has its seat in the former San Girolamo Monastery, which was built between the ruins of the Roman Theatre. A good part of the sculptures and other objects on display was found in the city itself. It was founded in 1924.
Arena Museum
The AMO – Arena MuseOpera is located on the first floor of a 13th century building called Palazzo Forti, after the family that bought it in the 13th century. It was founded in 2012. The aim of the museum is to promote Italian opera culture through music scores, costumes, photographs, letters, notes and other documents from great composers. The address is Via Abramo Massalongo, 7.
Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea
The Opera Museum is not the only museum in the Palazzo Forti. In 1937 the Forti family donated the Modern Art Museum to the city. The Museum specializes in exhibitions of famous Italian and foreign artists.
Museum of Natural History
The Natural History Museum of the city is housed in a historic building along the river Adige. The collection consists of donations from noble families from the 17th and 18th centuries. Members of these families were often doctors, pharmacists and herbalists who built their own collections. The address of the museum is Lungadige Porta Vittoria, 9.
Frescomuseum
The Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle Fresco Museum has had its seat in the 13th century San Francesco Monastery since 1975. The frescoes date from a period covering the 10th to 16th centuries and were taken from the city’s historical buildings. In the monastery itself, paintings from the 16th to the 18th century are on display, while Roman vases can be seen in the basement.
Museo degli Scavi Scaligeri
The “Museum of the Scaligeri Excavations” shows Roman and medieval objects found underground. It is located in the courtyard of the Court of Verona and can be viewed through two porthole-like openings in the ground.
Afrikaans Museum
The African Museum (Museo Africano) was founded in 1938. It is run by the Comboni Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. The collection includes African musical instruments, furniture and games brought to Verona by the missionaries of the Order. Panels provide an insight into the histories of various African countries.
Biblioteca Capitolare
The Biblioteca Capitolare di Verona is thought to be the oldest active library in the world. It was founded around the year 380, when Christianity began to set foot in the city. The collection of this museum consists of paintings and sculptures from the 12th to the 19th century. The address is Piazza Duomo, 7.
Lapidarium (Museo Lapidario Maffeiano)
The Verona Lapidarium was founded in 1738 by Marquis Scipione Maffei and is the oldest Lapidarium in Europe. The Marquis had begun arranging the Etruscan, Roman and Greek inscriptions already in the building and expanded the collection with sarcophagi, memorial plaques and other objects he discovered during his travels. The address is Piazza Brà, 2.
Museum of 19th Century Carriages
The Museum of 19th Century Carriages is located in the building of the Verona Fair. Unfortunately it can only be visited during the Fieracavalli and the Fieragricola, respectively a horse and an agricultural fair.
Railway Museum
No carriage museum without a railway museum. The Museo delle Ferrovie is located in the old Porta Vescovo train station. The outside is decorated like an old railway station, including a steam locomotive, while inside the building you can see models, engines, tools, etc.
Miniscalchi-Erizzo Museum
Inaugurated in 1990, the Miniscalchi-Erizzo Museum consists of 15 rooms exhibiting a rather eclectic collection of art. These rooms are arranged according to different themes, including archaeological excavations, Renaissance bronze sculptures and 16th century masters. The address is Via San Mamaso, 2.
Vintage Radio Museum (Museo della Radio dell’Epoca)
The Museum of Old Radios is maintained by the Galileo Ferraris Technological Institute. The collection starts with the telegraph and continues its way through radio history until the first car radios. The address is Via del Pontiere, 40.