Truly beloved effigy
An enchanting Romanesque structure, the Duomo is surrounded by sacred buildings and cultura/ institutions. Admiring the view from Castel San Pietro, one’s eye is particularly attracted to a large church, which is crowned by pinnac/es and endowed with a /arge belltower: this is the Cathedral of Verona. .
On top of the stem one admires the figure of Madonna Verona,which is a Roman statue dating back to the first century A.D. The sculpted Lady, in Roman times called the·madonna, tums out to be rather bizarre when observing the details: the precious drapery of her gown is in keeping with the style of ancient Rome, however her croll-bearing arms and hands, serene countenance, and crown are reminiscent of certain medieval statues depicting saints. lndeed, the fountain is the result of a “collage•, since the parts missing from the original Roman version, the head and arms, were commissioned by Cansignorio when he had the statue mounted. The marble basin, originating from ancient Roman thermal baths, and the masks forming the waterspouts were sculpted in the Middle Ages to celebrate some famous kings in the history of Verona, such as King Vero, who was the mythical founder of the city. The creation of the fountain reffects, therefore, the process of fusing the medieval city with the preceding Roman one.
