Originally a Roman forum, Piazza delle Erbe is ringed with buzzing cafes and some of Verona’s most sumptuous buildings, including the elegantly baroque Palazzo Maffei , which now houses several shops at its northern end.
Just off the piazza, the monumental arch known as the Arco della Costa is hung with a whale’s rib. Legend holds that the rib will fall on the first just person to walk beneath it. So far, it remains intact, despite visits by popes and kings.
