Ristorante Antica Torretta, in the bishop’s orchard

To get from the cathedral to the Ponte Pietra, you inevitably pass through piazza Broilo, one of Verona’s “lesser” squares, but extremely attractive nonetheless. Indeed, the two main prospects when approaching from the bishop’s palace, one straight ahead and the other to the right, are truly splendid. They comprise the facades of two buildings: the Aporti Infant Schools and Palazzo Cerù.

This square also has an unusual layout, forming a wide rectangle, because piazza Broilo was once the “broilum”, the bishop’s orchard. It is likely that in medieval times it also occupied the entire space in front of the bishop’s palace. Evidence of this “broilum” is to be found in numerous documents from the early middle ages and subsequent centuries, and it became a square from the fifteenth century onward, with numerous fine buildings being erected around it.

Among these buildings is Palazzo Cerù, a splendid mid-sixteenth century construction, which in the 1960s became home to the “Ristorante Antica Torretta”. The restaurant takes its name from the tower found at the end of Verona’s oldest bridge: Ponte Pietra, which dates back to pre-Augustan times. You can choose whether to dine in one of the two rooms (the main one of which overlooks the splendid open kitchen, another historic feature of the restaurant) or out front, right on the edge of piazza Broilo; either way this atmospheric experience is rendered even more spellbinding by the elegant dishes prepared by chef Olimpio Brunelli, all scrupulously selected to match the seasons’ changing fare. Enrico de Togni’s Ristorante Antica Torretta lies in a hidden corner of Verona, away from the hustle and bustle, almost “forgotten”, but with plenty of charm and atmosphere.

Sala principale con cucina a vista.

Sala superiore

Saletta rossa

Plateatico esterno