Celebratory events of the Veronese Easter

Verona commemorates the historic uprising against Napoleon.

On the occasion of the 229th anniversary of the death sentences and the first executions of the Martyrs of the Veronese Pasques, on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 6 PM, in front of Palazzo Ridolfi-Da Lisca (formerly the Liceo Scientifico Messedaglia, now Liceo Montanari, 200 meters from Piazza Bra), the historic clash between Veronese and French will be celebrated with the laying of wreaths at the commemorative plaques, in the presence of historical Venetian and Veronese soldiers in period uniforms: the Noble Guard of Verona, the Schiavoni, and the Dragoons.

Palazzo Ridolfi Da Lisca was the headquarters of the French court martial or War Council, which sentenced the death of the patriots of the Veronese Pasques.

The commemoration then continues in Piazza Pasque Veronesi and at Porta Nuova.

The uprising of the city of Verona and its countryside, which broke out on April 17, 1797, Easter Monday against the Napoleonic occupation, was called the Pasque Veronesi. Among the countless uprisings that occurred in Italy and Europe occupied by Bonaparte from 1796 to 1814, the revolt in Verona is certainly the most important in Italy.

During the revolt, which began on the morning of the second day of Easter, the exasperated population managed to take out numerous French soldiers, especially in the early hours of the battle that mainly took place in front of Castelvecchio, while the French troops sought refuge in the city's castles.

The insurrection ended on April 25, 1797, with the encirclement of the city by 15,000 French soldiers; the consequences that the city and its citizens had to face were extremely severe, from the payment of large sums to the looting of works of art and precious goods.