Pope Francis paid tribute to the Verona Arena and its artistic rebirth, which dates from 1913, as he received a delegation from the Arena di Verona Foundation.
“I see with you the even larger crowd of men and women who have gone before you and whom you ideally bring here: a crowd always present, even on stage, at every performance, reminding us how important it is, in art as in life, to be humble and generous,” the Pope said. “Humility and generosity: two virtues of the true artist that your story tells us about!”
The arena will be the site of the closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics.