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All Italy Verona Whale Bone of Arco della Costa

Whale Bone of Arco della Costa

A whale rib was used to advertise the store by the arch that offered exotic goods from far away.

Verona, Italy

Added By
Nina O
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Arco della Costa   MM/Public Domain
Arco della Costa   MM/Public Domain
The Arco della Costa (Arch of the Rib) as seen from Piazza dei Signori   Pentti Helenius/CC BY-SA 3.0
Arco della Costa as seen from Piazza delle Erbe   JoJan/CC BY-SA 3.0
Arco della Costa at Piazza dei Signori, Verona   benito roveran/CC BY 2.0
September 2017   sharondee98 / Atlas Obscura User
From below   Julius Spada / Atlas Obscura User
  Julius Spada / Atlas Obscura User
Market day   newbsoz / Atlas Obscura User
Looking from below   Julius Spada / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet, is mysteriously home to a centuries-old whalebone. The trouble is, Verona is located about 75 miles (120 km) from the sea, and no one is quite sure how it got there.

The bone, believed to be a rib, hangs in the center of the medieval Arco della Costa (Arch of the Rib), the entry point between Verona's Piazza Erbe and Piazza dei Signori. It's been hanging there, suspended from an iron chain, since at least the 1700s, though some estimates suggest much longer, possibly since the 15th century.

In the Middle Ages and Renaissance era, the walkway above the arch provided a safe passage for judges and magistrates between the city hall and their living quarters, so that they needn't associate with the common or "corrupt" people below. This may be the ironic origin of the myth of the whalebone's magic: It's claimed that it will fall on the first innocent or truthful person to walk under the archway. 

Related Tags

Whale Bones Whales Bones Mythology Mystery Animals

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Also worth seeing - the public stocks in Piazza Erbe and statue of Dante in Piazza dei Signori!

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Flavors of Italy: Roman Carbonara, Florentine Steak & Venetian Cocktails

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Community Contributors

Added By

culturecult

Edited By

jeanlikestotravel, Meg, sharondee98, newbsoz...

  • jeanlikestotravel
  • Meg
  • sharondee98
  • newbsoz
  • Julius Spada
  • reneerosen

Published

June 28, 2017

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Sources
  • https://italiannotes.com/whalebone-in-verona/
Whale Bone of Arco della Costa
20 Piazza Erbe
Verona
Italy
45.44305, 10.99757
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Nearby Places

Scaliger Tombs

Verona, Italy

miles away

Juliet's Balcony

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miles away

House of Romeo

Verona, Italy

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Verona

Verona

Italy

Places 9
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Scaliger Tombs

Verona, Italy

miles away

Juliet's Balcony

Verona, Italy

miles away

House of Romeo

Verona, Italy

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Verona

Verona

Italy

Places 9
Stories 2

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