The city has been awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO because of its urban structure and architecture: Verona is a clear example of a city that developed progressively and continuously during 2000 years, integrating artistic elements of the highest quality in the different periods that succeeded; furthermore, it’s one of the best examples of a city that has been fortified in different stages in different periods of its history.The city is found on the banks of the river Adige, where it enters the Po Valley (Pianura Padana) and it forms a characteristic double meander, about 30 kms to the east of the Garda lake and at the feet of the southern side of the Lessini mountains.In antiquity, the city was a focal point of both ground and naval transportation in the north-east of Italy. In Roman times, it was the crossing point of four major streets: the via Gallica, the via Claudia Augusta, the vicum Veronensium and the via Postumia. Even today Verona represents an important crossing – road, rail, highway – connecting central and northwestern Italy with the Brennero pass.