Verona’s so-called Castelvecchio (Italian: "Old Castle") is the most important military construction of the ruling Scaliger dynasty.

The castle stands on the probable location of a Roman fortress outside the Roman city.

Lord Cangrande II della Scala begins its construction along with its bridge across the Adige River as a deterrent to his powerful neighbors such as Venice, the Gonzaga and the Sforza families.

Construction is carried out between 1354 and 1376 (Cangrande dies in 1359).

The fortified bridge is intended to allow the seigniors to escape safely northwards to the Tyrol in the event of a rebellion or a coup d'état. (The Scaligeri are allies of the Holy Roman Empire).

The castle is powerful and compact in its size with very little decoration—one square compound built in red bricks, one of the most prominent examples of Gothic architecture of the age, with imposing M-shaped merlons running along the castle and bridge walls.

It has seven towers, a superelevated keep (maschio) with four main buildings inside.

The castle is surrounded by a ditch, now dry, which was once filled with waters from the nearby Adige.