Castelvecchio was built in the period 1354-1357 by Cangrande II of the ruling Della Scala family. It was intended both as a home and a defensive fortification. After various vicissitudes, it was used as a barracks both during Napoleonic and Austrian rule.
Following radical restoration work, since 1928 it has housed the museum of Veronese art and sculpture from the Middle Ages onwards.
Damaged during the Second World War, it was restored by architect Carlo Scarpa, and the museum was re-organised: an intervention (1957-1964) that is considered to be an important example of museum science at an international level. The museum also holds temporary exhibitions in its Boggian Room (inside the courtyard, on the right).