Roberto Barbarani (later known as Berto) was born in Verona in 1872. Whilst he was at the University of Padua, he started writing poetry. 

Barbarani skillfully used a Veronese dialect in his works which made him very accessible to people from the region who loved his poems in which he described the daily life of Verona, important places and happenings.

In 2004, the bronze statue dedicated to the author was placed in the centre of the city. The author of the work, a Veronese sculptor Novello Finott, wanted to locate it next to the Piazza Erbe, one of Barbarani's favourite places.