Dai monti Lessini alla pianura dei Dogi, passando per il Garda e la Città

In search of fossils in the Bolca fishpond

The trumpets of San Bortolo delle Montagne

Their origins date back to the early seventeenth century, when 24 soldiers were assigned to defend the borders with Trentino, armed with fuse arquebuses and carabiners: weapons that during the nineteenth century were transformed into festive and devotional Trombini, used for folkloristic purposes, cheering up the events in the various districts of Lessinia, with their blank discharges. Today, this tradition is guarded by a folk association in San Bortolo delle Montagne, the only one of its kind in Europe. We recommend a visit to the Museo dei Trombini della Lessinia, in Piazza Vittorio Veneto in San Bortolo di Selva di Progno, next to the church bell tower. The museum is open from April to September, while in the winter months visits are possible by appointment, for groups of at least 10 people.

Info e contatti: www.trombinidisanbortolo.com

Tracce di cultura cimbra a Giazza

Giazza (Ljetzan in Cimbrian) is a fraction of the municipality of Selva di Progno, the only one of the ancient Thirteen Municipalities of Lessinia where Cimbrian is still spoken, the language brought by a group of emigrants of Bavarian origin who settled in the area during the Middle Ages. Crossed by the European Path E5, Giazza hosts the Cimbri Museum, where the historical, linguistic and cultural events of this people are documented. Giazza is also known for the large and beautiful state forest that surrounds it.

Info e contatti: www.cimbri.it

Malga Pidocchio trenches in Erbezzo

During the Great War, the Lessinia area played a very important role as a line of defence, dotted with forts and emplacements built between 1881 and 1911. On the border with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, for more than 15 km, about 8,000 metres of trenches were built, which followed the natural course of the terrain, as well as grids, machine gun emplacements, and cave shelters for men and supplies. Among the high pastures of Lessinia, in the municipality of Erbezzo, we find some natural rocky masses remodelled by soldiers at the time: corridors, tunnels, caves, rooms, kitchens, dormitories, stairs and trenches partly topped with stone slabs and partly arranged to be camouflaged with dry branches in the side walls. It can be reached on foot and is located between Malga Lessinia (former barracks of the Italian troops, now a typical restaurant) and the Castelberto Refuge (located across the border, it was an Austrian barracks). Loop route starting from Malga Lessinia, Bivio del Pidocchio, where it will be possible to park the car on the grass beside the road. We continue along the CAI 250 dirt track (SP 14) first reaching Malga Lessinia, the Great War trenches until the fork for Monte Castelberto where, keeping to the left, we arrive at the Castelberto Refuge. Duration: about 2 hours – Length: 7.74 kilometres – Height difference: 196 metres.

In Bosco Chiesanuova, pearl of Lessinia

È uno dei paesi più popolosi della Lessinia, e si suddivide in varie frazioni, oltre a circa 250 piccoli nuclei abitativi detti contrade, oggi in parte disabitate. But there’s more, high green pastures characterise the higher altitudes of the area, where summer mountain grazing has been taking place for thousands of years, thanks to ancient farmsteads and stone huts. Over the centuries, Bosco Chiesanuova saw continuous growth until, after the unification of Italy, it began to be frequented by the nobility and bourgeoisie. In 1928, declared a climatic resort, it was the seat of the first Azienda di Cura Soggiorno e Turismo del Veronese, when summer and winter tourism made Bosco Chiesanuova the ‘pearl’ of the Lessini Mountains, registering tourist presences equal to other mountain resorts in Trentino. Several paths start from the centre, allowing visitors to get to know the typical Lessinia architecture, unspoilt nature and the numerous small churches and religious chapels scattered throughout the area. The renovated Ethnographic Museum ‘La Lessinia: man and the environment’, Luxino, in Via Mercato 28, tells us about this land, from prehistoric times, mountain pasture, haymaking, milk processing, charcoal, ice and lime production, carpentry, spinning, weaving and popular religiosity. An important focus is on migration. Two detached sections with a thematic character are also an integral part of the museum: the Giassàra del Grietz and the Baito della Coletta, a few kilometres from the centre of Bosco Chiesanuova.

Info e contatti: https://www.visitlessinia.eu/it/museo-etnografico-luxino-bosco-chiesanuova-21

Lessinia on your plate

Lessinia boasts three Slow Food presidia products: Monte Veronese DOP cheese, Pecora Brogna and Pero Misso. Cheese, meat and vegetables, fruits of the earth and man’s processing: in local restaurants, one can enjoy dishes characterised by the use of simple ingredients, such as wild herbs (nettles, dandelion, bear’s garlic, etc.), tasty meat dishes and cured meats. Impossible not to taste the gnocchi sbatùi (also called malga or Lessinia gnocchi). All accompanied by Durello wine, typical of this area.

Scopri la Lessinia: www.visitlessinia.eu – www.valpantena.org – www.altalessinia.com

Madonna della Corona: un santuario affacciato sulla Val d’Adige

This place is the ideal destination for those who wish to combine moments of prayer and inner serenity with opportunities to relax and quietly enjoy the spectacles that nature has to offer. The Sanctuary is located in Spiazzi in one of the most picturesque locations in Upper Italy. It stands clinging to the rock of the surrounding mountains, 774 metres above sea level, overlooking the Adige Valley. The Verona Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Crown is open all year round.

Info e contatti: https://madonnadellacorona.it

Rivoli, terra di forti e di monumenti naturali

Overlooking the Adige Valley and a stone’s throw from Lake Garda, surrounded by mountains, the Lessini Mountains on one side and Mount Baldo on the other, the area surrounding Rivoli is a kind of paradise for hikers and sportsmen, as well as a traditional holiday resort for tourists. Rivoli Veronese is located in a very special place, at the mouth of the Adige Valley, which has always been a gateway to the Po Valley and the Mediterranean basin. The battle that made Rivoli famous throughout the world was the one waged by Napoleon Bonaparte on 14 January 1797, so much so that the General named a central street in Paris ‘Rue de Rivoli’, while at the battle site he erected a monument that was partially destroyed in 1814 by the Austrians when they regained possession of this territory. During the Italian Risorgimento, Rivoli was the subject of renewed fighting: the majestic Habsburg forts dotting the area bear witness to this.

Info e contatti: www.visitbaldoadige.it

Il museo del Castello di Torri del Benaco: uno sguardo sulla vita sul lago

The museum has been housed since 1980 in the castle built in 1383 by Antonio della Scala and restored in 1980. It offers a testimony of the traditional work of Torri del Benaco and the middle and upper Garda area: olive cultivation and fishing. One section is dedicated to the rock engravings of Lake Garda, some of which date back to prehistoric times, depicted by means of reproductions and casts from the originals. An interesting visit to the ‘limonara’, one of the last remaining greenhouses on Lake Garda, with centuries-old lemon trees. It is possible to access the walkways of the castle walls. The museum is open from April to October.

Info e contatti: www.museodelcastelloditorridelbenaco.it

Cisano e l’olio d’oliva

This territory lends itself well to the cultivation of olive trees. As proof of this, an oil museum has been opened in Cisano, a hamlet of Bardolino, with an itinerary that winds its way from the story of a time when processing techniques seemed immutable, to the beginning of the 20th century, with the turning point offered by technological progress. On display are ancient and unusual tools that have been in use since the 18th century: lever presses, water-powered wheel crushers and other original tools. A special section narrates the cultivation and production of oil through videos and educational panels. The museum is open all year round, with some periods of closure for holidays.

Info e contatti: www.museum.it/it/museo-olio

Le Terre del Custoza

Terre del Custoza is a partnership of six municipalities, located between the city of Verona and Lake Garda and situated on the hills where the grapes that produce Custoza wine are grown. Sommacampagna, Bussolengo, Castelnuovo del Garda, Sona, Valeggio sul Mincio and Villafranca di Verona are a unique territory where agriculture, history and architecture speak the same language. Eleven cycling routes lead to each municipality: www.terredelcustoza.com/it/esperienze/itinerari-cicloturistici/ The municipalities of the Terre del Custoza are part of the Museo Diffuso del Risorgimento (MuDRi), an open-air museum made up of battlefields, exhibition halls and monuments, witnesses to the wars for Italian Independence. MuDRi: www.museodiffusodelrisorgimento.it/territorio-alto-mincio.html Cycling routes: www.alltrails.com/it-it/members/percorsi-risorgimento

Valeggio sul Mincio

Valeggio sul Mincio is located on the morainic hills between the splendid art cities of Verona and Mantua, immersed in the Mincio Valley, which lends itself well to long walks and cycling excursions. It features important medieval fortifications, the Scaligero Castle, the Visconti Bridge and the Serraglio defensive line, which still give the area suggestive views and panoramas. The real jewel in the crown of Valeggio, included in the network of Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages, is the small town of Borghetto, on the river Mincio, where the waterway and historical architecture merge into a true impressionist painting. The hamlet of Salionze is also of historical importance for the meeting that took place in 452 between Attila King of the Huns and Pope Leo the Great, who had come from Rome to stop their devastating raids; this meeting is re-enacted every year during the village festival in the middle of July. Typical Valencian dishes are deeply rooted in the tradition of the area, with great attention paid to the quality of the ingredients and their authenticity. These include the famous Valeggio tortellini and some freshwater fish dishes, such as pike in sauce. In some agritourisms and pasta factories in the area, it is possible to experience the art of tortellini preparation.

Info e contatti: www.valeggio.com/proloco

Custoza

A hamlet of the commune of Sommacampagna, Custoza is best known for the two battles of the same name, in 1848 and 1866, which saw the hills dotted with troops, young boys fighting, on the one hand to unite Italy, and on the other to strengthen the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Thousands of victims, from both sides, were buried in mass graves. In 1875, Don Gaetano Pivatelli, parish priest of Custoza, asked the King of Italy and the Emperor of Austria to build a place that would dignified the remains of the fallen soldiers. On 24 June 1879, the Custoza Ossuary was inaugurated in the presence of Prince Amedeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta, and representatives of the Habsburg Empire. The monument stands on Belvedere Hill, visible from all the territories involved in the battle. Today, the Ossuary of Custoza houses a new museum and multimedia display of the site, with a modern language and rich content. There are non-exhaustive lists of names of the fallen soldiers kept here, from all over Italy, but also from the territories of the former Habsburg Empire.

Info e contatti: www.ossariocustoza.it – www.solferinoesanmartino.it/progetto-torelli/ricerca

Custoza is also known for its white wine, which 50 years ago obtained the DOC denomination of origin, and for the Broccoletto di Custoza, a Slow Food presidium celebrated with a dedicated event in January and February. Broccoletto of Custoza: www.broccolettodicustoza.it – www.prolococustoza.it

Sandrà

Let us pass through this hamlet in the municipality of Castelnuovo del Garda, to recount another Veronese pearl, which has been well valorised here and where visitors can learn some interesting facts: the heritage of the Veronese Bell School.

In Verona, at the crossroads of the cardinal communication routes, the art of bell-ringing has existed since at least the 7th century and since then the city has been an important point of reference in the world of bells. This is both because of the number and size of the achievements over the centuries and because of the undisputed acoustic and artistic value of the local bronzes, produced by some fifty dynasties of founders over the years. Almost as a complement to this, over the centuries, different techniques for ringing bells have coexisted, from the carillon (in jargon ‘campanò’), to ordered tolling, to the Veronese System. The latter, developed in the 18th century at the church of San Giorgio in Braida in Verona, is the only method in the world that allows real music to be performed by means of appropriate rotations of the bronzes and is still practised in the entire diocese today.

In the parish church of Sant’Andrea di Sandrà, a small exhibition itinerary has recently been set up, illustrating the art of bell-ringing in Verona (recognised in December 2024 as a Unesco heritage site) and, if you are lucky, you might even be able to attend a few concerts held by the local bell-ringing teams!

Info e contatti: www.scuolacampanariaverona.it – www.psandra.it

Discover Lake Garda and its hinterland: www.lagodigardaveneto.com – www.funiviedelbaldo.it – www.terredelcustoza.com

San Giorgio di Valpolicella

This small hamlet of Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella, known as San Giorgio di Valpolicella or San Giorgio Ingannapoltron, owes its name to its special position on a hill that was once difficult to reach. Although it looks very close from below, the walk to get there was long and arduous, so much so that, according to tradition, ‘fool the poltrone’!

This is a village that is part of the network of Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages and offers a panoramic view of the entire Valpolicella, recounting the tradition of quarrying the red marble of Verona. Here, typical architecture and expertly cultivated crops intertwine.

One of the main attractions is the Romanesque parish church, one of thirty parish churches scattered around Garda, the hinterland and Valpolicella. The stones of this parish church tell a thousand-year-old story, with paintings and sculptures narrating a continuous dialogue between architecture, society, faith and nature.

The parish church can be visited daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., except during liturgical celebrations, and on Sundays and public holidays at 11 a.m.

Info e contatti: www.upsantadome.it

Fumane e la preistoria

The Grotta di Fumane is one of the most important prehistoric archaeological sites in Europe. The rich evidence found provides exceptional clues to the life, technology and symbolic behaviour of mankind in the Valpolicella for over 170,000 years, such as traces of ornaments made from the feathers of birds of prey of the Neanderthals and the extraordinary Shaman Stone of the early Homo sapiens. Grotta di Fumane offers tours for all ages. Every year, Grotta di Fumane organises events related to prehistory and the excellence of the area, in collaboration with the site’s network of partners, interweaving culture, nature and food and wine. Open on Saturdays and Sundays from March to October.

Info e contatti: https://grottadifumane.it

Pescantina Medaglia d’oro al merito civile

The population of Pescantina, during the last world war, bearing witness to the highest sentiments of solidarity and human brotherhood, worked tirelessly to give comfort, to alleviate thirst and hunger and, at times, to facilitate the escape of military prisoners, locked up in the ‘tradotte’ (convoys) bound for the German camps. It welcomed, with the return of peace, hundreds of thousands of deportees, veterans and internees in labour and extermination camps, offering medical assistance, food, clothing and giving them confidence and hope for life. Admirable example of extraordinary self-sacrifice, and of humanism founded on the highest Christian values and sharing in the suffering of others. 1943-1947 Pescantina (VR).

It was with these words that President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano awarded Pescantina the Medal of Honour for Civil Merit in 2007. Hundreds of thousands of Italian citizens passed through here on their way to or from the Nazi concentration camps. Pescantina is a place of memory and roots for almost all Italian families. This history is witnessed by the presence of the Monument to the Former internees of the Nazi concentration camps in the hamlet of Balconi. The monument is located near the old Balconi station at 22 Via Brizzi.

Discover Valpolicella and Val d’Adige: www.infovalpolicella.it – www.visitvaldadige.com