Tom`s travels: Valpolicella (11/10/2019)

My aunt Michela gave me a ride on her way to work and dropped me off in the town of Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella where I had decided to start my hike through the Valpolicella, a famous hilly area filled with vineyards. This was the perfect moment as the harvest of the grapes was taking place in that period and the sun was shining and the weather warm enough for a nice walk outside. I crossed through the city center and walked along a nice path sided by olive trees overlooking the rooftops. I then reached the parish church, built in the Baroque style during the 17th century. After visiting the interior I then continued my walk, now heading uphill until I reached the small town of San Giorgio di Valpolicella. Inscribed in the club The most beautiful villages in Italy, it is mostly known for its church, the Pieve di San Giorgio. Established in the 8th century over a pagan site, its current form dates from the 11th-century reconstruction and is considered as one of the oldest in the region and one of the best examples of romanesque in the area of Verona. The building consists of a structure in local stone, with a nice tall bell tower, a cloister with Romanesque columns that misses one of the four sides, and a three-naved church. Inside are some nice medieval frescoes some of which quite well-preserved, and a beautiful ciborium now functioning as the main altar erected in the 8th century under the reign of the Lombard Liutprand. After visiting the church I then decided to head on eastwards, walking now over hilltops surrounded by vineyards and with a beautiful view of the valley below and at one point even being able to spot the Lake Garda in the distance. Once in a while, I would stop and grab some grapes to snack on which tasted really sweet and juicy. As I descended down, I then arrived at the Villa Della Torre Allegrini, a beautiful 16th-century Renaissance villa set among vineyards. The villa is now owned by a winery, called in fact Allegrini, and often hosts events and weddings. I found the gate open so decided to head in, I walked through the central courtyard with a nice fountain at its center and surrounded by porticoes, then I visited the garden laid out in the typical Italian way with geometrical hedges and ponds. I was even able to peek inside one of the rooms on the ground floor which held a very interesting fireplace in the form of a lion's mouth. As I then heard voices approaching I decided it was time for me to leave and continue on my walk. I walked through the town center of Fumane, where the villa is located, and then continued on through the vineyards. I then reached the small town of San Floriano where I decided to visit the Pieve di San Floriano located at its center. The current structure dates to the 12th century in a Romanesque style, while the original one is much older. It features a gabled facade and a nice thick bell tower on the northern side; the southern side is characterized by the cloister, porticoed on two sides and with one side open to the street, functioning thus as a small square. The inside is mostly in the Baroque style when the church was altered during the 18th century. After the visit, I then continued walking, following a path taking me once more over a hilly area covered in vineyards, until I reached the small town of Santa Sofia di Pedemonte. Here I tried to visit the Villa Serego, a Venetian villa designed by the famous architect Andrea Palladio and thus inscribed in the Unesco world heritage site list. Unfortunately, as it belongs to a winery it was unfortunately closed and i was not able to visit it, however, I just managed to peek above one of the gates at is beautiful loggia facing southward. It was then time to head back home as I waited for my aunt to come and bring me back to Vicenza.