Bycicle trip north of Vicenza (27/05/2020)

On another nice sunny day, I took the chance for another bicycle trip this time heading northwards from Vicenza. After just a few kilometers I reached the small town of Costabissara, set right below the first hills to the north. I cycled through the small city center and passed by some older buildings, including the nice Casa Repeta, a 16th-century house with a fresco of a lion on its facade, a heraldic symbol of the Repeta family to whom the building belonged. A little further I then encountered the small Baroque Oratorio di San Valentino, built in 1684 by the Repeta family with a very nice small but well-decorated facade. Back through the city center I then cycled slightly uphill passing by the large Villa San Carlo, most probably of ancient origin, it was rebuilt during the 17th century and later refurbished during the 19th century receiving its current form. It is nowadays used as a spiritual home by the church so that prompted me to observe it from the exterior only. Not far ahead I then reached the small Langobard church of San Giorgio, set on a hill in a solitary position. Dating to the 12th century during the Langobard rule of these lands, it featured a complete reconstruction during the 1800s when it took its current neogothic style. At that moment it was closed, however, as it was used by the orthodox community, the interior would have nevertheless been completely changed from its original style. I then decided to head onwards and after a short way cycling, I reached the next town, Castelnovo. Not particularly noteworthy it still held a nice square, Piazza San Vitale, with a neogothic church dating to 1911 which replaced a much older one dating to the 13th century. As is typical in other places in Italy the bell tower is detached from the church and standing quite a few meters away. Nearby I then arrived in the town of Isola Vicentina with its small yet nice city center. I first passed through the main square, which is unfortunately sided by the trafficked main street on one side while the other features some old buildings including the town hall. At its center is a nice elegant 18th-century fountain. At the other end of town I then briefly gazed at the nice Villa Cerchiari, built in 1772 in an elegant Baroque style for the Cerchiari family and currently used as the town's library and with a nice garden surrounding it. The most important building in town was, though, the church and convent of Santa Maria del Cengio located on a hilltop right above the town. The church dates to the 12th century while the convent was added two centuries later. As I reached the complex, I parked my bicycle and entered through the convent first, admiring the beautiful arcaded geometrical cloister in a late gothic style. Then I moved on and passed through a door to reach the church proper. The interior was mostly remade in a baroque style during the 18th century but still featured some traces of its ancient past including two 15th century frescoes in the chapel of Santa Brigida, the first to the right when entering. I then exited through another door and reached a small terrace which granted me an incredible view over the surrounding landscape and town below. This used to be the main and only entrance to the church which was served by a staircase leading right up to the church directly from the town. Once I saw enough I got back to the bicycle and continued my cycle onwards. I passed by some nice green fields and then started my ascent of the surrounding high hills. As I cycled over these verdant mounds I admired some mesmerizing landscapes on both sides of the trails, looking east towards the plain of Vicenza and Padova, and west over to Verona and the Prealps. At one point close to the hamlet of Torreselle I spotted a few friendly horses who curiously came to see who I was and why I was passing by. I fed them some grass and took a few pics and then noticed I could now easily spot Vicenza in the distance. I could clearly make out the shapes of the Basilica Palladiana with the Torre Bissara next to it and the large cupola of the Duomo. As I continued on I took a trail continuing on along some nice countryside roads and passed by the nice Baroque church of Monte San Lorenzo when I reached the street once more. Then I followed another trail this time heading downhill through a forest which became quite hard as I cycled at high speed with quick turns and bumps. Finally, I cycled through the small town of Monteviale and once I had reached the ground level I was just outside Vicenza, with a few kilometers left before finally arriving back home,

The San Valentino chapel in Costabissara

The Piazza San Vitale main square in Castelnovo

The cloister of the convent of Santa Maria del Cengio

View of Isola Vicentina from the covnent

The Villa Cerchiari now the town's public library

View from the hills near Isola Vicentina

The path along the hilltop

A friendly horse along the way

Bycicle trip around the Colli Berici 3 (23/05/2020)

On a nice sunny weekend, I decided to do another bicycle trip this time circling the whole Berici Hills in one go. I borrowed Davide's electric bike and set out in the late morning heading southward from Vicenza and following the bicycle path towards Noventa Vicentina. As I cycled I noticed the wheat fields were still yellow but the tips of the garbs were starting to hint a yellowish hue. Corn on the other hand, which I saw abundantly, was still small and green. After I reached and passed the town of Ponte di Barbarano, I left the bicycle path and cycled a few more kilometers until I encountered the town of Sossano. This small inhabited place is located at the southernmost tip of the Berici Hills and features a nice baroque church called the chiesetta dell'Olmo dating to 1734 and a larger parish church dating to the 19th century. I stopped briefly to take a few pictures and have a sip of water and then continued on towards the next town. Shortly after I reached Orgiano, similarly set at the southern edge of the hills. It is known for the early 18th century Villa Fracanzan Piovene, which I just cycled by as it is privately owned and closed at that time. Unfortunately, I could only admire its minor prospect which now faces the road, as the main porticoed baroque facade faces in the other direction out towards the countryside. A little further and I reached the main square of the town where the Palazzo dei Vicari, now the town hall, a 16th-century palace is located. Next to it, a small street headed up towards the church of Santa Maria Assunta from where I had a great view of the surrounding countryside and the villa from another perspective. After enjoying the view I got back on my bicycle and continued the tour around the hills, reaching the next town not long after, Lonigo. As I cycled my way through the suburbs of the town, I passed by the large Parco Ippodromo, now a public market with market stalls but once used for the weekly animal market and as the horse hippodrome. Shortly after I reached the city center proper where the large Duomo is located. Built in a Neoromanesque style resembling the ancient churches in Verona, it was completed in 1895 on the site where the castle once used to be located. In fact, next to it still stand the traces of the once large defensive structure consisting of a few towers remaining, such as the keep and the Torre Scaligera, and part of the walls. Next, I cycled through the pretty central Piazza Garibaldi, the town's main square, with nice porticoed buildings all around it and the monument to the fallen of the world wars at its center. At the southern end of the square lies the beautiful and elegant Palazzo Pisani, built in 1556 with the side wings added during the 18th century it now serves as the seat of some of the offices of the municipality. I really enjoyed the fact that it was possible to walk or cycle through the main entrance and reach another street on the other side making the building an elegant divider between the square and the neighborhoods to the south. I then decided to cycle further and reach the monastery of San Daniele located in the eastern part of the city. The monastery was unfortunately closed, probably due to lunch hours, so I decided to just admire it from the outside and continue on. Heading back through the old town I then went up the small hill just north of the main square where the large Villa San Fermo is located. Dominating the whole town from above this palace used to be an abbey first, constructed during the 10th century, but later passed in the hands of noble families who turned it into a private residence whose last refurbishment took place during the 19th century giving it its present appearance. I was not able to enter the palace proper but managed to look around the surrounding garden. Not too far, further uphill I then cycled to reach the impressive Rocca Pisana, a 16th-century villa built by Vincenzo Scamozzi for the Pisani family in a style clearly inspired by Palladio. Its position on top of a hill dominates the surrounding countryside and plain below. As I reached the villa and intending to take some pictures a lady came out from a small house nearby and asked me what I was doing there and to leave immediately as that was private property. I apologized and got back on the bicycle to leave thinking to myself what a mean and ill-mannered person she was as I was just admiring a heritage building from the outside without even being close to it. As I left the grounds I cycled onwards passing through a nice area filled with vineyards scattered among the gentle hills with a view of the valley between Verona and Vicenza. Not long after I then spotted some cherry trees just by the road which prompted me to stop and gather some cherries to bring back home. Then I cycled through the town of Sarego and stopped in the following town, Meledo to take a look at the nice villa set there. Known as the Barchesse di Villa Trissino, they are actually the side wings of the villa which were used as storage for the agricultural utensils of the past. In fact, the villa, designed by Palladio between 1553 and 1567 was never completed, with just the wings being constructed due most probably to financial reasons, as was common at that time. The whole building was just recently restored, in 2015, as it had been in a poor state of conservation until then. I admired the nice dovecote with the porticoed building attached to it and took a few photos. Then I got back on the bicycle and continued onwards, cycling along the main street. After a few kilometers of boring plain fields and suburbs, I finally reached Vicenza and home. 

The chiesetta dell'Olmo in Sossano

The Villa Francanzan Piovene seen from the hill overlooking Orgiano

Countryside along the way

The medieval Torre Scaligera in Lonigo

One of the old town streets in Longio

The main square, Piazza Garibaldi, in Lonigo

The Palazzo Pisani of Longio

The Rocca Pisana

The Barchesse di Villa Trissino in Meledo

Lessinia (17/05/2020)

 On a nice sunny weekend my dad, brother, and I decided to head to the mountain plateau just north of Verona known as Lessinia. After just over an hour's drive we reached the small hamlet of Malga San Giorgio; once as the name suggests a mountain hut used during the summer months and now a group of modern apartments used during the winter period for skiing. We left our car there and started the hike which would take us around the northern part of the plateau. As we followed the main path we were greeted by herds of cows enjoying the fresh green grass and plants that were beginning to sprout at this altitude. We were in fact at about 1500m above sea level and a beautiful array of different colored flowers could be seen. At one point we deviated from the main path and followed a smaller trail winding its way up the hilly terrain on the border of the crests that divide the region of Veneto from Trentino. On the other side of the valley below came jutting out the immense figure of the Carega mountain still snow-capped. As we walked along the crest we encountered some artillery positions from the first world war with some holes and tunnels dug into the rock functioning as trenches. As we continued onwards we spotted some marmots hiding among rocks and a group of chamois who scattered as soon as they got scent of us. The wildlife was plenty and awake most probably due to the fact that there had been very few people in the past months because of the lockdown. After passing by Malga Gasperine, a small isolated mountain hut, we descended down a nice grass meadow and approached an area where the remains of some world war I fortifications were located. At one point as we scouted the area my brother yelled he had seen some ticks so we quickly ran back to the trail hoping none had jumped on us. We checked our legs but didn't find any so we decided to continue onwards. Here we passed through a nice rocky terrain with high walls and deep vegetation. Then we came out once again in the open meadow and started our ascent towards Rifugio Castelberto. Not long after we reached the rifugio, which due to the restrictions was still closed, and continued on to reach the nearby viewpoint. The panorama from there was amazing, spanning the whole Adige valley with the towns of Ala and Avio below. The mountains in the distance created a nice backdrop from some pictures and led us to stay there long enough to enjoy the spectacular view. Then we decided it was time to start heading back, this time following the main road which leads directly to Malga San Giorgio. The way was easy, relatively straight but quite boring, even though we always had a nice view of the plateau towards the south. In some parts, we were even able to spot Lake Garda far off in the distance towards the west. After nearly three-quarters of the way, we then chance upon a small hole dug right next to the path. At one point a little head came out, sniffing the air, and then the whole body. It was a nice fat marmot who was probably not so scared of humans and more used to getting served food by them. The hole was in fact too close to the path and the marmot seemed not to care of our vicinity. We tried getting as close as possible without scaring the little guy and ended up being just a few centimeters away. We took some pictures and thought to feed afterward but figured out we were out of anything edible. We then waved goodbye to the marmot and continued onwards towards our destination. Right before reaching the car, we came upon a beautiful spot that granted us an amazing view of the Carega mountain shining in the late afternoon soon. The wind had picked up so we were happy to reach the warmth of the car and end this great hike in Lessinia. 

The road towards Lessinia

Blooming flowers along the path

WWI artillery positions

The path along the ridge and the Carega mountain in the background

Two cute marmots coming out of their holes

The Malga Gasperine mountain hut

A group of chamois

View of the rocky cliffs of the northern edge of the plateau

View of the Carega mountain covered by clouds

The view from the Rifugio Castelberto and the Adige valley below

A typical path on the plateau

One of the many mountain huts scattered around the plateau

Close-up of a cute marmot

Grassy medows on the southern part of the plateau looking towards Lake Garda

The sunny afternoon with a view of the Carega mountain

Mountain huts and the Catega in the background

Bycicle trip in the Colli Berici 2 (10/05/2020)

On a nice sunny and warm afternoon, my brother and I decided to go on a bicycle trip along the Berici Hills. We took my aunt's and Davide's electric bikes and headed south of Vicenza following the bicycle path. After passing lush green wheat fields we reached the town of Castegnero, which I had just visited a few days prior. Here I had told my brother we would find plenty of cherries; we in fact did and eat a few of them and the rest we put into a bag to take back home. From there we continued cycling onwards heading up and down some low hills covered in vineyards until we reached the town of Mossano. Here we parked our bikes in front of the church of San Pietro Apostolo and entered a little park that featured a viewpoint. We could see a vast array of vineyards below and the Euganean Hills in the distance. We then decided to continue and after just a few hundred meters reached the Valley of the Mills, a small valley right below the main town where a series of watermills are set. These mills were built in succession one after the other on some small rivers running downhill and were used until after the Second World War. Once we saw them we then cycled further and reached the town of Barbarano Vicentino. Nowadays Mossano and Barbarano are joined into one municipality but until just two years ago they were split despite their proximity. We reached the city center and circled the nice main square where the church of Santa Maria Assunta is located. Next to it is the House of the Canons, thus belonging to the local clergy, now the seat of the public library; it features a nice Gothic facade with elegant windows. On a hill just south of the city center we then reached what was once a mighty castle. The castle was mentioned often during the 13th and 14th centuries and was a direct possession of the bishop of Vicenza. Later on when it passed into the hands of the Godi family it was turned into a villa with a nice garden around it and a baroque chapel. The traces of the castle are now just visible on the southern walls of this villa which is now called Villa Godi Marinoni. We then decided it was time to head back home, so after cycling back down into town we passed by some nice vineyards and reconnected with the cycling path that eventually led us back to Vicenza.

View of the Euganean Hills from Castegnero

The viewpoint in Mossano

The Valley of the Mills in Mossano

Vineyards and the Euganean Hills in the background

Villa Godi Marinoni, once a castle, in Barbarano Vicentino

Catena del Sengio Alto (08/05/2020)

On a nice sunny Friday, my brother, dad, and I decided to head to the Sengio Alto, a group of mountains belonging to the small Dolomites set between the more famous Pasubio and Carega. After reaching the parking place of Rifugio Campogrosso, which is also the base for the hikes heading to the Carega, we started our hike by heading east of the Sengio Alto, intending to walk counterclockwise around these peaks. As we started our walk we noticed how the tip of the mountains, particularly those behind us in the Carega, were still holding some snow. After following the main road, named the road of the King after King Vittorio Emanuele inaugurated it in 1918,  we reached a simple suspension bridge. In 2008, in fact, the road collapsed following a landslide, and thus there was no way to reach the northern part of the valley. A few years later, in 2016, instead of rebuilding the road with another chance of losing it because of another landslide, a simple suspension bridge was built for pedestrian traffic. The 105m long bridge is a marvel to look at and an exciting attraction to walk on. Due to its nature, it swings slightly as one crosses making it a thrilling way to experience crossing the valley below. When it had first opened, flocks of people would visit nearly every day, but luckily during our visit, it was just us three, complicit the travel restrictions of the coronavirus. Once we reached the other side, after further walking, we reached the Pasubio Ossuary, a monument erected in 1926 and dedicated to the fallen of the First World War. The ossuary sits on an outcrop that overlooks the Venetian plain, and is in fact visible, on a clear day, from nearly everywhere between Vicenza and the mountains. The monument was close and so we decided to continue onwards reaching the Pian Delle Fugazze shortly after. This alpine pass set at 1163m serves also as the border between the regions of Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige. Here we began following trail number 170, which would lead us back to the car concluding the circle round the Sengio Alto mountains. The first part of the trail was not so easy as it meandered steeply uphill through the forest and rocky terrain. Once we came out of the trees though we were welcomed by an incredible view over the Carega mountains covered in snow. Here we decided to sit and have lunch with the sandwiches we had brought from home. After eating we put back on our backpacks and continued along the trail always having the wonderful view to our right. The Sengio Alto, just like its neighbors Carega and Pasubio, was one of the main theaters during World War I and is thus filled with tunnels, trenches, and artillery positions. We passed some of them on our way and reminisced how the soldiers must have lived and felt during that terrible period. As we neared the end of our walk, the trail heading down through the rocks and in open land where a myriad of beautiful flowers gave the landscape a blue, yellow, and white hue. Among the fields we were even able to spot some chamois happily enjoying the fresh green grass but who immediately scattered once they spotted us. Just a few more minutes of walking eventually led us back to the Passo di Campogrosso, where we had parked the car, happy after this nice hike in nature without any other person around. 

View of the Carega mountain group

The road to the suspension bridge

The suspension bridge

The Pasubio Ossuary

View of the Pasubio mountain group

A nice forest along the way

Flowers and the Sengio Alto group in the background

Bycicle trip in the Colli Berici (07/05/2020)

 After months of having to stay at home because of the lockdown, we were finally allowed to go out so I took the chance to do a bicycle trip in the Berici Hills just south of Vicenza. I had been there often, visiting different parts of these low hills that come out from this part of the alluvial plain so this time I decided to visit specific spots which I had never seen. I took my aunt's electric bicycle and rode off from my south in a southerly direction. I followed the bicycle path which starts just outside the city center and cycled while keeping the hills to my right; the wheat fields had taken a beautiful green color and the vineyards were growing lush. At one point I exited the cycle path to the right and headed slightly uphill until I reached the town of Castegnero. On top of a hill stood the nice church of San Giorgio, which I quickly reached, and from where I then had I nice view of the surrounding landscape. The day was gorgeous with a perfectly blue sky and a nice warm sun. The church was not open so I then decided to cycle further and reach another church set further uphill. On the way, I passed by some cherry trees which had started giving out their tasty fruits and so decided to pick some for myself to have as a snack. The town is in fact famous in the area for its cherries and I could definitely confirm it when I tried them from the trees. Not long after I then reached the Pieve di Nanto, once the main parish church of the nearby town of Nanto but now in the territory of Castegnero. The church dates to the 13th century and features a nice Romanesque-Gothic style, with a tall slender bell tower and a beautiful portal on its southern side sculpted in the 15th century. This church was closed as well so after getting back on the bicycle I decided to head further uphill and cycle through the center of the hills. The way up was tough even with the electric bike, but I then managed to reach the highest point from where I followed the road leading up and down through beautiful landscapes. A while after I then reached the town of Zovencedo where a nice medieval castle is located. Once much larger and an important defensive structure in this part of the hills, now just a well-built tower and part of the walls remain which are currently in private hands. On the other side of town, I then reached an interesting house which is entirely built inside the rock. This so-called Casa Rupestre was inhabited until 1959 and is a classic example of other houses which were built inside the rock around the area. The house was just abandoned then because during a storm a particularly violent thunder had hit it and made part of it rubble down. The family luckily survived but decided to leave it. Recently it has been restored and refurbished and can be visited by appointment with the living room and kitchen on the ground floor and the bedrooms above. Behind the house, I then visited an impressive quarry. Built inside the rock, this quarry, known as Cava Cice, was used in the past in order to extract the typical local stone which is rather soft and for this reason sought after for its workability. The quarry is currently not used anymore while others in the area still are. Once I had seen around I decided it was time to head, so after getting back on the bicycle I rode the last kilometers in the direction of home. 

The countryside along the bicycle path

View from the church of San Giorgio in Castegnero

Tasty cherries

The bell tower of the Pieve di Nanto

View of the Euganean Hills from Castegnero

Zovencedo castle

The Cava Cice quarry in Zovencedo

The entrance to the quarry

The Casa Rupestre, a house built inside the rock in Zovencedo