Hike around the Berici Hills (25/02/2024)

Ania and I decided to have a walk in the hills south of Vicenza. I asked my mother if she could drop us off with the car in Longare to start from there and skip the whole suburbs of Vicenza. From the cycling path in Longare we reached the nearby town of Costozza shortly after. As we walked through the town we first passed by the nice oratory of San Michele, a 15th century church in a mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles. Behind it behind a wall and fence, is the large park and building of the Villa Trento Carli from 1645. Continuing on we passed below another villa, Villa da Schio, with its beautiful terraced park. From the town, we walked through the countryside until we reached the next town, Lumignano. Here we stopped briefly at a place called Dal Presidente where we had a drink. After that, it was time to head up the cliffside overlooking the town. Following the rock face, shortly after we came upon the first crags and caves which are known to dot the area. One of them was even named the Treasure Cave, though in this case was rather a rock extraction cave and not natural like the others. A little further on we came upon a large section of crag where some climbers were practicing their skills heading up to the top. After a bit of walking through the craggy cliffside, we eventually came out on top of open fields and forest. We walked through the hilly terrain, following mostly a road, until we came in sight of the Fimon Lake from above. We made our slow descent until we reached the lake's southern shore. Here we walked along the western lakeside until we reached the little hamlet where we stopped for a lunch break at the Locanda Trentin. I had polenta and goulash while Ania had polenta with mushrooms called barboni. It was nice and filling and we then had more fuel to continue on our walk. We left the lake and headed northwards and passed the town of Torri di Arcugnano before reaching another town called Tormeno. Here we once again headed uphill, walking through nice streets sided by cypress trees and with views over the surrounding landscape. We walked on the ridge of the hills passing until we finally reached Monte Berico, the hill just south of the city of Vicenza. It was just around sunset and we then eventually made our way back to the house in the center. 

The church of San Michele Arcangelo in Costozza

A view of Costozza

The crags around town

The hermitage built inside the rock

One of the caves

Another cave

The crag climbing

A view of Tormeno and its surroundings

Val di Funes hike (28/12/2023)

On our way back from Brunico, my parents, my brother and I decided to do a little snowshoeing trip in Val di Funes, in the mountains between Brunico and Bolzano. We drove past the village of Santa Maddalena and reached the Malga Zannes where we parked the car for a fee. Our trail started from there, heading eastwards up the valley. There was quite some snow on the ground but the trees and the rocky faces facing south didn't have much. We didn't need any snowshoes as the snow was flat and not fresh so we just used our normal winter boots. Along the way, we met some people going both up and down as the area is a popular site for many hikes and loops. As we advanced further up we came out of the shade and into a nice clearing with warm sun. Here we came upon the Malga Kaserill which had already some people sitting out and enjoying a drink or food. To the south, we admired the beautiful rocky face wall of the Odle mountain group with their beautiful dolomite pink and gray. My brother and I had thought to continue up to the Rifugio Genova while my parents would wait for us at another hut. However, we decided instead to stay with them and shortly after walked to the Malga Gampen. Here we stopped for lunch, where I had a sausage with krauts and a canederlo, and a tasty kaiserschmarrn as dessert. After eating, we got back on our feet and followed the trail, starting our slow descent. As we headed down the valley, to our left we continued to admire the imposing figure of the Olde peaks. The trail continued on through a forest, zigzagging its way down. Some skiers passed us along the way, and eventually, we reached the parking once again. After getting in the car we decided to stop along the way to check out the small church of San Giovanni in Ranui just outside the village of Santa Maddalena. Due to its location, in an open field with the Olde mountains as its backdrop, it is one of the most popular and photographed sites. Built in 1744 in a baroque style it features a typical onion-shaped bell tower and a nice frescoed facade. The view, even with the clouds coming in and the sun setting was really mesmerizing. Finally, after that, we got back in the car and drove home.

A hut along the path

The stream flowing through the snow

A mountain hut with the Olde mountain group in the background

Some more huts

A view of the Olde group

View of the valley

Another mountain hut

The church of San Giovanni in Ranui

Another view of the church

The church with the Odle group

Ponti sul Mincio, Monzambano, Castellaro Lagusello, Pozzolengo, & San Martino della Battaglia (23/12/2023)

On a nice sunny December day, my brother and I headed to visit a few places close to Lake Garda. Our first stop was the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Frassino, a religious site built in place of where according to tradition, on May 11, 1510, a statue of the Madonna appeared among the branches of an ash tree. It started out as a simple chapel, and as it became a meeting place for the many faithful who brought votive gifts as a result of the graces received, it was then decided to build a larger church around the chapel and in addition the construction of a convent where the monks could be housed. It was built in the Renaissance style and then received further embellishments, especially on the interior in a baroque style. Once inside we visited the church and the miraculous statue and then the two nice cloisters, frescoed during the 17th century. After the visit to the monastery, we got back in the car and drove to nearby Ponti sul Mincio. After parking the car we walked around the small pretty old town, passing by the main church, Sant'Antonio Abate, which had just closed, and then up to reach the castle. Built during the 13th century on the highest point in town, it dominates the surrounding slightly hilly countryside close to the Mincio River. It features a complete wall enclosure with five defensive towers one of which now functions as the clock tower and another taller one that once served as the main keep. The castle was closed so we decided to take a walk around its perimeter and after that look for a place to eat. We ended up choosing a place called Trattoria alla Torre where I had bigoli with duck sauce. After lunch, we were off to the next town Monzambano. Once there, we walked through the old town, passing by the large baroque church of San Michele, dominating on a hill above the Mincio River. It was closed so we moved on to reach the main square, where the town hall, a 19th-century building, was set. Uphill not too far from it we then reached the castle, built on the highest spot in town. Built in the 13th century it is considered one of the best preserved in the area and still features the intact perimeter walls interspersed by defensive towers, and the small church of San Biagio. We managed to enter through the main tower gate to see it from the inside, but the area was small and the rest was covered in private houses and gardens. Another short drive led us to the nearby town of Castellaro Lagusello, part of the club of the most beautiful villages in Italy. We walk through its pretty town center characterized by a castle complex with outer walls and defensive towers and with a central keep now functioning as a clock tower and granting access to the inner courtyard filled with historic houses, a church,  and a lovely 17th-century villa, Villa Arrighi. After the visit, we got back in the car and drove off to Pozzolengo, another historic town. Here we first visited the church of San Lorenzo, refurbished in the baroque style in the 17th century, and then headed to visit the castle. As usual located on the highest point in town, unlike the other ones in brick, this was mostly built in grey stone. Originally built between the 9th and 10th centuries, it was further expanded during the 13th century. It still features the outer wall and the interior is made up of a couple of streets lined by old houses. Finally, after a visit to the rest of the town, we drove off to our last destination, the Tower of San Martino della Battaglia. The tower was built beginning in 1880 on the highest hill of San Martino, where on June 24, 1859, the armies of the Kingdom of Sardinia, France, and Austria fought the bloodiest phase of the Battle of San Martino during the Italian Second War of Independence. The tower was built to solemnly celebrate the entire Risorgimento era, from the First War of Independence in 1848 to the taking of Rome in 1870. After paying for an entry ticket we headed up the tower's inner ramp to admire the series of large paintings representing the salient events of the war of independence. Once at the top of the 74m high tower we then had an amazing view of the surrounding landscape including Lake Garda to the north, crowned by partially snow-capped peaks. And as sunset was approaching the view was even more emphasized by the fading light. Behind the tower we then visited the Risorgimento Museum, further detailing this important historical period with memorabilia, objects, clothing, weapons, and armor from that period. To end it all we then briefly visited the Ossuary nearby, which contains the 1,274 skulls and bones of 2,619 soldiers of the Sardinian Army and the VIII Army Corps of the Imperial Royal Austrian Army who fought the bloody Battle of San Martino on June 24, 1859.

The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Frassino

The interior of the sanctuary

One of the chapels

The cloister

Another view of the cloister

A street in the old town of Ponti sul Mincio

The castle of Ponti sul Mincio

Another view of the castle

The church of San Michele in Monzambano

Inner courtyard of the castle of Monzambano

A view of the castle

The town hall

The central keep and clock tower of Castellaro Lagusello

The old town inside the walls

Villa Tacoli Arrighi

The castle of Pozzolengo

Entrance to the castle

The inner courtyard

View of the castle

The tower of San Martino della Battaglia

Interior of the tower

View from the top of the tower of Lake Garda

One of the battles depicted in the tower

The museum

Governolo, San Benedetto Po, Revere, & Ostiglia (17/12/2023)

On a cold and windy but sunny Sunday, my mom and I decided to head to visit a few towns close to Mantova. We left Vicenza early and reached the first town, Governolo. The place looked quite shabby and abandoned, with trash on the floor and with dilapidated buildings. However, we just briefly stopped to see the Torre Matildica, the remains of a once important 11th-century medieval castle, later demolished by Charles VI Holy Roman Emperor during the early 18th century. The remaining tower and annexed fortified house date to the 14th and 17th centuries respectively. Curiously, Governolo is one of the three places where the meeting between Pope Leo I and Attila in 452 is speculated to have taken place. After the brief visit, we got back in the car and drove to nearby San Benedetto Po. This small town is part of the club the most beautiful villages in Italy. Once there we parked the car and started exploring on foot. We passed through a gate that opens up to the immense square, where the Abbey of San Benedetto in Polirone, the town's main monument is set. I quickly headed to the nearby tourist info point to buy the tickets for the abbey and the museum and then headed inside the abbey church first. The complex was founded in 1007 by Count Tedaldo of Canossa of Mantua and passed then into the hands of the Benedictines under the Abbey of Cluny. It was there that from 1115 until 1632, the abbey church housed the remains of Matilda of Canossa, before being transferred to the Basilica of St. Peter, Rome. Being one of the most powerful and rich abbeys in northern Italy, it was then refurbished several times, once in the Gothic style during the 14th century and again a century later by the famous architect Giulio who adopted original solutions to make the previous architectural styles coexist in a refined and homogeneous way. Once inside we were led by a friendly old man who showed us the church, describing its history, architecture, and illustrating each chapel. In the apse was a beautiful 16th-century wooden choir and behind the location of Matilda's tomb. A door then led into the sacristy, beautifully decorated with wooden wardrobes, marble walls, and a frescoed ceiling. Nearby another door led to the Oratory of Santa Maria, dating to the 11th century and making it the oldest part of the complex. It featured a beautifully preserved floor mosaic and Romanesque columns. Next up we headed out and into the first of the three cloisters, the Chiostro di San Simeone, dating to the 15th century in a late Gothic style. Next to it the much larger Chiostro di San Benedetto, open on one of its sides, most probably destroyed after the abbey was secularized during the Napoleonic invasion in the late 18th century. A short walk then led us to the large refectory holding a copy of the Last Supper by Bonsignori dating to 1515. Below the refectory, in what were probably the cellars were some exhibits of objects found dug out throughout the complex and a section dedicated to carts and other farm equipment. Back across the main square we then reached the third cloister, the Chiostro dei Secolari, the place where pilgrims, guests, and strangers were welcomed. On the first floor after a beautiful 17th-century baroque staircase, was the Museo Civico Polironiano, a nice and large museum dedicated to the Po River-related crafts, handicrafts, art, and folk devotion. After the visit to the abbey we continued our walk through the rest of town, passing by the Campanile di San Floriano, an 11th century bell tower which is all that remains of the former parish church of St. Florian. Nearby we then stopped for lunch at a place called Trattoria da Marte where we had an appetizer of cold cuts and cheese with mostarda, a typical really spicy fruit preserve, and then I had pumpkin gnocchi with mint while my mom had pumpkin tortelli. After lunch we headed to the car and drove on, stopping briefly in the village of Nuvolato to see the church of San Fiorentino. It was founded in 1082 as a single nave church, with two more naves added during the 18th century; its apse contains 13th to 14th-century frescoes. Driving on we had another short break in the town of Quingentole, which featured a nice scenic central square with on one side the once Palace of the Bishops of Mantua, and the other the church of San Lorenzo, dating to the 18th century in a neoclassical style but with late 14th-century red marble lions at its entrance. For yet another brief stop along the way, we reached Pieve di Coriano an 11th-century church said to have been commissioned by Matilda of Canossa. Built in a Romanesque style it features frescoes ranging from the 12th to the 16th centuries, however its bell tower is a reconstruction from the 1930s. Driving on we then reached the town of Revere. We parked the car and immediately admired the large and imposing Palazzo Ducale, a 15th-century palace built for Ludovico III Gonzaga, now featuring inside a museum dedicated to the Po River. In front of the palace standing solitarily is the Torre dei Gonzaga, a 36m high 12th century tower once part of the castle that used to stand there. Strolling through the rest of town we passed through the nice Arco dell'Orologio, once the town's main gate, dating to the 19th century. At the end of the main street, we entered the church of the Annunciazione della Beata Vergine Maria, rebuilt in the 18th century in a neoclassical style. In front of it was a dyke which we walked on with a view of the Po River right below. On the other side of the river, the town of Ostiglia which we reached by driving over the bridge connecting the two towns. Once there we walked along the main street passing by Palazzo Bonazzi, the seat of the town hall, and some other old palaces and buildings one of which was a really nice art nouveau passageway called La Cappa d'Oro. We passed under the Torre Civica, the clock tower once belonging to a castle complex, and nearby we saw the ruins of what was once the church of Santa Maria di Castello. Its bell tower, also surviving, was once part of the aforementioned castle. A curious point of interest was the small stone engraving which indicates the beginning of the ancient Roman road Via Claudia Augusta that once led to what is now Germany. Just as the sun was setting, right outside town, on our way home we also briefly stopped to visit the Santuario della Beata Vergine della Comuna, founded in the 15th century on the initiative of the Duke of Mantua Federico II Gonzaga to easily accommodate pilgrims visiting the former church, which was built following a Marian apparition that occurred, according to tradition, in the late 1300s to a deaf-mute shepherdess who was healed after the episode. Its current 16th-century renaissance style is due to that restructuring potentially by Giulio Romano.

The Torre Matildica in Governolo

The Abbey of San Benedetto Po

The abbey's main nave

Where once the remains of Matilde of Canossa used to be

The sacristy

The nave seen from the chancel

The Oratory of Santa Maria

The mosaics inside the oratory

The San Simeone cloister

The Secolari cloister

The staircase to the Museo Civico Polironiano

A view of the Abbey

The church of San Fiorentino in Nuvolato

Interior of the church

The Pieve di Coriano

Interior of the church

One of the church's frescoes

The Tower and Ducal Palace in Revere

View of the Ducal Palace

Old town of Revere

The Po river

One of the towers in Ostiglia

A liberty building in the old town

Sunset view

The Comuna sanctuary