Autumn

On the summit of Mount Berico, the south-west hill that dominates the city of Vicenza, stands the best known and most popular Venetian sanctuary dedicated to the cult of Our Lady. Its origins are linked to the appearance of the Blessed Virgin in these sites: the first time in 1426, the second time the following year, when Vicenza was facing a terrible plague. Tradition has it that on both appearances of Our Lady, a young girl was asked to be the spokeswoman for a request: the construction in that site of a Church dedicated to Her, with the promise of ending the plague. So it was.

Chiampo is a small town in the province of Vicenza which in the last ten years has become famous for its intense religious Marian movement which has developed around the Pieve and Lourdes Cave. The Pieve was constructed around the year one thousand but the actual building dates back to 1962. All that remains of the old church is the statue of the "Madonna with Child" in painted marble from 1480, and the baroque altar from 1743 made by a Veneto artist.

However the focus of popular worship is the Lourdes Cave which is reached along a lovely path of cypress trees.

The churches and religious buildings of Valpolicella (in the province of Verona) are testimony to a history of popular worship which stretches over many centuries.

The itinerary to discover some of the most important sites leaves from the town of Fumane, where the shrine dedicated to the Madonna of La Salette (Santuario della Madonna de Le Salette) stands. It was built in 1860 by the people of Fumane in order to thank the Madonna for having freed them from downy mildew, a serious disease which afflicts vines.

The Colli Euganei offer a unique environment where there are hermitages and sanctuaries, linked by roads and paths of faith where one can surround oneself in a deep spirituality.

The road of the seven chapels is a short but scenic route around the foot of the Rocca di Monselice fortress; it consists of six chapels and a small church built by the famous architect Vincenzo Scamozzi from Vicenza. From the centre of Monselice, you get to the tour's starting point by passing through Piazza Mazzini and Porta Romana. From here, the road continues slightly uphill until you reach the seven chapels, a short route that affords a beautiful view of the Po Valley.

Along the wine route that winds through the Colli Euganei, between curves and gentle slopes, we come across the Eremo Camaldolese di Monte Rua. We are in the town of Torreglia, about twenty kilometres from Padua, among beech, birch and oak forests and orderly terraced vineyards.

Surrounded by an imposing wall built in the sixteenth century, the Hermitage has been home to a monastic community for around a thousand years and its members live in cloistered silence respecting the Benedictine rule of ora et labora.

The "San Bernardino" trail is an easy 10-kilometre loop that starts from the village of Mossano, in the province of Vicenza. Centuries ago, this town was very rich in waterways and the inhabitants exploited this characteristic by developing the industry of milling, building 12 mills that remained in activity until after the Second World War. The most famous, and photographed, example is the Mulino Mucchietto with its large wooden wheel that still works today.

Located in the municipality of Revine Lago, in the province of Treviso, the Parco Archeologico Didattico del Livelet (" Livelet Educational Archaeological Park") is located in a small area that caters for a variety of natural, historical and food and wine interests.

The halls of the Museo del Maglio of Breganze recount the world of blacksmiths. Among the various exhibits, a historical record from 1635, year in which the owners of the Power Hammer required the use of a water course, a necessary element for the functioning of the impressive tool. 

Located a few kilometres from the centre of the walled city of Treviso, in the lush green of the splendid garden of Villa Margherita, the Parco degli Alberi Parlanti (Park of the Talking Trees) dedicates a large multimedia and interactive space to children, teenagers and schools. An immersive and educational experience, to discover cinema, cartoons, inventions, science and nature.