Winter

Churches in Valpolicella

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 way of the seven chapels

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.

Monte Rua Hermitage

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.

Valley of Mills

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.

Park of the talking trees

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.

Valle Imperina Mining Centre

The Valle Imperina Mining Centre, located in the municipality of Rivamonte Agordino (BL), in the heart of the Belluno Dolomites, is an important part of Italy's historical industrial heritage, as a testimony to mining activity that lasted almost six centuries. This site, once a hub for copper mining and processing, has undergone several historical phases, in a shift from pillar of the local mining industry to an almost forgotten area.