The territory of Negrar extends over an area of more than 50 sq km and has various points of interest that can be visited through its many routes. The territory is characterized by ancient settlements, the so-called districts, around which the present residential nuclei are developed; all around, a heterogeneous landscape, characterized on one side by fields cultivated by man's work, on the other by a non-anthropized territory, characterized by woods and valleys, wetlands rich in flora that connect the different ridges of the hills.
BETWEEN VILLAS AND VINEYARDS IN FONDOVALLE
1st ITINERARY
duration 1, 5 h on foot, difficulty: easy
It starts from the eighteenth-century Mosconi-Bertani villa in the locality of Novare and follows the dirt road which, just after a small bridge, passes in front of a house, inside which a beautiful spring with a well enclosed by a stone wall is still visible. Continue to the left up to a stone wash house and climbing some stone steps, placed between centuries-old cedars, you reach Tesa where you can see a spring, renamed as Fonte Elisia by the poet Ippolito Pindemonte in honor of Countess Elisabetta Mosconi and exploited since time of the Romans to feed the town's public aqueduct. Going up alongside fields planted with vines, take the military road that passes through the old mines, now disused, known as "Busa del Fer", exploited for the extraction of iron until the end of the Second World War; continue keeping to the left along a fence up to a metal mesh, after which you cross olive groves and arrive at an ancient hunting “rocolo” surrounded by cypresses. Continuing on you return to the paved road that leads to Arbizzano, on the right you can see the eighteenth-century villa Roverina, where Luigi Messedaglia, a well-known Veronese writer, stayed for a long time. Shortly after there is the Parish Church of St. Peter the Apostle, located in the historic center of the town which, as reported by an inscription once painted inside the façade, could date back to 417 AD. but of which we have certain documentation only starting from 1056. You go down, therefore, keeping to the left up to the wash house of Arbizzano. Proceed to the sports hall and turn left until you reach the road that leads to Ponton, the entrance to the Novare estate highlighted by a huge cypress; proceeding up to the rustic known as Cà dei Scarpi, now used only as a tool shed, the road returns to the dirt road until it reaches the villa, the starting point of our route.
ON THE HILL OF THE MASUA
2nd ITINERARY
duration 1 h on foot, or 5 h by bike difficulty: easy
We start from Crosara, at the intersection with Viale Europa and continue on the dirt road to the south. Then going up we will meet Villa Spinosa, a Venetian villa dating back to the 19th century. After passing the villa, going up, we arrive at Masua, a hill that divides the valley of Negrar from that of Marano. Keeping to the left, we take via Masua and walk it up to the Sacred Heart capital. We go down among the vineyards and arrive in the Moron district, at a beautiful wash house; from here we go up via Moron then via Busa, returning to Crosara.
ON THE EAST SIDE
3rd ITINERARY
duration 2h on foot difficulty: medium
The route starts from the hamlet of San Peretto, where, in the locality of Tomenighe di Sotto, you can see the country house of Emilio Salgari. Continue on the left, climbing up to the Crosetta-Calcarole intersection, then, keeping to the left, you will arrive at the suggestive Castel district, where you can see a beautiful two-basin wash house with running water. Along the way you pass in front of the famous Villa Rizzardi, designed by the architect Filippo Messedaglia, with the splendid Italian garden designed by the architect Luigi Trezza. From contrada Castel, following the road you pass the locality of Ara to then reach Preperchiusa, whose meaning is pierced stone. Following the path on the right and continuing on a concrete road, you reach two beautiful districts, respectively Siresol and, further down, on the provincial road, Concole. At the locality of Trentin, leave the provincial road and go down to the locality of Bressa. After a few meters, keeping to the left, we meet the seventeenth century villa
THE HIGH NEGRAR VALLEY
4th ITINERARY
duration 2 h difficulty: medium
Starting from the square of Torbe we go down to the left to the Galdè district, an ancient rural village, and arrive in Noval where we find the seventeenth-century capital and the Quintarelli house, considered by many to be the oldest example of a house with a portico and loggia in Valpolicella. We go down the dirt road following the signs and we arrive to the provincial road. We go up through the Malanchini district to Torbe.
ON THE BORDER WITH LESSINIA
5th ITINERARY
duration 1,5 h difficulty: medium
Going up from the parish church of Mazzano, we keep to the left, along the dirt road that leads to the heart of the Saline district. From here we go down to the village of Chieve whose toponym means slope. We cross the district where, on our left, we meet the typical wash house with two basins with running water. The pleasant road leads us to Prael; from here we return to the church of Mazzano, the starting point of our route, where it is possible to admire the particular monument called the Aeolian Harp.
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