Cammino del Vino e della Pietra

Set in a panoramic position west of Negrar, on the hill of Jago dall’Ora, the villa overlooks the valley from an elevation of about 250 metres, within an open and light-filled landscape. The complex is dominated by a nineteenth-century manor house, south-facing and flanked by a formal Italian garden, where box hedges follow the natural slope of the hill.
The building, compact and well balanced, rises over two main floors plus an attic and stands out for the refinement of its architectural details, visible in the moulded cornice and the elegant window frames. Both the street portal and the entrance on the north façade bear the owners’ coat of arms which, since 1928, has given the villa its name: a rampant lion holding a “thorny” branch.

Villa Novaia stands in a commanding position east of Marano, on the ridge of Contrada Novaia, a place name referring to land brought into “new” cultivation. Its origins are likely connected to the castrum of Novalee, mentioned in an early-fifteenth-century document.
Although the complex has undergone several alterations, it still preserves the characteristics of a medieval fortified residence: a strategic hilltop location at the watershed between the Marano valley and a smaller side valley, and a solid quadrangular substructure supporting a walled courtyard. The most ancient element is a tower-like core, later transformed into a dovecote, which reveals the original function of a late-medieval lordly tower-house, serving as residence and refuge during stays in the countryside.

The Church of San Marco, once dedicated to Saint Stephen, in the hamlet of Pozzo, has preserved its Romanesque layout despite a few minor alterations over the centuries. It features a simple gabled façade and a single nave covered by wooden trusses.
Of particular note are the 14th- and 15th-century frescoes: the oldest can be seen on the bell tower wall; on the north wall, a Saint Catherine and a fragment of a Crucifixion; and on the south wall, a Madonna enthroned.
Outside, on the south wall of the church, there is a striking Crucifixion dated 1441, with two kneeling donors at the foot of the Cross.
Inside, the chapel on the north wall houses an altarpiece by the Flemish artist Michele Meeves, who also crafted the elegant wooden frame. Another painting of Saint Mark adorns the main altar.
The peaceful atmosphere, a few remaining cypress trees, the small bell tower, and even a Roman inscription stone embedded in the wall, all contribute to the church’s discreet yet pervasive charm.

The pieve—as medieval country churches were called when they served as the religious center for a wide rural territory—of San Floriano is a fine example of Romanesque architecture, built in tuff blocks at the beginning of the 12th century, inspired by the churches of San Giovanni in Valle and Santo Stefano in Verona.
The gabled façade is divided into three sections, corresponding to the interior naves, by two pilasters that rest on inverted Roman votive altars. Additional fragments of ancient Roman funerary monuments are embedded in the church walls, at the base of the bell tower, and in the surrounding enclosure wall.
The façade is topped with a decorative band of blind arcading, a motif that also appears on the high walls of the massive square bell tower, also Romanesque in style.
The southern side of the church is flanked by an elegant cloister, where, beneath the first arch, one can admire a fine Crucifixion fresco from the early 15th century. Several sculptural fragments from the earlier church have been displayed on the cloister walls.
The interior, recently restored to reflect its Romanesque origins, features three naves separated by alternating columns and pillars. In several places, traces of the original monochromatic geometric decorations have reemerged, offering a glimpse into the church’s ancient aesthetic.

On Colle Menzago, in San Pietro in Cariano, overlooking today’s Piazza Ara della Valle, stands a building that for centuries represented the political and administrative center of Valpolicella: the former town hall, once the seat of the Vicario of Valpolicella.
This hill, along with nearby Colle di Cariano—where the parish church stands—forms the historic core of the town. Beginning in the mid-15th century, this is where the mayors and councillors of the valley’s various communities would gather under the guidance of the Vicario. The original structure featured a public loggia.
Next to it, toward the end of the 17th century, a small chapel dedicated to Saint Clare of Assisi was built, and it is still visible today.
During the time of the Serenissima Republic of Venice, the Vicario was a Veronese nobleman, appointed directly by Venice. His role was to oversee and coordinate the civic life of the many Valpolicella communities, serving as a point of reference for administrative and legal matters. He was not merely a figurehead, but a true institutional mediator between the local autonomies and central authority.