Discover what to do in Altissimo: the trout festival, the church of San Nicola, a nature trail among the hills of Altissimo. Do you want to know more? First of all…
Where is Altissimo?
The municipality of Altissimo borders to the north with Recoaro Terme, to the south with San Pietro Mussolino, to the southeast with Nogarole Vicentino, to the southwest with Vestenanova, to the west with Crespadoro and Vestenanova.
The trout festival
The trout festival is held every year, with rare exceptions, in the month of June. The 2024 edition took place on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 June and from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 June near the church of Molino.
As every year, the lively event features spacious dining areas where you can choose among tempting fish specialties, from pasta with trout sauce and fried Avanotti to exquisite crostini and trout fillets. The program includes dance evenings and quiet excursions to discover the most suggestive natural areas of the municipality.
If you are wondering what to do in Altissimo, the trout festival is an ideal event for those who want to enjoy delicious fish dishes in the setting of a splendid little village in the Chiampo Valley.
For more information about the next appointment, you can consult the Facebook page Festa della Trota.
The church of San Nicola
Located at Via Roma, 27, the church of San Nicola is one of the most significant cultural, historical and spiritual landmarks of the municipality. The grandiose neoclassical facade of the place of worship is marked by four Corinthian half-columns supporting the architrave, frieze and dentiled triangular pediment. Surmounted by a tympanum supported by brackets, the wooden portal is flanked by two niches containing statues of two saints.
The nave houses vivid pictorial works that embellish the walls and the lunette-pavilion vault. The side chapels, housing altars in polychrome marble, are framed by elegant half-columns.
Perched on a rocky height, undoubtedly noteworthy is the soaring bell tower, bearing below the bell chamber a clock with Roman numerals. Crowning the structure is a sharp octagonal spire.
Built where the oldest parish church of the 12th century once stood, the church overlooks a panoramic square from which you can admire the sinuous profile of the rounded wooded hills and, on the horizon, the Little Dolomites.
Walking in Altissimo
The starting point of the itinerary is the parking lot near the parish church at Via Roma, 27. The church facade is behind you. Proceed left, heading east, along Via Roma. After about 100 meters, at the stop sign, turn left and continue uphill along Via Roma. After about 250 meters, continue along the path that winds through the splendid wooded heights of Altissimo.
The route leads to a charming rural cottage and a well, then re-enters the woods and emerges after a few hundred meters at the Casin del Gamba restaurant. Turn left and proceed northwest for about 150 meters, then go up the dirt road on your left that goes into thick trees and shrubs.
At a fork, keep right and, after a clearing, keep left along the path that leads to Residenza Montalbieri. Unless there are no-entry signs, cross the garden in a northwest direction and continue along the path in the shade of the dense foliage of the forest.
The next stop is a stone cottage immersed in a fairy-tale atmosphere. The path proceeds along the ridge of wooded slopes until it leads to an area with a large stone table and wooden logs used as stools.
The itinerary flows onto a winding road near some buildings (45.63191174912909, 11.249646187161211). Keep left and leave Casa Nove Montagna on your right, then (45.63263367540083, 11.246474847529232), keep left and follow the path that goes into the woods.
At this point (45.636761975203214, 11.244379034488654) the path descends westward, crosses a clearing and leads to Contra’ Cocco.
After crossing the picturesque village, proceed south along Via Cocco and Via Zerbati for about 400 meters, then take the narrow dirt path on your left (45.631189820756894, 11.238605028629426).
The route runs southeast along the slope of the hill until it reaches, after about 750 meters, the casetta tre scalini, a natural area dotted with sculptures and wooden chairs, where there is a cabin with a fireplace, a tent, a colorful totem, a fountain, a miniature wood and stone village nestled among moss-veiled rocks and a chessboard painted on a log.
Resume your walk until you come out to Via Valle di La (45.62256627106068, 11.25047904107765). Continue south on Via Caussi, skirting the village of the same name, then take Via Roma to return to the starting point.
If you are wondering what to do in Altissimo and you are passionate about hiking, the recommended trail offers breathtaking landscape views of the Little Dolomites in a timeless atmosphere where art and nature coexist in harmony.
