Discover what to do in Montecchia di Crosara: the cherry festival, the Duomo of Santa Maria, a bike ride in Montecchia di Crosara. Want to know more? First of all…
Where is Montecchia di Crosara?
The municipality of Montecchia di Crosara borders to the north with San Giovanni Ilarione, to the southeast with Gambellara, to the southwest with Monteforte d’Alpone, to the east with Roncà and Gambellara, and to the west with Cazzano di Tramigna and Soave.
The Cherry Festival
The 2023 edition of the Cherry Festival took place from Thursday 8 to Monday 12 June in the urban heart of the town. The event highlights one of the flagship products of the Montecchia community: the sweet and crunchy cherries that find optimal conditions to thrive in the fertile territory of Val d’Alpone.
The event program includes guided excursions among the cherry trees, tasting points, spacious dining areas, the traditional exhibition of Montecchia di Crosara cherries, and amusement parks for children.
If you are wondering what to do in Montecchia di Crosara, the Cherry Festival is an ideal event to spend the summer season with live music, dance evenings, breathtaking fireworks displays, and exquisite food and wine specialties to enjoy in the enchanting rural Veronese scenery framed by the slopes of the Lessini Mountains.
For more information about this lively event, we recommend visiting the Facebook page Pro Loco Montecchia di Crosara.
Bike Ride in Montecchia di Crosara
The starting point of the itinerary is the parking lot on Via Sant’Antonio (45.47733375536071, 11.262471887397155); alternatively, you can leave your car on Via San Pietro, near the municipal sports field. Starting from Via San Pietro, leave the football field on your left and proceed south to the intersection, then keep left onto Via S. Antonio. After 400 meters, just before the bridge, take the pedestrian path on your left.
The trail winds for about one and a half kilometers between the Alpone stream and lush vineyards stretching as far as the eye can see.
At the intersection with Via Roma, turn left and cross the urban center of the town, framed by arcaded houses, bars, restaurants, and elegant historic homes surrounded by magnolias, olive trees, and cedars.
After passing Piazza Umberto I, turn right and proceed along Via Duomo, flanking the majestic church of Santa Maria. Continue along the road bordered by stone walls covered in ivy, rosemary, clumps of wall pellitory, and shaded by the foliage of olive trees, fig trees, and thick climbing plants of the clematis genus with white, fragrant flowers.
Pass the short tunnel and continue along Via San Giovanni and Via Zaffaini for 1.3 km, entering the rural landscape of Montecchia, marked by lush wooded slopes and sunny vineyards of Soave DOC and Durello. At the fork, keep left onto Via Buricci and follow the hairpin bends that follow the slope of the grassy hill, dotted with silvery olive trees, cherry trees, black locusts, oaks, field maples, and many other thriving tall trees. From the privileged position of the slope, you can enjoy a wide view of the town below and the sinuous profile of the wooded hills on the horizon.
At the intersection with Via Cesari, turn left and keep left onto Via Rio Albo. Proceed along the scenic route for 1.3 km, then at the intersection turn left and continue on Via Rio Albo for 160 meters. At the intersection, turn right, proceed 160 meters to the roundabout, and take the first exit. At the next roundabout, take the second exit and follow Via San Pietro for 800 meters until you return to the starting point.
The Duomo of Santa Maria
Located at Piazzetta Don Gaetano Danieli, 5, the medieval place of worship is nestled in the urban heart of the town.
An elegant staircase of twenty-five steps leads to the massive wooden portal that gives access to the church. The imposing entrance is softened by a molded frame, surmounted by two corbels supporting the architrave. The latter, adorned with plant motifs, is topped by a projecting triangular dentiled pediment, crowned with a cross.
The white neoclassical facade is marked by two Corinthian pilasters at the ends of the front and two half-columns, also of the Corinthian order, flanking the portal. Above the giant half-columns stand the architrave, frieze, and triangular pediment crowned by three statues, depicting the Madonna in the center, Saint Peter (recognizable by the symbol of the Keys of Heaven) on her right, and Saint Pius X on her left.
If you are wondering what to do in Montecchia di Crosara, the Duomo of Santa Maria is one of the oldest and most significant spiritual, architectural, and artistic landmarks of the town, along with the Romanesque church of San Salvatore and the church of Saints Peter and Biagio.
