Discover what to do in Monteforte d’Alpone: a bike ride in Monteforte d’Alpone, the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, the cherry festival. Want to know more? First of all…
Where is Monteforte d’Alpone?
The municipality of Monteforte d’Alpone borders to the north with Montecchia di Crosara, to the south with San Bonifacio, to the east with Gambellara, to the west with Soave.
The church of Santa Maria Maggiore
Located at Piazza Silvio Venturi, 23, the neoclassical place of worship is accessible via an elegant staircase leading to a grand pronaos marked by fourteen Corinthian columns. The white colonnade, facing south, supports the molded architrave, the frieze, and the dentiled triangular pediment.
Crossing the imposing wooden portal, you enter the vast rectangular nave, supported by Corinthian columns and surmounted by a barrel vault, which houses precious polychrome marble altars.
Illuminated by semicircular windows, the central hall leads to the presbytery and the octagonal apse. The latter is embellished with spectacular paintings, refined altars and sculptures, and a majestic pipe organ.
If you are wondering what to do in Monteforte d’Alpone, the church of Santa Maria Maggiore and the soaring 19th-century bell tower rising beside it represent an invaluable gem of architecture and sacred art set in the historic heart of the town.
Bike ride in Monteforte d’Alpone and Gambellara
The starting point of the itinerary is the parish church of Santa Maria Maggiore. Leave the church entrance behind you and proceed east, leaving the town hall facade and the war memorial on your left. Follow Via Vittorio Veneto to the intersection, then cross the pedestrian crossing and take Via Roma. Follow Via Roma for 120 meters, then at the fork keep left on Via Santa Croce.
Proceed for about 7 km along Via Santa Croce, Via Casetta, Via G. Verdi, and Via Pozzo Roin, entering the serene Monteforte countryside dotted with rural churches shaded by cypresses and cedars, marked by lush vineyards and hedges of willows, acacias, elms, mulberries, and poplars that surround charming renovated farmhouses.
Reach the camper parking area in Gambellara at Via Piave, 30, framed by poplars and cypresses (45.454375019436725, 11.345295000130292), turn left and follow provincial road 22 for 650 meters, then turn left and proceed west for 2 km along Via Calderina. At the roundabout take the second exit and follow Via Alpone and Via Santa Margherita for about 1.8 km among sunny vineyards surrounded by wooded hills.
At the roundabout take the second exit and proceed along Via Pergola for 100 meters, then take the Brognoligo-Costalunga exit. Cross the bridge and follow Via San Brizio entering the urban center of the charming village. After passing the church of San Brizio, keep right on Via Lazzaretto, then turn left onto Via della Conciliazione. Proceed for 750 meters among lush vineyards crossed by a clear canal and well-kept gardens shaded by cedars, acacias, cypresses, magnolias, and maritime pines.
At the intersection turn left and follow Via Battisti Micheletti and Via Cervia for 1 km. At the roundabout take the second exit and follow Via Silvio Perazzolo for 1.5 km until you return to the parish church of Santa Maria Maggiore.
The cherry festival
The 2023 edition of the cherry festival took place from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 May and from Thursday 1 to Monday 5 June in the hamlet of Brognoligo.
If you are wondering what to do in Monteforte d’Alpone, the cherry festival is an ideal opportunity to spend the spring season with live music, dance evenings, and exciting competitions aimed at promoting the area’s wine excellence and the best quality cherries produced in the splendid setting of a pleasant countryside village harmoniously nestled between the historic center of Verona and the lush Euganean Hills.
