Discover what to do in Nogarole Vicentino: the caminada dei capitei, the Church of Castellaro, the Cheese Festival. Want to know more? First of all…
Where is Nogarole Vicentino?
The municipality of Nogarole Vicentino borders to the north with Altissimo, to the southeast with Arzignano, to the southwest with Chiampo, to the east with Brogliano and Trissino, to the west with San Pietro Mussolino and Chiampo.
La caminada dei capitei
The starting point of the nature trail is the parking lot at Piazza Guglielmo Marconi, 2. Proceed northwest along Via Roma. After about 45 meters, turn left into Via Castellaro. Keeping to the right, climb the road that leads to the grassy top of a wooded hill where the Church of Castellaro stands.
The Church of Saints Rocco and Sebastiano
Dating back to the mid-15th century, the stone place of worship features a simple, unadorned double-pitched façade with a small oculus. Another noteworthy element is the charming bell tower crowned by a conical spire reminiscent of the Apulian trulli.
Accessible via a wooden door surmounted by a white round arch, the interior of the church, with a wooden truss roof, houses a splendid altar with three statues depicting, in the center, the Madonna and Child, on the left San Sebastiano tied to a trunk, on the right San Rocco with his dog at his side.
Leave the church façade behind and descend along the winding road in the shade of cedars, birches, chestnuts, white willows and hazelnut trees, to name just a few of the tree varieties that cloak the rounded hill.
At the intersection (45.56039190250308, 11.286363743453384) turn left, then immediately right onto Via Verona, then continue along Via Rovigo and Via Vicenza. Keep left onto Via Faldi from which you can enjoy a wide-ranging view of the boundless panorama of sinuous hills dotted with tree vegetation.
Walk along Via Faldi north for about 300 meters. At a small house partly hidden by the prickly crowns of some pines, turn left onto the dirt road that descends zigzagging the hillside and leads to Via Dall’Ava (45.569893826164325, 11.27993269675508).
Cross the picturesque hamlet on Via Alvese and proceed north along Via Dotti among vast sunny slopes dotted with ancient rural buildings and flourishing nettle trees.
Proceed north until Contrà Corati, after which you take Via Bertoli until you reach the stone village that gives its name to this road.
Reach a beautiful specimen of acacia spinosa (45.58453808049227, 11.27688691082171) continue north, uphill, until you reach the Eremo della Pace di Alvese, from which you can admire a splendid panoramic view of the Lessini hills. Continue along Via Centro Alvese and turn left towards the cemetery. Follow the dirt path that flanks the cemetery. Once on the asphalt road, keep left to reach the village where, on the wall of a dairy house, there is a mural depicting a stable where a woman milks a cow and the domestic hearth where a man stirs milk and rennet in a large steaming cauldron to prepare cheese.
Keep right on a dirt road that flanks a rustic building and leads to Via Altissimo. Continue north for about 30 meters among acacias, ashes and maples, then take the path to your right, at the picnic area bounded by a fence, which goes into the lush tree vegetation.
After a few hundred meters, reaching a clearing, the path turns southeast among splendid flower meadows and stone cottages enveloped by dense tree vegetation.
After visiting the little church of Madonna del Faldo di Nogarole (45.57294245649641, 11.290743739580359), venture again into the woodland vegetation. Reach the asphalt road and proceed south, downhill, along Via Faldi among lush vineyards and thick hedges until you reach the restaurant Gabri e Giorgio. Turn left to return to the town hall.
If you are passionate about hiking and wondering what to do in Nogarole Vicentino, the Camminata dei Capitei is an ideal opportunity to immerse yourself in pristine forest expanses and contemplate charming landscape views of the Lessini hills.
The Cheese Festival
The 2023 edition of the Cheese Festival will take place from Friday 5 to Sunday 7 May at the Church of San Simone e Giuda.
The long-awaited popular festival promotes the ancient art of cheesemaking which, in these places, on the fertile volcanic slopes of Monte Faldo, the last spur of the Lessini mountains in the Vicenza area, has allowed generations to produce nutritious cheeses of a unique and exceptional flavor.
If you are wondering what to do in Nogarole Vicentino and wish to learn about and taste exquisite dairy products that enrich the already formidable gastronomic heritage of the Vicenza area, attending the Cheese Festival might be just for you!
For more information about the festival, you can visit the Facebook page Festa del Formaggio a Nogarole Vicentino and the website festadelformaggio.it where you will find the event program.
