Discover what to do in Isola Vicentina: the feast of San Lorenzo, the Guizza wood, the church of San Lorenzo in Castelnovo, the Gran Polu feast. Do you want to know more? First of all…
Where is Isola Vicentina?
The municipality of Isola Vicentina borders to the northeast with Villaverla, to the northwest with Malo, to the south with Gambugliano, to the southeast with Costabissara, to the southwest with Castelgomberto, to the east with Caldogno, to the west with Malo and Castelgomberto.
The Gran Polù feast
The Gran Polù feast takes place every year in the second half of June in the hamlet of Castelnovo. In 2022, the fair was held from June 17 to 26.
The traditional celebration includes a large dining area where you can enjoy mouthwatering traditional dishes, from gnocchi drowned in tomato sauce and bigoli with duck ragù to tasty stews accompanied by slices of steaming polenta, as well as fried fish and bruschetta to satisfy every palate, just to name a few of the dishes that make the event so appreciated by food lovers. The undisputed star of the event is the luganega, a Lombard sausage made from ground pork mixed with Marsala, grana cheese, and meat broth, excellent when grilled and ideal for preparing delicious risottos.
If you are wondering what to do in Isola Vicentina and wish to spend the summer in this pleasant rural village nestled in the heart of the Vicenza area, with cold pints of craft beer, local wine specialties, live music, dance evenings to the rhythm of impeccable liscio orchestras, and breathtaking fireworks displays, attending the Gran Polù feast will be an opportunity not to be missed!
The feast of San Lorenzo
The initiatives to make the most of the summer season certainly do not end here! The feast of San Lorenzo takes place every year in the first half of August. The 2022 edition was held from August 9 to 11.
The long-awaited event combines solemn liturgical functions in honor of the patron saint with the jovial and carefree atmosphere of village festivals, with glasses of wine, rivers of beer, singing performances, and gastronomic specialties that attest to the quality of local products.
Among the delicious dishes you can taste in the large and comfortable tents near the ancient church, the menu includes rich platters of cured meats, gnocchi with ragù, spicy chicken with potatoes and rosemary that will make your mouth water, as well as succulent dishes like goulash, a hearty Hungarian delicacy consisting of a stew of beef and lard cooked with onions, carrots, potatoes, and paprika.
The Guizza wood
A majestic relief of volcanic origin, Mount Ignago alternates extraordinary landscapes dotted with dark lava rocks and suggestive grassy slopes covered with chestnut trees, hornbeams, hazelnuts, manna ashes, butcher’s broom, maples, and oaks, just to name a few of the splendid tree varieties that make the park a reference point for hiking enthusiasts, also thanks to periodic environmental protection interventions that facilitate the growth of lush plants.
Harmoniously integrated into the thick vegetation of the oasis, the detailed information panels illustrate the geological evolution and the biodiversity complex of the natural site, the sinuous paths that allow exploring its fragile and spectacular biodiversity heritage, and some benches to rest and quietly contemplate the lush vegetation of the place.
If you are wondering what to do in Isola Vicentina and wish to immerse yourself in an unspoiled scenario seemingly suspended in a primordial and timeless dimension, a visit to the Guizza wood will be a memorable experience!
The church of San Lorenzo in Castelnovo
Located at Via Rossioni, 2, the thousand-year-old stone place of worship stands on a sunny hill from which you can enjoy a wide view of green wooded slopes, crossed by roads punctuated by dark cypresses and dotted with the tiny red roofs of farmhouses.
The building features a simple and unadorned gabled façade in which two circular openings open above the wooden door.
Incorporated into the structure, the square-based bell tower towers, almost disproportionate compared to the small and charming church, its massive bulk softened by four mullioned windows at the belfry.
