Discover what to do in Solagna: the church of Santa Giustina, the church of San Giovanni Battista, the San Giovanni ai Colli Alti trench, the Strada delle Penise, the Villaggio del Sole. Want to know more? First of all…
Where is Solagna?
The municipality of Solagna borders to the north with Valbrenta, to the southeast with Pove del Grappa, to the southwest with Bassano del Grappa, to the east with Borso del Grappa, to the west with San Nazario and Valbrenta.
The church of Santa Giustina
Set between the icy course of the Brenta and the bright slopes that crown the steep wooded sides of the Massif of Grappa, the heart of the ancient village is heralded by the soaring bell tower of the church of Santa Giustina.
Reachable via a staircase of twenty-seven steps bordered by a brick parapet, the parish church is distinguished by a majestic neoclassical facade with a double pitch, tripartite by four Corinthian pilasters supporting the architrave, frieze, and triangular pediment.
Overlooking the primordial landscape of the steep ridges of Monte Caina covered with dense tree vegetation lapped by the clear waters of the river through which the rocky bed gleams, the place of worship of ancient origins is accessible via a large wooden door flanked by statues of two saints and houses inside a priceless sixteenth-century oil on panel depicting the Madonna and Child silhouetted against a golden background.
Beside the church rises the bell tower, punctuated by mullioned windows surmounted by an elegant bulbous spire.
The church of San Giovanni Battista
Steep among the gentle slopes dotted with white and red firs on the summit of the Grappa massif, covered on sunny winter days by a dazzling veil of snow, the church of San Giovanni Battista has a sober and undecorated facade in pale pink tones, punctuated by four pilasters in three vertical sections, the central one of which is concluded by a semicircular tympanum.
Located in Loc, Via Colli Alti, 36020 VI (45.857503798567215, 11.717397290612771), the centuries-old place of worship stands in an extremely historically significant location, a few steps from a winding path and winding wooden and beaten earth stairways that lead to a World War I trench cloaked in dry leaves and a narrow, dark stone tunnel almost buried by the roots of a beech tree.
Strada delle Penise
The pleasant itinerary unfolds in the locality of Colli alti, between the boundless and gentle slopes that extend on the top of the Grappa Massif and the bare precipices that stand imposingly over the town below.
You can start the route by leaving the car in the space between the hairpin bend on Via Colli Alti and Via delle Penise (45.83758160461694, 11.727975841943724) from which you enjoy a wide view of the mountains and the countless tiny red roofs of Solagna and Pove del Grappa scattered along the course of the Brenta.
Walk along the Strada del Penise, venturing into the fairy-tale karst landscape reminiscent of the settings of the film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, until you reach the solemn monument of Col Moschin commemorating the Battle of the Solstice fought from 15 to 18 June 1918, then head to the Alpe Madre refuge via Via Col Moschin.
Pass the mighty cross of Col Fenilon, surrounded by green and luminous meadows studded with white daffodils and yellow buttercups from which comes the echo of cowbells hanging from the necks of grazing cows, then proceed along Via Col Moschin until you reach Casa Serena. Continue east along Via Colli Alti, passing beside the aforementioned church of San Giovanni Battista, the Albergo Ristorante San Giovanni, and the San Giovanni ai Colli Alti trench.
Continue southeast along Via Colli Alti for about 3 km until you reach the Villaggio del Sole, a charming twentieth-century building perched on the southern edge of the plateau among the gentle hills leaning over the rocky cliffs of the pre-Alpine mountain range dotted with thick evergreen canopies of tall beech trees.
From the Villaggio del Sole, proceed south via Via Colli Alti to return to the starting point.
If you are wondering what to do in Solagna and want to immerse yourself in an unspoiled, green, silent, and peaceful environment despite the deep scars of concrete and stone that still mark the land after more than a century, a visit to this splendid municipality in the Vicenza area, an ideal destination for hiking and history enthusiasts, will be an unforgettable experience!
