Discover what to do in Zovencedo: the feast of San Gottardo, the Calto trail n° 63, the castle of Zovencedo. Want to know more? First of all…
Where is Zovencedo?
The municipality of Zovencedo borders to the north and northwest with Brendola, to the northeast with Arcugnano, to the south with Villaga, to the southwest with Val Liona, to the east with Arcugnano, Barbarano Mossano and Villaga, to the west with Brendola and Val Liona.
The feast of San Gottardo
May 4 is the day of commemoration of the death of the Benedictine bishop San Gottardo of Hildesheim, but the celebration in his honor does not always fall on this date. The 2022 edition was held from June 11 to 13.
The popular festival features gastronomic specialties of Vicenza cuisine and dance evenings with ballroom orchestras. If you are wondering what to do in Zovencedo and want to enjoy the summer with mouth-watering typical dishes, glasses of wine, mugs of beer and live music, attending this event might be just right for you!
The Calto trail n° 63
The starting point of the itinerary is the parking lot near the church of San Nicola (45.42844921029716, 11.501170340446107).
Take the downhill road flanking the parking lot following the signs for trail n° 63, leave to your left a ruin overgrown with weeds and follow the path southwest until you reach a large dirt area bordered by dry stone walls covered with a lush coat of ivy.
Shaded by the dense foliage of majestic beech trees, the area is lapped by a clear stream whose waters are channeled, through a winding canal, into the Villa fountain, a large quadrangular basin located under a recess in the limestone wall where there is a table and two benches.
Along the way you will find signs for the Rupestre Sengia dei Meoni dwelling, the stone museum of Vicenza and the Neanderthal man cave. Following the latter sign, along the path you will find a green waterfall of maidenhair fern falling into the waters of the Albiolo fountain, leaning against the steep slope.
After visiting the white cave, refuge of our ancestors more than seventy thousand years ago, the trail leads to the rural village of Calto, a picturesque rustic building surrounded by wooded hills.
Proceeding southeast, along Via Calto, the itinerary plunges into the valley of the mills, a charming area crossed by icy streams and small waterfalls that feed the wooden wheels of centuries-old mill complexes set among mountains dotted with olive trees, acacias and towering poplars.
From Via Calto continue on Via Alessandro Manzoni, then turn left onto Via Gervasi (45.412376332009885, 11.493350467985563).
From Via Gervasi take the first side road on the right at a vineyard, then flank a steep slope dotted with olive trees and, arriving at a house in front of which stands a large maritime pine (45.41484285745064, 11.496858392971331), leave the paved road and re-enter the lush woodland via the dirt path that will take you back to the starting point passing through Via Costabella, Via Croce and Via Roma. On the way back, also of notable interest are the landscape views you can admire from the Calto Val Liona viewpoint (45.42666462784131, 11.506995352520184) and the deep fountain of Cazzola (45.42829652736378, 11.507509972550094).
If you are passionate about hiking and wondering what to do in Zovencedo, the Calto trail n°63 will guide you through the breathtaking natural scenery of ancient caves and stone dwellings harmoniously set among the lively rounded profiles of ancient wooded hills.
The castle of Zovencedo
Located at Via Castello, 6, the grand fortification towers on the top of a hill from which you can take in the spectacular Berico landscape. The scarcity of information on the history of the castle, the oldest evidence of which dates back to a document of Federico Barbarossa from 1158, makes the formidable fortress even more fascinating and mysterious.
