Negrar: Mosaics, Villas and Wine

Negrar can be explored through several clearly distinct themes: archaeological traces, Romanesque sacred architecture, the history of winegrowing and walking routes. When choosing a hotel, it helps to consider which of these interests you would like to pursue during your stay. The sites and activities offer different ways to spend your time: mosaics and inscriptions invite close observation, guided tours combine architectural history with a tasting, and one route is listed as taking approximately two hours to walk. This lets you organise your days around your interests without conflating the different offerings into a single sightseeing itinerary.

Roman Villa and Mosaics

Excavations carried out in Negrar di Valpolicella between 2020 and 2023 fully uncovered the remains of a large Roman villa dating from the 4th century AD. At the Villa dei Mosaici, the geometric and figurative mosaics discovered on the floor surfaces are the site’s main point of interest. Two aspects therefore take centre stage: the fully uncovered remains and the floors’ imagery. The excavation years indicate the period when the remains were uncovered, while the 4th century dates the ancient villa. This distinction places the details in their correct time frames without conflating the excavation history with the construction date.

Villa Mosconi: The History of Winegrowing and Tours

Villa Mosconi has been an important wine-producing estate since the 16th century. In the 18th century, a walled brolo vineyard and a romantic park were added. Thus, the history of the wine estate and its later additions represent distinct historical layers. Guided tours cover neoclassical architecture, frescoed halls, romantic gardens, walled brolo vineyards, traditional drying floors for Amarone grapes and historic cellars. The tour is followed by a seated tasting. If you are looking for a wide-ranging themed activity, the tour combines architecture, gardens, winegrowing and a tasting in one itinerary.

Pieve di San Martino

The Romanesque Pieve di San Martino is located in the centre of Negrar and was first mentioned in a document in 1067. Its Romanesque tuff bell tower bears the Latin Carta Lapidaria, dated to around 1166. The church also houses paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries. These details point to different historical records: the church’s first mention, the approximate date of the inscription and paintings from later centuries. If you are interested in the area’s history, you can distinguish between the architecture, written record and paintings rather than applying all the dates to the building as a whole.

Wine Tastings at Giardino di Pojega

The Wine Shop at Giardino di Pojega offers tastings of wines from Valpolicella as well as the full Guerrieri Rizzardi collection. This gives you two points of reference: a selection identified by region and a specifically named collection. The setting differs from the tour of Villa Mosconi: there, the tasting concludes a guided tour, while the Wine Shop offers tastings. If wine plays a part in planning your trip, you can take these different formats into account when choosing your activities.

Route and Bus Connections

The Sentieri di San Peretto is a moderately difficult route with an estimated walking time of about two hours. The difficulty rating indicates the level of challenge, while the approximate walking time gives you a sense of the time required. Both can help you weigh the route as a separate activity alongside the historical sites. For the bus journey from Verona Porta Nuova to Arbizzano, ATV lines 21, 93, 101, 103, 104, 105 and 107 run the route; the buses also stop in the historic town centre. Since timetables are subject to change, check current departure times before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Gazzo Veronese, Cavaion Veronese, Soave, Caprino Veronese, Ferrara Di Monte Baldo, Sona, Villafranca Di Verona, Erbezzo.

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