Woods and ancient towns on the hills of Grezzana

This itinerary is part of the extensive network of hiking and cycling routes of the FEET project being completed by the municipal administration of Grezzana, an initiative designed to promote the territory through its sustainable use.

Starting from the municipal public garden behind the parish church, continue north along the Ponte Vecchio and Fossà streets, and then follow Viale dell'Industria and Via Pozzo all the way, until it joins the cycle path along the provincial road. Continuing north, you will soon reach the elevated crossroads of Orè, where you will leave the cycle path to continue along the CAI 271A path, gaining altitude; along this stretch the hiker can admire the majestic rocky wall to the northwest, where some imposing caves and the singular tower, known as the “Falasco”, can be seen. The site is particularly interesting since in the Middle Ages it was a control point over the valley, and was built by the Turrisendi family of nobles; later, in the seventeenth century, it was the home of a certain Francesco Falasco (hence the toponym), a wealthy man who had fallen from grace and had taken shelter on the hill because of his troubles, and who ended up working in the pay of noble families of the valley doing shifty jobs. Towards the end of that century, the same fate befell Paolo Bianchi, a "good guy" who inherited the name "Falasco" because of his occupation; Bianchi was the protagonist of the kidnapping of Angiolina Lonardi commissioned by Count Provolo of the Giusti family, a crime that was uncovered and that led him to be hanged outside the walls of Verona.

Continue along the path, go up along the vajetto next to the small church of Sant'Antonio and then cross a beautiful mixed deciduous wood to the south; this stretch of path is particularly suggestive and in the initial part runs alongside old abandoned caves in tunnels. The climb continues following the CAI 271 path that, after crossing a bright meadow, enters a comfortable dirt road in the woods, until it crosses the provincial road that leads from Grezzana to Montecchio. We are at Case Vecchie, a historic town on the top of the Vaio Galina, a site deemed to be significant enough, because of its naturalistic peculiarities, to be protected as a Special Conservation Area in reference to the European Habitat Directive.

From Case Vecchie carry on leaving the CAI path, first alongside a vineyard on terraces and then again in a beautiful mixed forest, which leaves room for small clearings with beautiful orchid blooms in spring and the splendid colours of scotano in autumn.

The descent continues until you return to the provincial road where there is an ancient stone cross, just above the Ca del Vento, you then proceed towards Coatte and then, returning to a CAI path, return to Grezzana.

Length: 9.5 km

Average travel time: 3h 15 min. Vertical development: 425m

Difficulty: E (hiking itinerary with limited height difference with stretches on asphalted roads, dirt roads and on well-marked paths through hillside mixed woodlands).

Recommended time of year: all year round, during the summer months in the early morning or late afternoon.