Illasi: Wine Museum, Castle Hill and Church Art
Accommodation in Illasi
Illasi: wine, castle hill and church art
Illasi combines the history of wine and art with the castle hill above the town and trails offering views of two valleys. This makes the town interesting for travelers who want to consider the themes of their stay alongside their accommodation. One focus is wine production and sacred art; another comes from castle architecture and the landscape.
Castello di Illasi stands on the ridge above the town. Together with nearby Castello di Soave, it had a strategic role in controlling the valley routes. Its fortifications are laid out in separate sections: they include a residential mastio alongside the military cassero, as well as an almost elliptical perimeter wall. These features link the castle’s historical role to the specific layout of its grounds.
The Museo del Vino Villa Canestrari is housed in a 16th-century villa and displays historic tools and machinery used to make and bottle wine. This puts two distinct stages of work in focus: producing wine and bottling it. For travelers interested in wine as cultural history, this is a particular highlight. The historic villa provides the setting, while the tools and machinery illustrate the work involved in both processes. In this way, the museum offers a different focus from the religious buildings, where architecture, painting and frescoes take center stage.
The religious buildings also reflect different periods and artistic influences. The Abbazia Minore di San Zeno Vescovo in Cellore, in the municipality of Illasi, is thought to date from the 7th or 9th century; documents attest to its existence from 1037. Its date of origin is therefore a probable attribution, while 1037 is the year documented in written records. The Chiesa di San Giorgio Martire is neoclassical and preserves a bronze portal by Virgilio Audagna as well as frescoes by Carlo Donati. The Chiesa di Sant’Anna preserves a 14th-century painting depicting Saint Anne with the child Mary. The Santuario di S. Felice dates from the 9th or 10th century and preserves numerous frescoes. Illasi’s sacred art thus ranges from an early abbey whose date is only probable to a specific subject and named works of art. The different dates, styles and works do not represent just one period.
For those interested in the landscape, the routes can be distinguished by their paths. The Sentiero degli Olivi runs partly along the ridge of the hills and offers simultaneous views of the Val d’Illasi and the Val Tramigna. The circular route Quattro passi tra i vigneti e gli olivi di Illasi goes as far as the castle hill and offers views of the same two valleys. A defining feature of the Sentiero is that it runs partly along the ridge; for the circular route, it is the path to the castle hill. Both take in the valley panorama, but each connects it to a different point of interest. When choosing between the routes, you can therefore consider whether you would prefer to focus on the ridge or the castle hill.
Discover more destinations: Monteforte D'alpone, Beccacivetta-Azzano, Mazzano and San Bonifacio.
Return to the broader travel overview: Verona.
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