Negrar: Roman Villa, Wine Tradition and Hiking Trails

Negrar combines Roman archaeology, Romanesque religious art, wine tradition and a moderately difficult hiking route. In the surrounding area, destinations range from castles and ancient sites to waterfalls and natural arches. This allows you to plan culture, landscape, wine and outdoor activities with different focuses.

Roman and Romanesque Traces

Between 2020 and 2023, excavations in Negrar di Valpolicella completely uncovered the remains of a large Roman villa from the 4th century AD. At the Villa dei Mosaici, geometric and figurative mosaics on the floor surfaces are the site's main attraction. For visitors interested in cultural history, the focus is therefore on the combination of ancient architecture and artistically designed floors.

The Romanesque Pieve di San Martino is located in the center of Negrar di Valpolicella and was first mentioned in a document in 1067. Its Romanesque tuff bell tower bears the Latin Carta Lapidaria, which is dated to around 1166. The Pieve also preserves paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Wine and Historic Estates

At the Giardino di Pojega, the Wine Shop offers tastings of wines from Valpolicella as well as the entire Guerrieri Rizzardi collection. Villa Mosconi has been an important wine-production site since the 16th century and was expanded in the 18th century with a walled Brolo and a romantic park.

During guided tours of Villa Mosconi, you will see neoclassical architecture, fresco-decorated halls, romantic gardens, walled Brolo vineyards, traditional drying floors for Amarone grapes and historic cellars. A seated tasting follows. This provides an understanding of winemaking in Negrar through both its history and its actual spaces and production details.

Destinations in the Surrounding Area

The area around Negrar also includes Castle Saint Pietro as a castle, the Teatro romano di Verona as an ancient site and the Museo Miniscalchi - Erizzo as a museum. The Associazione Amici dei Civici Musei d'Arte di Verona is also associated with a museum. These destinations expand the cultural radius around Negrar without conflating their different classifications.

The landscape attractions around Negrar include Parco delle Cascate, considered a waterfall, as well as Porta Borsari and Arco della Costa as natural arches. Parco Natura Viva, a zoo, is also located nearby. Alongside historical themes, this provides a choice of nature and animal experiences as distinct areas of interest.

Hiking and Getting There

The Sentieri di San Peretto is a moderately difficult route with a walking time of about two hours. To travel to Villa Mosconi, ATV bus lines 21, 93, 101, 103, 104, 105 and 107 connect Verona Porta Nuova with Arbizzano; the buses also stop in the historic city center. When choosing a hotel in Negrar, you can take these focuses into account and choose between culture, wine, nature or a combination of several themes.

More Places for Planning Your Trip

Brognoligo-Costalunga, Castelnuovo Del Garda, Cavalcaselle, Lugagnano, Marano Di Valpolicella, Cerea, Stra, Quinto Di Valpantena

To the broader travel overview: Verona.