Spiazzi between the Pilgrimage Route and Monte Baldo

Spiazzi combines the mountain landscape of Monte Baldo with an exceptionally dense network of pilgrimage routes, historic access paths and religious works of art. Route C12 begins at Piazza Don Luigi Vezzola and leads uphill to the Croce area, the oldest historic centre of Spiazzi. Along the way, it passes through rural mountain hamlets, vineyards and forests in Spiazzi, Monte Croce and Stringari.

Routes to Madonna della Corona

The footpath from Spiazzi to Madonna della Corona follows a paved road that is used exclusively by pedestrians. Its bends are marked by 14 bronze Stations of the Cross. Beyond Spiazzi, a paved access route ends at a gallery carved into the rock in 1922, where an image of the Virgin Mary is displayed. At Ponte del Tiglio, the route continues via the staircase of Via Matris Dolorosae to the feet of the sanctuary; seven devotional niches there invite visitors to reflection.

CAI trail no. 73 is called Sentiero della Speranza. It is a historic path between the valley floor and the heights of Monte Baldo and leads to the Santuario Madonna della Corona. The path is approximately 2.5 kilometres long and climbs steeply along the slope of Monte Cimo over steps of varying heights carved from the rock. Through the rocky gorges of Val delle Pissotte, Sentiero no. 73 also reveals the contrast between the vineyards of the Adige Valley covered with pergola-trained vines and the rugged rocky landscape around the sanctuary.

Pilgrimage Routes with Different Rhythms

The group “Il gruppo del sabato” offers a communal walking pilgrimage for prayer every Saturday of the year. The starting point is beneath the large chestnut tree in Brentino at 3 p.m. Along the old pilgrimage route, the group covers around 600 metres of elevation gain with many steps and reaches the sanctuary in approximately one and a half hours. Participation is open to everyone, even if you only wish to join on one Saturday.

The Cammino dei due Santuari is a long-distance religious route that begins at Pieve di Chiampo and ends at the Santuario Madonna della Corona. For the most part, it uses existing trails marked by the CAI. The route passes through beech and fir forests, mountain meadows used as pasture and valleys whose appearance remains largely original and unspoilt. Along this route, visitors can also see the typical Cimbrian hamlets of Bosco Chiesanuova, devotional works, wayside shrines and small chapels.

Monte Baldo, History and Sacred Art

After Malga Basiana, a path leads back towards Spiazzi via Dosso della Croce. Dosso della Croce is a viewpoint over the lower Adige Valley and complements the forest, hamlet and vineyard landscapes of Route C12 with an open view across the valley region. Another path from Spiazzi leads to the Bergola spring, considered the most important water source supplying Caprino Veronese.

The history of the site dates back to around the year 1000: at that time, hermits lived in the Monte Baldo area and were connected with the Abbey of San Zeno in Verona. By the second half of the 13th century at the latest, there was a monastery there with a chapel dedicated to Saint Mary of Montebaldo. The stone Pietà group is said to date from the period when the Knights Hospitaller owned the site of Santa Maria di Montebaldo; it was later venerated as Our Lady of the Corona.

The Pietà statue is 70 centimetres high, 56 centimetres wide and 25 centimetres deep. It is made of local stone and painted. Its pedestal bears the inscription “HOC OPUS FECIT FIERI LODOVICUS D CASTROBARCO D 1432”. Traditionally, this inscription is regarded as evidence that Lodovico Castelbarco commissioned the statue in 1432 and donated it to the Corona. At the access route from Spiazzi to Madonna della Corona, there is also a replica of the tomb into which Jesus’ body was placed after his death.

The original access route also tells of the site’s long pilgrimage history: the exposed original section of Sentiero no. 73 was used until 1922 by pilgrims coming from Spiazzi. For planning purposes, this makes it possible to compare different types of route: a paved connection used exclusively by pedestrians and featuring Stations of the Cross, a steep historic trail over rock steps, and a long-distance route through forests, pastures, valleys and small religious monuments.

Other Destinations in the Area

Stra, Montorio, Badia Calavena, Rivoli Veronese, Festara, Isola Della Scala, Settimo and San Bonifacio

To the higher-level travel overview: Verona.