Discover Zovencedo: Trails, Caves and Stone Heritage

Zovencedo combines a river, hiking trails and evidence of a long cultural and mining history. The Liona River rises in Zovencedo, flows down through the valley and continues towards the Po Plain. The tourist area guide “La Valle della Liona” is available to help you find your way around the area. It covers Zovencedo and Val Liona and is available digitally on the websites of the participating municipalities, as well as in printed form at municipal offices and Pro Loco offices.

Hiking trails with different stages

If you would like to explore Zovencedo on foot, the Sentiero di Zovencedo starts in the town centre. The trail is 9 kilometres long and takes 3 to 4 hours; a variant shortens the route to 6.5 kilometres. The two route lengths make it easy to compare the options when planning your day. Stage 16 of the Altavia dei Berici leads from Zovencedo to Pozzolo and offers panoramic views over the Valle del Gazzo.

The Altavia dei Berici can be completed entirely on foot, by mountain bike or on horseback. The Sentiero di Zovencedo leads to the settlement of Calto and the remains of an old lignite mine in Val Gazzo. The Sentiero di San Gottardo offers an external view of the most important extraction site for white Vicenza stone, the “Pietra di San Gottardo” variety. In addition, the Grotta di San Gottardo is one of the longest natural caves in the Berici area.

Archaeology and local history

The Grotta de Nadale is a Palaeolithic, or Old Stone Age, archaeological site in Zovencedo. It is associated with Neanderthal settlement approximately 70,000 years ago. The only surviving archaeological layer of the Grotta de Nadale documents the presence of Neanderthals in the Berici area. The Castrum of Zovencedo also points to the town’s distant history: it is first mentioned in 1158 in an imperial document issued by Frederick I.

La Sengia and the history of stone

The Casa rupestre La Sengia was established at the entrance to an old quarry and was inhabited by a very large family until the 1960s. The Museo della Pietra has been established inside the quarry at La Sengia. The hamlet of La Sengia in Zovencedo also contains a former quarry secured by the municipality, with traces of the original underground extraction techniques still preserved. The extraction of white Vicenza stone, Pietra Bianca di Vicenza, has been documented in a quarry in the municipality of Zovencedo for more than a century.

Practical guidance for your stay

The different trails, caves and historic sites allow you to choose the focus of your day according to your interests and the time available. A specific address in Zovencedo is Osteria Imbusà at Via Gazzo 2, which is freely accessible or accessible by reservation. This means that, alongside the landscape and local history, the local places to visit are also clearly incorporated into your plans.

For further orientation, you can also discover Posina, Caldogno, Lovertino, Marostica, Trissino, San Floriano, Bertesina and Castelgomberto.

For the main travel overview: Vicenza.