8 December, 2013.
What could be better than walking through the olive groves and grape vines of Colli Berici on a crisp sunny December morning...with a donkey!
The hike started at 9am at Agriturismo da Sagraro, where the group met up before heading out. The beginning of the tour started out walking through the farms olive groves, with beautiful views of the surrounding Veneto area. The tour then moved through the Valle dei Milini [Valley of the Mills] in Mossano where there are many mills that have been around since the Middle Ages, some of which have been fully restored.
Around 11am we came across the first vineyard, Pegoraro Cellar. They are very well known for their Tai Rosso [which until 2010 was known as Tocai Rosso], which is a red wine classified as Colli Berici DOC.
After a little wine break we continued on our journey, now traveling to the Grotta di San Barnardino [Cave of San Bernardino]. The Cave is named after a Franciscan saint who worked in Vicenza between 1423 and 1433. It became a place of worship, but was not safe enough to protect against the massacres in 1510 during the Cambral War. Locals went to the cave for refuge, however the troops set the cave on fire. All but one boy and two girls died. The cave is also home to some of the oldest prehistoric evidence of Vicenza, with evidence of Paleolithic man and the Neanderthals.
There are also "prisions" in Mossano that are carved into the rock face along the hillside. These were built within natural caves that were modified to create rooms, stairs, windows and doorways. The rooms were used as watchtowers. These can only be visited during specific times and days so we weren't able to check them out yet.
Then it was back to Agriturismo da Sagraro for a late lunch and some wine. The dining room was originally the ancient farm workers' house, which is estimated to date back to 1576.
List of wineries that I NEED to explore!
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