Top 12 Caves クレアッツォでの

A picturesque cliff that hides a series of còvoli (natural karst caves) and a disused priara (stone quarry). The best ravines, rock formations, and light effects must be sought out, carefully venturing onto the rugged ledge at the foot of the wall. The cliff is used for sport climbing ('Lumignano Nuova', to distinguish it from 'Lumignano Classica' on the other side of the valley).

The Hermitage of San Cassiano is a little gem of the Berici Hills: a small and ancient building nestled in an imposing rock face, along a narrow ledge, overlooking the eastern plain, in a silent and suggestive environment. It is a building that in its current appearance dates back to the 17th century, erected by incorporating the remains of the ancient church of San Cassiano from the 6th-7th century: the small parish church was built in correspondence with a cave that served as an apse, closed by walls; thirteen tombs carved into the rock were discovered here, ten of which are still visible. N.B.: the hermitage is open only on the first Sunday of each month, managed by a group of volunteers, with free admission and a guided tour (free donation). https://sites.google.com/site/clubspeleologicoproteo/eremodisancassiano?authuser=0

An extremely evocative and interesting site, hidden and unexpected, almost surreal: it surprises with its vastness and the slender square columns supporting the titanic ceiling... it feels like being inside a temple in ancient Mesopotamia or in the mines of Moria from Tolkien's memory! The Priàre (from 'pria', meaning stone in the Venetian dialect) are a complex of underground quarries and tunnels for the extraction of the renowned "soft Vicenza stone," active from Roman times until the mid-20th century. During the bombings of World War II, the quarries were used by the inhabitants of Montecchio as a refuge; between 1972 and 1985, they were exploited as a mushroom farm, thanks to the humidity and constant temperature throughout the year; Afterwards, they were abandoned until their redevelopment and safety measures in 2000. Vicenza Stone is a highly prized material, always highly appreciated and sought after in architecture and construction: beyond its aesthetic appeal, it is soft and malleable when freshly quarried, but upon contact with air, it "seasons," hardening and becoming extremely resistant over time. This rock was used to build the Montecchio fortresses and by Andrea Palladio for his works. It has always been quarried strictly by hand, using the same technique for millennia, in square blocks; this is why the quarries have such a geometric appearance. Open Sunday afternoon; entry is only possible with a (very interesting) guided tour lasting about 40 minutes; admission is €3. Please note that payment by POS is not possible due to the lack of signal. https://www.prolocoaltemontecchio.it/cosa-vedere/le-priare/

A gallery with a majestic entrance and height. The square cuts in the walls and ceiling reveal the stone extraction process: first, a layer of wall was isolated, cutting deeply along the entire perimeter; then, non-invasive explosives and metal pins were used to collapse the hidden facade and detach the enormous block. It is one of the many quarries in the Berici Hills (known as 'priàre' in Venetian dialect) for the extraction of the prized Vicenza stone, widely used and appreciated in architecture. Some quarries (like this one) have been abandoned; others are still active; and still others have been converted for various uses. https://www.colliberici.it/it/i-colli-berici/societa/la-attivita-estrattive

Hermitage of San Cassiano From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Hermitage of San Cassiano is located in Lumignano, a hamlet of Longare, a municipality in the province of Vicenza. The hermitage, inserted into the eastern rocky wall of the Monte della Croce di Lumignano, is a construction that dates back to the 17th century, built by incorporating the remains of the ancient church of San Cassiano from the 6th-7th century which was located in today's room on the north side of the building. Inserted into the eastern rock face of the Monte della Croce di Lumignano, it is a building that dates back to the 17th century, built by incorporating the remains of the ancient church of San Cassiano from the 6th-7th century[1] which was located in today's room on the north side of the building. The ancient church was built in correspondence with a den that served as an apse, closed by walls, the lower parts of which were brought to light by the 1994 excavation. Thirteen tombs carved into the rock were discovered here, ten of which are still visible. We can distinguish pits of rectangular or trapezoidal shape, of elliptical shape and other anthropomorphic ones, with a hollow where the head of the deceased rested, dating back to a period between the 5th and 9th centuries. Inscriptions engraved on a tombstone were also found, the only one found on site; others are carved directly on the rock face where the pits were created. Tradition has it that here, in the 12th century, Adelaide of Burgundy, empress of the Franks and queen of Italy, found refuge for some time after escaping the imprisonment imposed on her by Berengar when King Lothair II, her husband, was assassinated in 1137. It is also said that, as long as she lived, the grateful queen sent gifts to the penitents who retreated here to pray[2]. The complex became the private property of the Padua Dottori family from the 17th century until the end of the 18th, when it passed to Nicolò Leoni who in 1825 sold it to the Da Schio family, to whom it still belongs.

Apart from the first Sunday of the month the hermitage is closed by a gate and the hermitage is not even visible from there, so it is not worth going up, except for a walk in the woods.

I recommend following the path upstream and not the one further down, in order to see all the nests that follow one another in this stretch. Follow the orange marks on the trunks of the plants. Please note that the route is challenging and bumpy, but not dangerous.

Attention ⚠️ only open every first Sunday of the month ‼️ Free admission, very nice managers who keep this place and explain its history.