What to see in Soave, an itinerary including the main places of interest and monuments, including Scaliger Castle, Church of San Giorgio and Palazzo Cavalli.
Tourist information
Soave is a town in the Veneto region located in the province of Verona, renowned for its vineyards and medieval castle.
The village is protected by a wall that goes up the hill to the Scaliger Castle, which rises on the top and is surrounded by gentle hills covered with vineyards.
Soave probably originates from a Roman pagus, a rural settlement organized by the Roman government, located on the route of the Via Postumia.
It was re-founded, it seems, by the Swabians, who came after the Lombards, later it became property first of the Bishops and then of the Municipality of Verona.
In the Scaliger era it was fortified with the Castle and the walls, embattled and equipped with towers.
During the Cambraic war, in 1511, it was partially burnt by the Austrian army.
The construction of the walls was started by Cansignorio Della Scala and completed in 1375.
Entering from Porta Verona you enter Via Roma, which constitutes the main road axis of the medieval core.
Inside the ancient village are the Franciscan Church of San Giorgio and the Sambonifacio palace, both from the thirteenth century, as well as the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, dating back to 1303 but reworked in 1700, with subsequent expansion in 1884.
In the central Piazza dell'Antenna there are the Cavalli palace, built in 1411 in the Gothic-Venetian style, and the Palace of Justice dating back to 1375.
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What see
The stone-paved pedestrian road starts from Piazza dell'Antenna and climbs steeply to the Castle, along which stands the church of Santa Maria di Monte Santo of the Dominican Fathers.
Descending from Piazza dellAntenna to via Camuzzoni, we meet the Pullici-Pieropan palace of the XV-XVI century and the Moscardo palace of the XVII century, continuing we reach the fourteenth-century Palazzo Scaligero, today seat of the Town Hall.
Leaving Porta Bassano there is the homonymous village of sixteenth century origin, with the Church of San Rocco of the fifteenth century which, remodeled in the following centuries, preserves the bell tower with the pine cone dome in terracotta.
In the hamlet of Bassano there is also the Madonna della Bassanella Sanctuary, built in 1838 on a first church, which was almost completely destroyed, dating back to 1098.
The Sanctuary originated from an apparition of the Madonna in the nearby Ponsara Valley.
The Soave Castle dates back to the 10th century and is a typical medieval military building, it stands on Monte Tenda and dominates the wide plain below.
It was enlarged in the 14th century by the Scaligeri and in the 15th century by the Venetians.
It is formed by a high tower, the Mastio, typical of this type of construction, around which the rounds of the crenellated walls develop which gather three courtyards different in shape and size, arranged on three different levels.
In the courtyard, next to the keep, there is the stately home, a well-preserved medieval building that deserves to be visited.
Leaving a small door you arrive on the patrol paths, from which you can climb to the top of the Mastio, which is the highest point, a privileged observation point from which to enjoy a beautiful panorama of the surrounding area.
