Exploring Verona’s Hidden Religious Gems on Lake Garda Tomorrow
Tomorrow, the event “The Places of the Spirit” will continue on Lake Garda. This initiative aims to promote the cultural heritage of Verona and is promoted by the Environmental Assets Department of the Province, coinciding with the Holy Year.
Overview of the initiative and topics covered
The initiative, part of the series of cultural and environmental events called “The ‘Unknown’ Treasures”, offers a series of guided tours to some of the most significant ecclesiastical sites in Verona and its province.
The theme for the day will be “Romanesque Churches and the Cult of San Zeno in the Province”, providing an opportunity to visit two of the most interesting yet still little-known sacred buildings dedicated to the patron saint: the churches of San Zeno in Bardolino and Castelletto di Brenzone.
Details of the visits and participants
The two sites will be explained by experts and scholars from Ctg Brenzone e Baldo-Garda, Virginia Cristini and Maurizio Delibori at Bardolino, Erminio Signorini at Castelletto, where Giuliano Sala will also participate on behalf of the Centro studi per il territorio benacense.
The visits are scheduled to start at 3:00 PM at both monuments; a second tour will begin at 4:30 PM, with each session lasting approximately one hour. Attendees will have about half an hour to move independently between locations.
During the event, a free copy of the publication accompanying the initiative will be distributed to participants. This publication was produced in collaboration with the Soprintendenza ai Beni Artistici e Storici, the Soprintendenza ai Beni Ambientali e Architettonici, the Ufficio per i Beni Culturali Ecclesiastici della Curia Diocesana, the University of Verona, and numerous professors and experts in the sector.
History and description of the churches
The church of San Zeno in Bardolino, situated on Lake Garda, was granted “with all appropriate rights” by diploma of 807 from Pepin to the Benedictine monastery of San Zeno in Verona.
Probably existing by that date, the building was still in good condition in the 14th century, as confirmed by surviving frescoes.
The gradual process of degradation affecting the structure is evidenced in the following century when, near “l’ecclesia dirupta in campis”, the Roman funerary stele of the gens Ottavia was discovered.
Against the backdrop of olive groves stretching towards the Baldo slopes, in a breathtaking site, the church of San Zeno (11th century) in Castelletto di Brenzone overlooks Lake Garda.
It features a simple structure of rows of stones and pebbles and rises within a bell tower that dominates the unusual façade.
In the projecting porch, the fresco still displays the 13th-century Christ blessing; nearby, the gaze of the 14th-century San Cristoforo is fixed.
The 13th-century frescoes illustrating the Stories of John the Baptist are on the walls of the north nave. The panels are bordered by the canopy below and moldings with perspectival meanders, creating a vivid chromatic effect.
