Masua Marano
(Negrar-Spinella-Masua-Colombare-Marano-Olmo-Camporal-Torbe Alta-Colombare-Iago Alto-Negrar)
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Length |
11 km |
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Average time |
3 hours |
The walk starts from Piazza Roma, outside Negrar church. Go round the church to the back and take Via Marconi uphill for about 50 yards. Turn left into Via Don Piccoli which goes uphill and joins the road to Valgatara known as Via Colle Masua. Carry straight on uphill to Iago DallOra, and past the Villa Spinosa winery. From above the winery there is a fine view of Villa Spinosa with its Italian garden and vineyards. Further on at Cą Spiniella, there is a shrine with fine crucifix. At the crossroads turn right into Via Masua and walk uphill admiring the view over the valley of Negrar. Keep right and after a steep rise you will see a sign "Al Capitel" on the left. Here we recommend a detour to visit the shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary. After visiting the shrine go back to the concrete road and follow it past the Masua Family Community Home. Now the road becomes a track with vineyards on the left and a pinewood on the right. After a while the track becomes a path which leads up to the highest point on Masua hill and then goes down, becoming a track and then a concrete road again, and coming out in Colombare di Torbe. Stop to admire the view over Marano valley and the upper part of Negrar valley. Now turn left and follow the red and white signs indicating path no.10 towards Marano di Valpolicella; the route passes a few houses and then continues through vineyards and cherry orchards. Follow the path past a small fountain and then down into Marano valley, past dry stone walls and more vineyards. The path becomes a cement road which crosses a bridge over a small river bed and then climbs back up to the main Novaia-Marano road. On the left there is an interesting shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary built in 1886. Follow the road towards the Novaia winery. After a few hundred metres note the white marble stone on the right with a cross and an inscription in memory of a boy who lost his life here in an agricultural accident in 1938. Continue for a few metres and then turn left off the road by a cypress tree. As the path is overgrown you will probably have to walk through the fields following the route of the path, which is indicated with red and white signs, until you reach Marano. Now follow the main road uphill past the Osteria da Bepi (restaurant) to the square in the centre of Marano. We recommend you stop in the square and visit the church and then continue the walk along the road in the direction of Torbe, from which there is a fine view of Marano and its church from above. On the left you will pass an attractive wooden crucifix on a dry stone wall. A few minutes later turn right and follow the road downhill to Olmo.
Continue downhill after the last house in Olmo and cross a small stream further down. The path goes uphill now past a beautiful old abandoned farmhouse and it becomes more and more difficult to make out. Higher up it comes out into a terraced area with vines and here you will have to find a way through the vineyard, heading north until you come out on the Marano-Torbe road near Camporal.
Turn right and walk along the road for 1.2 km to the signpost for Torbe. The road winds round to the right and continues in a southerly direction to a crossroads, where there is a large stone cross. Go straight on in the direction of Negrar for 700 metres until you get back to Colombare. To go back to Negrar, keep left, and walk past the agriturismo Merci (restaurant open at weekends), down to Iago Alto and then along Via Iago di Sopra. Take Via Cą Bertoldi and walk past the Recchia winery and down Via dei Ciliegi, and then down into the centre of Negrar past the Pizzeria Al Porton (25 minutes from Colombare).
