Fumane lies in a sunny basin at the mouth of the airy Valle dei Progni and is watched over by the little sanctuary of the Madonna delle Salette.
It is a town of interest for wine production, associated with the names of renowned Recioto and Amarone wines, also for archaeological findings and for valuable historical and architectural traces of the past, visible in the churches and villas dotted around the area.
Here, the presence of humankind can be traced back to the very dawn of our species. The remains found in the famous Fumane Cave, one of the most important prehistoric sites in Europe, are 80,000 years old, confirming the presence of both Neanderthal Man and Homo Sapiens. And in this same area there are traces of settlements and burial sites dating from Neolithic times and from the Bronze and Iron Ages: the so-called castellieri, boroughs built on high ground and surrounded by massive walls.
Other findings include traces of stone slabs from Roman times depicting the gods and rites of the Arusnates, a mysterious and fascinating pre-Roman people deemed by scholars to be of Etruscan origin.
Visitors can admire places of worship unremarkable at first sight, but adorned on the inside with wonderful frescoes, like San Marziale at Breonio or Santa Maria del Degnano, the ancient priory of San Zeno at Fumane.
A notable work of human ingenuity is Villa Della Torre, a beautiful example of Renaissance architecture recalling the plan of the domus romana, full of symbolisms and allusions to the cultural and religious climate that stimulated intellectual circles active in the Verona of those days.
Anyone looking to enjoy a slower rhythm, far away from the frenetic pace of daily life, need only make the climb up Monte Pastello with its splendid wild orchids, or head up the Valle dei Progni, explore the natural beauty of the Molina Waterfall Park, and finally look out over the meadowland of Lessinia to recharge the batteries of body and spirit.
The area around Fumane affords a unique spectacle of colours, flavours and fragrances at every time of the year. Especially rich in natural attractions are the Valle dei Progni and the Waterfall Park, Monte Pastello with its abundance of spontaneous flora and spectacular views, also the upland plain between Cavalo and Breonio, with fields, coppice woods and orchards stretching as far as the eye can see.
The visual impact of the agricultural landscape is also decidedly striking: the summer season starts with cherry blossom, but autumn is the golden time around these parts, when the vineyards covering the entire valley turn yellow and the grape harvest begins. The ripest and finest bunches are picked by hand and laid out to dry for several months, and attention turns to the production of wines known and enjoyed the world over: Valpolicella, in the three familiar Classico, Superiore and Ripasso versions; Recioto and Amarone, made by traditional methods that can be considered a veritable art.
