Negrar
Negrar, comunemente noto anche come Negrar di Valpolicella, è uno dei comuni più importanti della Valpolicella Classica, la zona c...
12 7月 2026 更新
物語
Negrar の物語
The heart of Valpolicella Classica
Negrar lies in the heart of Valpolicella Classica, the historic wine-producing area of Valpolicella, distinct from the more recent Valpantena and Valpolicella Orientale sub-zones. The municipality's hills are covered with terraced vineyards, often held up by characteristic dry-stone walls, where the native Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara grape varieties grow, forming the basis of both young wines and the celebrated Amarone and Recioto della Valpolicella, made using the appassimento technique of drying the grapes. Numerous historic wineries and family-run estates, some open to the public for tastings and guided visits, offer a close look at the production process, from harvest to the long period in the drying lofts where the grapes shrivel before vinification.
Villa Rizzardi and the Giardino di Pojega
In the hamlet of Pojega, at the foot of Monte delle Calcarole, stands Villa Rizzardi with its extraordinary Italian-style garden, belonging to the Rizzardi counts since 1649. The current garden was commissioned by Antonio Rizzardi and designed between 1783 and 1796 by architect Luigi Trezza, drawing inspiration from 16th-century Venetian gardens rather than the then-fashionable English landscape style. Across roughly 54,000 square metres unfold an Italian garden, a romantic garden and an extraordinary seven-tiered teatro di verzura (theatre of greenery) of boxwood, cypress and hornbeam, the largest of its kind in Italy. The park also holds a stalactite temple and a citrus garden, and is open to the public from April to late October, with the chance to taste wines from the Guerrieri Rizzardi collection.
A hill landscape to explore slowly
The territory of Negrar spans a significant change in elevation, from its lower edges toward the Verona plain up to the first heights of southern Lessinia, in a succession of small valleys and vine-covered ridges that form one of the most photographed hill landscapes in the Verona area. The secondary roads linking the hamlets, such as Torbe, Prun and Jago, offer panoramic points over the vineyards and, on clearer days, views of the plain as far as the city of Verona. It is an ideal territory for cycling tourism and walks among the vine rows, especially in autumn during the grape harvest, when activity in the wineries intensifies and the landscape takes on the colours typical of the season.
Wineries, tastings and Valpolicella cuisine
Negrar's food and wine offering is among the best structured in all of Valpolicella, with wineries of various sizes, from small family businesses to producers known internationally, offering tours and tastings among the barrels and the lofts used for drying the grapes. Local cuisine naturally complements this wine vocation, with dishes such as risotto all'Amarone, pastissada de caval and cheeses from the nearby Lessinia malghe, often served in agriturismi and osterie set in former rural courtyards. For those staying in the area, Negrar offers a solid base for organising a proper wine itinerary, alternating winery visits with walks among the vineyards and stops at restaurants serving Verona's traditional cuisine.
Prun and the local stone tradition
Besides wine, Negrar's territory preserves another important craft tradition in the hamlet of Prun, historically known for the extraction of local limestone, used for centuries mainly to make the roofing slabs typical of rural Verona and Lessinia architecture. The quarries, largely no longer active on a large scale, remain a tangible sign of a stone-based economy that for generations ran alongside the agricultural and winemaking one, helping to shape the landscape and construction techniques of the courtyards and farmhouses throughout Valpolicella. For those travelling among the vineyards, a detour toward Prun reveals this lesser-known but equally authentic side of the municipality.
Experiences not to miss
- Visit the Giardino di Pojega and Villa Rizzardi
- Enjoy an Amarone and Recioto tasting at a historic winery
- Cycle the scenic roads through the terraced vineyards
- Try risotto all'Amarone at a hillside osteria
- Wander through the hamlets of Torbe, Prun and Jago during the grape harvest
パス · Trovido Route
