L'Ipogeo e le sue vie - Il Sentiero di Venere

Distance: 3.45 km

Duration: 1 hour (approximately)

Difficulty: easy

Points of interest along the route: Hypogeum of Santa Maria in Stelle | Ca' Vendri Villa | Church of San Zeno di Vendri

Not far away from the centre of Verona there is a place where you can live unforgettable experiences…

We are referring to Santa Maria in Stelle, a village easily reachable by bus, by bike or by car. Once arrived at the village, departing from the square, you can go down to the valley towards Vendri and there enter the ancient Roman history on the traces of the Goddess Venus.
 
This walk starts from and arrives at the Hypogeum of Santa Maria in Stelle, a site which has become symbol of the Valpantena and is commonly known as “Pantheon”. It is a precious archaeological site of Christian origin, a place of worship which is the only one of its kind and a tourist attraction, due to its important historic, artistic and cultural contents. The Ipogeo (from the Greek  ὑπό “under” and  γῆ “hearth” ) owes this name to its conformation: the site looks like an underground structure which branches under the parish of Santa Maria Assunta. After visiting this fascinating place, destination of pilgrimages since ever, you can also visit its surroundings. 
 
After visiting this fascinating place, you can take the "Sentiero di Venere" (Venus Path), once called Vico Veneris in honour of the Roman goddess Venus.

Leaving the parish and reaching the centre of Santa Maria in Stelle, you have to take the walking route that descends towards the valley, dropping gently among the green cultivated fields. This is the beginning of the path that leads directly to Verona. After about 1 km on the track, which has about 100 meters of elevation gain, you come to a left turn that rejoins the main road of Vendri, which runs along the walls of Villa Ca' Vendri.

The splendid sixteenth-century historical mansion, attributed to the architect Sanmicheli, now hosts major events such as weddings or meetings and it is also possible to stay for a few days of relaxation among the seven hectares of land that surround it. In the basement of Ca' Vendri some Roman columns aligned with bases and some stones worked in the walls were found. This shows the presence of a previous construction, a theory also supported by the fact that before the construction of the villa already existed the tower and the adjoining house, which contained an oratory and later an olive press. 

But the surprises are not over! After Villa Ca' Vendri you reach the small church dedicated to San Zeno, of very ancient origins. Its construction in fact rises on a previous Roman temple dedicated to the Goddess Venus of the first century d.C., reconverted between the 4th and 5th centuries. in a house of worship. The small church, externally flanked by a bell tower, was damaged by the earthquakes of 1117 and 1183, but rebuilt between the 12th and 13th centuries. There was then an important restoration, financed by the noble Giusti family, in the first half of the 1700s.

We return in the direction of the starting point, along part of the road followed earlier, concluding the itinerary.

Please remember that if you want to visit the Hypogeum of Santa Maria in Stelle it is necessary to make a reservation, sending an email at the following address: info@ipogeostelle.it. For further information about visit modalities (days, turns, maximum number of visitors and costs) please check the official website: www.ipogeostelle.it. 

You can find information material for your visit at the Tourist Office.