Longare
Longare is a municipality in the province of Vicenza located along the Riviera Berica, at the foot of the Colli Berici, a few kilo...
Updated 12 July 2026
The story
The story of Longare
Longare and the Riviera Berica
Longare lies along the Riviera Berica, the road that runs along the eastern slope of the Colli Berici just a few kilometers south of Vicenza. The municipal territory includes several hamlets, among them Costozza, the settlement of greatest historical and natural interest, set at the foot of the hills in a landscape of rock walls, vineyards, and woods typical of the Berici area.
Costozza and the Stone Quarries
Costozza has been known since antiquity for its stone quarries, according to tradition already active in Roman times, which provided building material for Vicenza and the surrounding area over the centuries. The hill behind the settlement is marked by a series of caves, partly natural and partly enlarged or created over time, first for stone extraction and later used as cellars and storage: these are the covoli of Costozza, a defining feature of the territory.
The Ventidotti, a Unique Phenomenon
A distinctive feature of the Costozza caves is the ventidotti, artificial conduits that channel the almost constant-temperature air found in the underground cavities, letting it rise by natural convection to the cellars and rooms of the villas above. This system, developed as early as the Renaissance, ensures a milder climate in winter and a cooler one in summer, and has historically been used for food preservation and for growing plant species otherwise unsuited to the local climate.
Villa Da Schio
At the heart of Costozza stands Villa Da Schio, a historic residence still inhabited by the Da Schio family, which preserves one of the most interesting gardens in the area. The villa is part of a complex built in the sixteenth century by the Trento family and enlarged from the eighteenth century onward, when the park was transformed into a refined terraced garden. The garden is made unique precisely by the ventidotti, which since the Renaissance have channeled cool air from the caves below, creating a stable microclimate that has, over time, allowed the cultivation of plant species unusual for the area.
The Colli Berici Between Nature and Architecture
Longare's territory belongs to the broader context of the Colli Berici, a hill area south of Vicenza known for its limestone terrain and for its ancient settlements and Palladian villas. The combination of natural elements, such as the caves and the ventidotti, and architectural ones, such as Villa Da Schio, makes Longare one of the most complete stops for understanding the geological and historical peculiarities of the Berici area.
Experiences Not to Miss
- Visitare i covoli di Costozza e scoprire il funzionamento dei ventidotti
- Visit the covoli of Costozza and learn how the ventidotti work
To see
What to see in Longare
Routes · Trovido Route
