VERONA AND ITS SURROUNDINGS

The terrace of the San Mattia Holiday Farm offers a view of the city area where the Giusti Garden, the only Italian-style sixteenth-century garden in Verona, is located. This green oasis ten minutes far from the Verona Arena is embellished by collections of flowers, Roman artifacts, a majestic avenue of cypresses, fountains, acoustic caves and a labyrinth of hedges among the oldest in Europe. Ending with a belvedere overlooking the city, this nature, art and history path takes a couple of hours to visit and can also be reached in half an hour’s walk from the San Mattia Holiday Farm.

The Sigurtà Garden Park is located near Lake Garda, just 8km from the town of Peschiera. Its 600,000 square meters offer an extraordinary combination of nature and history. In the spring, 1 million tulip bulbs can be seen blooming thanks to the famous Tulipanomania: the largest tulip flowering in Southern Europe, winner of the Most Beautiful Italian Flowering award and the Parksmania Event award in 2016.
The splendid view of the Great Turf, the exciting path of the Labyrinth, the spectacular blooms, the famous Viale delle Rose, the eighteen flowering lakes and much more make the visit to the Park unforgettable. A must-see for children is the Educational Farm: here they can meet many cute farm animals and participate in free events, including educational workshops designed for school groups and fun Sunday activities. In the 2017 season, the park is open from March 5 to November 5, from 9.00 am to 7.00 (last entry at 6.00 pm).
In March, October, November, it is open from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm (last entry at 5.00 pm). For more information on the park, the initiatives and the calendar of events: sigurta.it.

It is one of the last examples of Italian gardens, known for its greenery theater and spectacular avenues. Recently opened to the public, this garden is located in the heart of Valpolicella, in the municipality of Negrar, where the famous Amarone della Valpolicella wine is produced.
The Pojega Garden is the park of Villa Guerrieri Rizzardi, which also houses a farm that produces typical wines and extra virgin olive oil offered for tasting in the eighteenth-century greenhouses of the villa. From the San Mattia Holiday Farm in Verona it can be reached by car in about 35 minutes.

The Natura Viva Park is today a modern Zoological Park, an important protection center for threatened species, which has evolved over time to take an active role in the conservation of biodiversity. It is located in Pastrengo, half an hour from the Holiday Farm in Verona.
The Natura Viva Park is a must for all children who can see lions, tigers and many other exotic animals, after visiting the San Mattia farm in Verona where, in addition to the production of the famous Amarone della Valpolicella, horses, geese, ducks, rabbits and chickens are bred.

Monte Baldo is a mountainous massif with a maximum height of 2218 m between the provinces of Trento and Verona. A lovely destination for both children and adults, it offers routes of varying difficulty, immersed in unspoiled nature with spectacular views of Lake Garda. Monte Baldo is easily observable from the San Mattia Holiday Farm which, located on the ridge of the Torricelle hills, enjoys a remarkable view towards every corner of the province of Verona.
For those wishing to visit the lake and Monte Baldo in one day, a modern rotating cable car departs from Malcesine and reaches the summit of Monte Baldo in a few minutes.

A tourist destination par excellence, Lake Garda is an unmissable place for Italian and foreign tourists. Ancient villages, food and wine, discos and amusement parks. Lake Garda offers many alternatives for everyone, from water sports, to walking, food and wine routes. From the city of Verona, it can easily be reached by car or by public transport.

Or the Venetian Prealps which, rich in culture and legends, exude the traditions of the Cimbrian people of which the Ederle family is also a descendant. Lessinia offers ski slopes and snowshoe trails in winter, walking and green meadows in summer. In Lessinia you can taste real culinary specialties and buy typical cheeses directly in mountain huts. To be discovered, Lessinia is a land full of culture not far from Verona and the San Mattia Holiday Farm.

It is the largest natural bridge in Europe and results from the natural evolution of a cave. Due to its unusual structure, it has always attracted several artists. Probably the most famous one was Andrea Mantegna, who reproduced it in Mantua’s Palazzo Ducale within the frescoes of the Camera degli Sposi.
It is common belief that Dante Alighieri, exiled to Verona and a guest of Cangrande Della Scala, was inspired by this painting for the Malebolge. The nearby huge chestnut tree is still called “Dante’s chestnut”.

Not far from San Mattia, the Holiday Farm in Verona, there is the equestrian center of Colle Arzan where you can book horseback riding, riding lessons for children and adults and musical events with country dances. In the past, San Mattia was also an equestrian center in Verona. Today, five horses graze in the midst of our Amarone della Valpolicella vineyards as a reminder of that time, for the joy of children visiting the farm of San Mattia, the Holiday Farm in Verona.

5 minutes by car away from the San Mattia Holiday Farm in Verona is the Torricelle Tennis Club, equipped with 5 courts, a grass five-a-side football pitch, a beach volleyball court and a solarium for sunbathing lovers.

The historic mini golf of the Torricelle hills entertains both adults and children in the summer. It also offers a nice alternative for dinner serving barbecued cockerel in the summer.

For golf lovers, the Province of Verona has several exclusive and easily accessible courses. Among the many we remember the Verona Golf Club, between the hills of Custoza in Sommacampagna and the Garda Golf Country Club near Lake Garda.

Unfortunately, we do not have a swimming pool at San Mattia but the city of Verona offers several with beautiful green spaces and all comforts for adults and children. We recommend the Santini pools, in via Santini, the Monte Bianco pools, in via Monte Bianco, and the Verona Lido pools, in Viale Colonnello Galliano.

From the San Mattia Holiday Farm in Verona you can easily reach the city center by walking along the Sommavalle path through our olive groves. The San Mattia farm is also located on the route of the European path E5 that connects the Atlantic coast of Brittany to Venice and is 3200 km long.

Verona has had a bike sharing service since 2012. The main points of interest in the city are connected by bicycles. Registration can be made on the dedicated website or through the appropriate portals close to VERONA BIKE SHARING.

The guided excursions on River Adige are open to everyone, from children to those who are not familiar with water, and do not require any technical skills. They depart with rubber boats from the dam of Chievo and pass under the bridges of beautiful Verona until reaching Bassoaquar.

We organize cooking courses for small groups and on request within the San Mattia Holiday Farm. Practical lessons about homemade pasta, traditional recipes and desserts paired with the wines produced in the Giovanni Ederle winery at San Mattia are held for Italian or foreign tourists (in English) under the guidance of our trusted chef.

Although small, the San Mattia Holiday Farm organizes lots of different activities. Here we produce wine, extra virgin olive oil, grappa, jams and honey, we raise farmyard animals, we grow fruit and vegetables. Every day we hold guided tours of the farm which always end with a tasting of our wines, including Amarone della Valpolicella. At the Holiday Farm

At the foot of the hill where the San Mattia Holiday Farm is located in Verona are the remains of the Roman villa of Valdonega, which dates back to the 1st century AD, built outside the city center, in a hilly agricultural area. For this reason, its structure was on different levels, according to the slope of the land. Three rooms of the villa overlooking an L-shaped porch open onto a courtyard can also be visited.

The parish church of San Giorgio di Valpolicella (also called the parish church of San Giorgio Ingannapolton) is an ancient Romanesque church located in the municipality of Sant’Ambrogio, in the heart of Valpolicella, where Amarone and Ripasso della Valpolicella CDO are produced.

Located on the famous Bra Square, the ancient Roman amphitheater that has become a symbol of the city can be visited all year round. In summer, it is universally known as the venue par excellence of the Verona Arena Opera, where representations of Aida, Carmen, Nabucco and many other magnificent works are held.

On the outskirts of the city of Verona it is also possible to take pleasant walks in total tranquility surrounded by lovely landscape and important historical sites. Santa Maria in Stelle is located in lower Valpantena, just outside Verona. Below the church there is a Hypogeum (or Pantheon) from the late imperial era, built as an aqueduct and later become a place of worship for the first Christians.

The Sanctuary of the Madonna della Corona is located in Spiazzi, on the border between Caprino Veronese and Ferrara di Monte Baldo in the province of Verona, in a hollow excavated in Monte Baldo overlooking the Valdadige. A suggestive place full of energy, it can be reached through a pilgrimage-path.

Villa Arvedi in Cuzzano a Grezzana has been recorded since 1200 as the property of Mastino, Alberto and Cangrande della Scala. This unique piece of history is located in the Valpantena valley, which is particularly suitable for viticulture and the production of the Verona wines Amarone della Valpolicella and Valpolicella Ripasso.

The San Floriano parish church is an ancient parish church located in the hamlet of San Floriano, municipality of San Pietro in Cariano, in the heart of classic Valpolicella. It is considered one of the most beautiful and ancient Romanesque churches in the province of Verona. Near the parish church there is also Villa Lebrecht, now home to the faculty of Viticulture and Oenology of the University of Verona, where Valpolicella winemakers are trained.