Caltrano
Caltrano è un comune della pedemontana vicentina, adagiato ai piedi dell'Altopiano dei Sette Comuni e attraversato dal torrente As...
Обновлено 12 июля 2026
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История Caltrano
A municipality between plain and plateau
Caltrano occupies a hinge position in the Vicenza foothills, at the foot of the Altopiano dei Sette Comuni, one of Veneto's great pre-Alpine plateaus. The municipal territory develops along the southern flank of the plateau, facing the Val d'Astico and the Veneto plain, and is bordered to the north by the Astico stream, which flows through a deep gorge separating Caltrano from the neighbouring municipality of Chiuppano. This border position, between highland and plain, has historically made Caltrano a gateway to the high pastures of the Asiago Plateau, while maintaining a close bond with the agricultural and craft life of the Vicenza foothill belt.
The Giro delle Malghe and the plateau's pastures
One of the best-known itineraries linked to Caltrano is the Giro delle Malghe, a hiking route that winds along the south-western edge of the Asiago Plateau, passing the alpine pasture farmsteads found within the municipal territory, on the side facing the Val d'Astico and the Vicenza plain. The malghe, traditional pasture buildings used for summer grazing and cheese production, are still very much part of the living landscape today, and the paths connecting them offer wide views over the entire foothill belt. It is an itinerary that lets visitors get close to the life of the Vicenza mountains, among woods, meadows and the typical quiet of mid-altitude pastures.
The church of Santa Maria Assunta
Caltrano's historic centre gathers around the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, the town's religious and architectural point of reference. As in many towns of the Vicenza foothills, the church forms the heart of community life, around which the main streets of the settlement developed. While not a monument of international tourist appeal, the church and the urban fabric surrounding it tell Caltrano's character well: a foothill and mountain town that grew in balance, where religious, agricultural and craft life have intertwined over the centuries without ever losing their proportion.
The marble and woodworking tradition
Alongside mountain farming, Caltrano developed over time a craft tradition linked to marble and wood processing, activities that for generations represented an important source of work for the local community. The availability of quarries in the area and the proximity to the plateau's woods favoured the development of small production businesses dedicated to transforming these materials, in an economic context closer to craftsmanship than to large-scale industry. This dual soul, mountain and craft-based, makes Caltrano an interesting example of how the small municipalities of the Vicenza foothills managed to build a solid local economy from the resources of their own territory.
Between hiking and foothill tranquillity
Caltrano is not a tourist destination of great renown, and it is worth being upfront about that: its strength lies in being a quiet starting point towards the Asiago Plateau rather than a destination with major attractions of its own. Visitors find an authentic town of the Vicenza foothills, with a compact centre, proximity to the Astico and direct access to the trails climbing towards the Sette Comuni. It is a convenient base for combining a mountain outing with a quieter stop in the hill belt, in a territory that still lives on agriculture, craftsmanship and measured hiking tourism, far from the crowds of the plateau's more famous destinations.
Experiences not to miss
- Walk the Giro delle Malghe along the plateau's south-western edge
- Visit the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta
- Discover the local marble and woodworking craft tradition
- Walk along the gorge of the Astico stream
- Use Caltrano as a quiet base for heading up to the Asiago Plateau
Что посмотреть
Достопримечательности Caltrano
Пути · Trovido Route
