Italian
German
Veja Bridge ☀️ Valpolicella
- Category What to do Lake Garda and Verona
Veja Bridge: the magnificent natural work that inspired Dante Alighieri and Mantegna.
Number of views: 3299Agriturismo - Where to stay overnight
The Veja Bridge is the right place for those looking for a mountain excursion combining something interesting to discover with beautiful sunny days.
Veja Bridge is the largest natural arch in Europe, and is one of the most interesting geological sites in Lessinia and throughout Italy.
Studies indicated that the arch would have been generated following the evolution of an ancient karst cave.
This one opened in the hard limestone rock over millions and millions of years due to the erosive action of the water which, penetrating from the outside, caused the collapse of the vault.
However, only at the base of the bridge can one actually realize the grandeur and majesty of this natural work: a span of about 50 m and a height from the valley floor of almost 30 m.
There are also two caves, in which various artifacts dating back to the Middle Paleolithic and Lower have been found. If you stop and remain silent, you might have the impression of still hearing the presence of the ancient inhabitants of this part of Lessinia.
This natural spectacle has inspired many artists, among which, certainly the most important, Andrea Mantegna, who represented it as a background in the fresco of the Camera degli Sposi, located in the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua.
According to legend, moreover, he was also a source of inspiration for the famous Dante Alighieri, who, during his exile from his hometown, stayed with him in the Verona area. The Bridge, would have been taken up by Dante, to represent the Malebolge Bridge: the eighth circle of Hell of the Divine Comedy.
