Le vie dell'acqua

Ways of water, among washbasins, fountains, and mills.

These are the names of the three beautiful paths that – starting from Caprino Veronese or the nearby hamlets – allow you to discover one of the treasures of this territory, namely the abundance of water that springs from the sources and has represented an essential resource in the economic development of these areas.

Water is the necessary condition, the source, the matrix of life, and indeed in all ancient creation myths, in the beginning there was water. Since always, in order for there to be food, there must be water: it has therefore always been essential to invest to ensure the availability and efficient use of water resources.

 The most important spring in the valley of Caprino (alongside other smaller ones) is called Bergola and was channeled as early as Roman times. In the past, especially during the economic crisis that struck trade in the mid-1500s, forcing the Venetian lords who dominated our territory to invest in the agricultural resources of the inland, this watercourse served two important functions: the irrigation of a substantial agricultural area (as many as 370 Veronese fields) and the production of energy for about thirty factories, particularly grain mills, sawmills for wood, and hammers for ironworking.
Several of these mills operated perfectly until a few decades ago: some stone channels for water conveyance, a few wheels, or the mechanisms and gears that were the cornerstone of artisans and millers still survive. These "Water Ways" retrace ancient paths where we find fountains, washhouses, and mills that testify to human ingenuity and their way of organizing the territory and its resources.