Castelvero
Castelvero: a historic village in Vestenanova
Welcome to Castelvero, a small village in the municipality of Vestenanova, in the province of Verona. Although the distance from the capital is about 4.8 km following the SP 36, in reality this small locality is less than 2 km away as the crow flies.
Origins of the name
The name Castelvero may derive from the combination of the Latin words "Castrum" and "Vetus", meaning Old Castle. The first time the toponym appears in a document dates back to 1145, in a dispute between the prior of the monastery of San Mauro di Saline and the canons of Badia Calavena regarding the jurisdiction of the church of S. Salvatore. In various medieval and modern documents, other versions of the name appear such as "Castri Veteri", "Castroveteri", "Castroverio" and "Castelverio".
History
The history of Castelvero dates back long before the Middle Ages. In 1948, the discovery of some arrowheads on the Castellaro hill, near the Maccadanzi district, led to the hypothesis of the existence of a defensive structure dating back to 2500 BC. In medieval times, there was a castle belonging to the noble Mezzagonnella family, the location of which is still unknown. With the advent of the Serenissima Republic of Venice, the Da Campo family, nobles from Trentino, arrived in the Val d'Illasi. A painting by the artist Giuseppe Dalla Corte, which represents the mystical wedding of S. Caterina d'Alessandria and which is kept in the parish church of S. Caterina in Villa in San Giovanni Ilarione, has a background with a small stylized castle.
Some information is also available from the pastoral visits of the Bishop of Verona Gian Matteo Giberti. In a visit in 1529, it was found that the church of the Saints Biagio and Salvatore was in poor condition, was subject to the parish of Tregnago, and was run by a chaplain. There were about seventy people capable of taking communion, already considered adults, and in 1532, there were fifty adults out of eighty residents. In the seventeenth century, the old dangerous church located in the Chiesavecchia district decided to bring it down, as documented in the report of the pastoral visit of Bishop Marco Giustiniani in 1634. At that time, the inhabitants of Castelvero were one hundred and twenty, and just before the terrible plague epidemic of 1630 had passed.
Two centuries later, in 1855, the seventeenth-century church was demolished in favor of a new place of worship, the current one, built between 1856 and 1857. About ten years later, with the Veneto plebiscite of 1866 and the annexation of Veneto to the Kingdom of Italy, Castelvero became part of the municipality of Vestenanova. In 1891, an earthquake also damaged Castelvero, especially in the Maccadanzi and Roveggi districts. In 1905, the first provincial road of "della Collina" (SP 36) was traced, connecting the Collina locality, Tregnago, to Vestenanova.
Conclusions
In summary, Castelvero is a small village with a rich historical past that has made an important contribution to the history of Val d'Illasi. The origin of the name may derive from the combination of the Latin terms "Castrum" and "Vetus", meaning Old Castle, confirming the importance of the ancient castle of which there is no news. The area today still represents an ideal destination for history enthusiasts and for those looking for a characteristic and peaceful atmosphere, away from the chaos of the city.
