The Valle di Fumane is a wide glass of vineyards that narrows near the town. It is overlooked by the gentle surrounds of the Sanctuary of the Madonna de La Salette, an architectural landmark of religious importance to Valpolicella vine growers, built in 1860 on a rocky perch called Colle Incisa.
The arrival of phylloxera in Valpolicella
The second half of the 19th century was a critical period for vine cultivation: the so-called white disease, Oidium, became consolidated, and in order to avoid its danger, American vines, which are immune to it, were imported. With this type of vine, however, another scourge also arrived: a small insect called phylloxera.
Against the French Peronospora and a vote to Madonna of La Salette
The winegrowers of the Fumane Valley, alarmed by the news from France about the new pathogen, decided to dedicate a place of worship to the Virgin Mary that would be dominant, guarding the valley and its vineyards. The rocky perch of Incisa would have been the ideal place.
On 9 September 1846, in the municipality of La Salette - Fallavaux, near Grenoble, two young people, Maximin Giraud and Mélanie Calvat, saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary. It was an event that caused great interest throughout Europe.
The Capuchin Father Angelo d'Alessandria was in Fumane in 1859. Returning from the site of the apparitions, he suggested the construction of a sanctuary dedicated to the Madonna de la Salette. The proposal was welcomed and, in less than a year, it was built and consecrated in September 1860.
An ideal place to admire the Fumane Valley
The sanctuary of the Madonna de La Salette became a pilgrimage destination and can still be seen today. From the perch of the Incisa you can admire one of the most beautiful landscapes of the entire Fumane Valley. It is advisable to walk the beautiful route up from the town centre.