Italcementi - I forni

At the beginning of the 20th century, land surveys led to the discovery of limestone deposits on the hills of Tregnago and, since 1917, Italiana Cementi acquired property and excavation rights in some lands in the neighboring municipalities of Mezzane di Sotto and Illasi, in anticipation of building a cement factory as soon as the ongoing war was over.

The company, which initially wanted to build the cement factory in Caldiero for better logistical positioning, ultimately chose Tregnago for its proximity to Monte Tomelon, from which it would extract the raw material, and for the guarantees offered by the municipal administration, including the construction of an aqueduct that brought water from Giazza needed for cement processing and a tramway connecting Verona. In doing so, the local economy, which had been based on agriculture until then, was revitalized.

The laying of the foundation stone took place on February 5, 1922. The cement factory had 10 vertical kilns producing hydraulic lime and 3 rotary kilns for Portland cement, which supplied the material to build, among others, the bridge between Mestre and Venice.

However, in the 1960s, a decline began that led to the closure of the cement factory in 1973.