Modesto's Baito and Giassàra

The Baito del Modesto is a small rural building, used in the past as a stall, with an adjoining ice house called the 'Giassàra del Modesto'. Both were built between the end of the nineteenth and the start of the twentieth century by the farmer and stonecutter Modesto Paggi. The particular shape of the stall only serves to demonstrate that the builders of yesteryear were experts in using the raw materials available in the area, namely wood and stone. The structure, in particular, stands tall with huge stone slabs laid upright on top of one another; it fully exploits the idea of using wood for construction purposes to link these stone monoliths, which are slabs of 'rosso ammonitico'. The Stalla del Modesto – recently included in Marmomac’s International Stone Architecture Award – thus offers an example of the Lessinian mastery of the use of stone, reminiscent of the dovetailed logs of Alpine constructions.

How to get there: the site is located between the ancient hamlet of Pazzocco and the hamlet of Sartori in the municipality of Roverè Veronese; following the signs for San Francesco, when you reach Gardun, follow the signs for the aforementioned hamlets and for the Stalla del Modesto, taking the first path on the right.