Anyone travelling through the hills between Col San Martino and Farra di Soligo, amongst the rows of vines climbing towards the sky, will at some point come across a small stone building overlooking the void: the little Church of San Vigilio. It takes just a few minutes' walk through the vineyards to get there, but the view that opens up from here is among the most photographed — and most loved — in the entire UNESCO landscape of the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene.
The origins of the small church date back to the 10th century: a time when, on this panoramic hill, the small Romanesque building served simultaneously as a place of worship and a vantage point for the local farming communities, who, like the entire area, were exposed to the raids and passages of armies that for centuries crossed these borderlands.
The building we see today bears the marks of multiple eras: reconstructions and interventions between the 15th and 16th centuries enriched its interior, while more recent history has left far more painful scars. During the First World War, between 1917 and 1918, the small church suffered damage during the Austro-Hungarian occupation of these hills — a chapter that links San Vigilio, like so many other places of faith in the Treviso Prealps, to the memory of the Great War.
Over time, San Vigilio has earned a nickname that tells another, lighter story: the locals call it the “little church of lovers”, due to its secluded position and the views it offers — a natural balcony suspended between vineyards and sky, the kind of place where one stops not only to pray, but also just to look.
Inside, visitors will find a number of small art treasures often ignored by those who merely photograph the exterior: a wooden relief attributed to Stuffer, paintings by Cima di Villa di Villa and Modolo, and a fresco dating back to the 15th century — evidence of centuries of layered devotion in a very small space.
Getting to San Vigilio is in itself part of the experience. From Col San Martino, the most direct route starts from Piazza Fontana, continues along via Canal Nuovo and finally climbs up via San Vigilio: a short journey yet immersed in the vineyards, with the hill and its little church getting closer and closer with every bend.
The best time to go up, according to those who know these places well, is at sunset: it is then that the low-angled light illuminates the rows of vines and makes San Vigilio one of the most recognisable photographic icons of the entire Prosecco landscape.
Col San Martino is located in the heart of the Prosecco Hills, a short distance from Miane: a natural stop for those staying with us who want to look beyond the borders of our municipality, while still remaining within a drive or bike ride of just a few dozen minutes along the Prosecco Road. Like the other destinations on our religious tourism itinerary in the area — the Carmelite Sanctuary in Mian,’Abbey of Follina and the Landrel Cave — even San Vigilio tells a piece of the spiritual history of these hills.
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What makes the little Church of San Vigilio in Col San Martino special?
It is a 10th-century Romanic building, rebuilt between the 15th and 16th centuries, situated on a panoramic hill within the UNESCO landscape of the Prosecco Hills. Nicknamed the “little church of lovers” for the view it affords over the vineyards and valley.
When is the best time to visit?
At sunset, when the light enhances the rows of vineyards all around and the little church becomes one of the most photographed viewpoints in the area.
How do you get there from Col San Martino?
On foot, in just a few minutes, starting from Piazza Fontana and continuing along Via Canal Nuovo to Via San Vigilio, along a route entirely through the vineyards.