The town's name has an uncertain significance: according to some scholars it would be the combination of the two words "upstream" and "crossover", the latter recently added referring to the important intersection of main roads and waterways. Municipality in the province of Verona, located in Val d'Alpone, completely surrounded by green vineyards and cherry trees, the area is famous for producing fine wines such as Soave, Pinot, Trebbiano, Chardonnay, Valpolicella and others, to which important local handicrafts have been implemented.
Traces of a Neolithic village attest that the area of Montecchio was inhabited since ancient eras, selected for settlements thanks to the fertility of the soil and the abundance of water. The first centre was built in Roman times, when the Empire colonized several vast regions. In medieval times Montecchia was the stronghold of the Maltraversi, and later ceded to the Della Scala, in the XII century its population directly involved in clashes between Guelphs and Ghibellines. Assigned to the Visconti, the town became part of the Serenissima Republic of Venice, while in 1745 it conquered a certain administrative autonomy.
Attractions:
- the Church of San Salvatore, dating from the X century, has often been subject of rearrangements that have altered, over the centuries, the original appearance. In Romanesque style, it features a single nave plan, with a ceiling covered with wooden beams and is flanked by a Bell Tower with a rectangular base with original lancet openings. The building, preceded by a beautiful porch, houses important frescoes by the artists Battista from Vicenza and Martino of Verona;
- the Church of Santa Maria, built in the second half of the XIX century to replace a previous ruined church. Inside are preserved a XVII century altar, an ancient statue of the Madonna and Child and several precious stucco decorations:
- the Church of San Pietro;
- the remains of the Castle, destroyed in 1222, by Vinciguerra Bonifacio;
- the remains of the Scala Fortress on Mount Bastia.