Folk Art
By Carlo Caporal
Votive Columns
The Lessinia plateau is distinguished by several artistic features that characterize the tradition of votive art in the Veronese mountains. Sculpture, painting, and shrines serve as expressions of the work of stonemasons, architects, and painters who, with great dedication, created these works.
The area under consideration, known as the “timbra,” is notable for a unique trait tied to the birth and development of a distinctive expressive form: the votive column. This phenomenon—found almost exclusively in eastern Lessinia—remains one of the most meaningful traditions of the Veronese uplands. The first stone relief tablets, carved in tuff, date back to the mid-1500s and were created with an apotropaic function against the plague, which claimed many victims in the valleys.
These high-relief sculptures are characterized by four figures: the Blessed Virgin and Child at the center, flanked by Saint Roch and Saint Sebastian—saints known as adiutores, protectors against contagious diseases. Once the plague subsided and the need for divine protection diminished, the production of these tablets ceased. However, the tradition continued in the form of votive columns—small pillar-like structures topped with shrines typically depicting only the Virgin and Child.
These are known as the “Madonnaro columns”, carved throughout the 17th century and scattered among the hamlets of eastern Lessinia. Other iconographies exist, though they are fewer in number.
A serious cataloguing effort was carried out in the 1960s by Prof. Lanfranco Franzoni, whose study paved the way for ongoing interest and new discoveries. Within the cultural context of Lessinia, one of the most important markers of local identity is this artistic expression—popular in style, yet rich in meaning and messages.
Wall Paintings
Among the region’s visual traditions, mural painting stands out for both its abundance—approximately four hundred examples—and its range of subject matter. These works, far from being merely modest, were and still are essential tools for communication and expression—a true visual language.
Executed in fresco or tempera, these paintings are not only a testament to a specific artistic style but also an expression of faith and profound trust in the sacred. The vast majority depict the Blessed Virgin in classical iconographies (Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, of Pompeii, of the Crown, the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of the Rosary, of Sorrows, of Mount Carmel). Christ is less frequently portrayed, perhaps because He was considered the “Absolute,” the unapproachable; the few depictions that do exist generally evoke the suffering of the Cross—a daily burden to be carried.
The Virgin is often shown alongside popular saints—again, the adiutores—such as St. Bovo and St. Anthony Abbot (protectors of animals), St. Roch and St. Sebastian (for protection from illness), St. Barbara (for good weather and safe childbirth), St. Vincent (against drought), St. Blaise (for throat ailments), and St. Anthony of Padua, the “saint par excellence.”
These works, which can still be seen today, never date earlier than the second half of the 17th century and none later than the early 20th century. Unfortunately, the artists—locally known as madonnari—rarely signed their work. These itinerant painters, often working in exchange for food and lodging, left behind their art as their legacy. A few notable names include Giosuè Casella, Francesco Gugole, Benigno Peterlini, Pilloni, and Celestino Dal Barco, who painted until the late 1800s.
Often painted on poorly prepared plaster and by less-than-professional hands, these images nonetheless carry a message now in danger of disappearing. In some cases, mottos or prayers appear at the base of the paintings, inviting contemplation and devotion.
Shrines (Capitelli)
The landscape is also marked by distinctive architectural features known as capitelli (wayside shrines). Popular etymology defines a capitello as any devotional image protruding from a wall, or any symbol of faith placed in a particular location by local tradition.
A capitello may be called an edicola (niche shrine) when it contains a venerated image in a small recess, or an architectural capitello when the image is supported by a base, which often includes an inscription explaining the reason for its construction.
The motivations behind these shrines are varied—personal or communal—but their function is consistently protective, acting as a shield against both natural and supernatural threats. This gives the capitello a “magical” role, similar to crosses placed at crossroads (crosàre) or on hilltops—routes traditionally frequented by strìe (witches) or fade (fairies), seen as harmful forces.
According to tradition, capitelli originated from the small oil lamps placed in the dark corners of hamlets and roads as early as the 12th century—meant to illuminate, but also to protect and reassure passersby. Over the centuries, these simple lit images evolved into niches and small temples, which later became sites for religious processions, markers for prayer walks (rogazioni), and local gathering points.
The capitelli of Lessinia are primarily built using the same stone that shapes the mountain landscape and most often portray the Madonna. There are over three hundred such shrines across the region.
Together, the votive columns, wall paintings, and capitelli of Lessinia stand as sacred markers, distinguished by features unique to the Veronese area. As the local saying goes:
“Priests, doctors, and shrines—tip your hat and show respect.”