Tenuta Le Cave

To get there, go up along the road lined with vineyards, olive trees and some cherry trees, which were once the main crops, and the air starts getting thin. Tenuta Le Cave is located on the eastern edge of the hills where Amarone is produced and where there was once a white marl quarry. A pleasant retreat or a base for culinary and cultural excursions, the wine relais is a place of beauty.

The location is charming: the resort is located on a sort of terrace overlooking the Val d’Illasi and the Lessinia natural park; the vineyards are situated on the hillside of what was once the quarry.  

A great deal of care and attention has been paid to the conservative restoration of the central part of the resort where the quarry site manager once lived and to the newly built areas. 

From the materials used, some of which came from the tumbledown buildings around, to the architectural choices, to the decor, nothing has been left to chance. The exquisite and discreet hospitality is based on relaxation, elegance and sustainability. The latter is typical of the resort’s organisation, like the management of the organic vineyards from where – thanks to the collaboration with the Fasoli Gino winery, which has been organic since 1984 – the wines of the Estate originate: the Valpolicella, Ripasso and Amarone reds, the white Soave and the sparkling wines Garganega and Prosecco. Wines that appear under the “Tasi” brand, which means “shut up” in the Venetian dialect, an invitation to taste wine without taking yourself too seriously, because wine is all about sharing and enjoyment. 

“Tenuta Le Cave is like a microcosm where you can spend the whole day relaxing, walking, tasting wine and good food – says Francesca Ambrosini, who has been the manager here since 2017 – taking care of the spirit and also of the body in the spa, thanks to treatments using natural products, the pool and the gym. We like the fact that people can completely disconnect here, if that’s what they’re looking for. We are an oasis of tranquility, a base for excursions to art cities, such as Verona and Vicenza with its Palladian villas, Mantua and Venice, Lake Garda and for tourism rich with experiences that are much sought after, especially by our numerous foreign customers. We organise tastings of our own wines and other varieties, visits to wineries, to the malgas in Lessinia, where cheeses and local specialities are produced”.

Chef Fabio Aceti has just arrived at Tenuta Le Cave’s gourmet restaurant, with respectable experiences behind him. “Initially we ran a small kitchen just for the guests – continues Francesca – then in a sort of natural evolution we also wanted to enhance and differentiate what we offer in terms of gastronomy by also opening every day for lunch and dinner to outside customers. We offer gourmet recipes inspired by local cuisine. In addition to our wines, we have a selection of Italian labels from small companies with which we share the same philosophy when it comes to producing wine”. 

The main part of the small village is where the reception, bar, restaurant, cellar, spa and swimming pool are located, as well as some of the 17 rooms, which are equipped with every comfort and decorated with works of art; the others are located within the estate, some among the vineyards and at the edge of the forest.  

“The rooms are all furnished in different and individual ways, but with a common denominator – says Francesca – the guests will never forget them”.  

Just like the whole of estate, successfully recovered from the disused quarry area which was at risk of being turned into a special waste dump.