Chiesa di San Vito

The Church of San Vito stands among the olive groves at Cortelline, in the hills above Bardolino. Written records of the church begin in the early fifteenth century, while reused early medieval stone fragments suggest an older history. Its Romanesque bell tower dates to the twelfth century.

Why it matters

San Vito is a rural church in the agricultural landscape above Bardolino. It was linked to the monastery of San Colombano. The official town portal places its written documentation in the fifteenth century and regards the early medieval carved fragments inside as evidence that the site may be older.

What to notice

The church has a single nave and a gabled facade, rebuilt in the eighteenth century. Its bell tower preserves Romanesque double windows, with four openings on slender colonnettes beneath saddleback capitals. Inside, fragments of an early medieval reliquary carved in bas-relief have been reused in the masonry. The apse was replaced by a deeper choir during a later remodelling.

Context and history

The church’s recorded history begins in the early fifteenth century. The tower and reused carved fragments point to earlier phases, though the exact date of the church’s origin is not established. The choir and facade were remodelled in the eighteenth century; a secondary account dates this work to 1714, while the town portal gives only the broader century. The building’s hilltop setting among olive groves reflects the rural landscape of the Cortelline locality.