The spread of castellieri, small fortified settlements placed on the top of the hills, of which only a few traces remain now scattered throughout the territory, dates back to the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC.

In 1287, Bishop Bartolomeo della Scala allowed a group of settlers of German origin to settle in the area of present-day Roverè Veronese, forming the first nucleus of the Cimbrians of Lessinia.

The earliest known document in which the term appears is a deed dated May 7, 814, in which the gastald Ildemanno of Verona donated "campo meo in Luxino ad Alpes facienda, una cum capilo pasquo" to the Veronese monastery of Santa Maria in Organo.

Throughout the plateau there are a number of springs, both temporary ones related to snow melt and rainfall, and permanent ones, which flow mainly at the outlet of the valleys between the upper and lower plains.

The Illasi valley, which is characterized by a system of faults extending in a north and south direction, is the one at greatest risk and which recorded several telluric events in the late 19th century, most notably the earthquake of June 7, 1891.

[20] The Lessinia territory appears to have been inhabited since the earliest times; the ease with which flint could be found for the production of objects, the availability of many caves and rock shelters, and other economic and security-related reasons were the factors that led various prehistoric communities to settle there.

[26] To find signs of a more complex civilization one must wait for the Copper Age,[27] which saw the presence of man on the hills of Marcellise, at Ponte di Veja, on Mount Loffa, at Molina,[28] and at Colombare of Negrar, where a hearth was found, probably used for ritual purposes.

[29] It is from the beginning of the 2nd millennium B.C., at the height of the Iron Age, that the phenomenon of castellieri, small settlements of huts located in a semicircle, fortified with dry-stone walls and placed on the top of the reliefs, is found in the area.

[33] A separate mention should be made of the ancient inhabitants of Valpolicella, the Arusnates, whose Rhaetian or Etruscan origin is debated; this population enjoyed special administrative autonomy even after the arrival of the Romans by forming the Pagus Arusnatium.

[34] Two of the most important Roman roads converged on Verona's territory, the Via Claudia Augusta, which connected northern Europe to the Po Valley, and the Via Postumia, which, starting from Liguria, extended to the empire's easternmost borders.

[40] Beginning in the 4th century the Christianization of the people living in Lessinia began to take place; the burning of the temple of Minerva that stood in Marano (where the sanctuary of Santa Maria di Valverde stands today) is evidence of that process.

In 1311 with Federico della Scala, the county of Valpolicella was born, which would enjoy greater freedom and various tax breaks, prerogatives it would retain for several centuries even after the end of Scaliger rule.

[52] During the thirteenth century in Verona the art of wool came to be established as one of the most important city economic institutions, and as a result the upper Lessinia took on the role of a strategically crucial area for sheep grazing.

[53] This situation led the ecclesiastical entities to cede, either by lease or by pure alienations, many of their Lessinia territories in favor of the wealthy city families engaged in the wool industry.

[54] This was affirmed with the seizure of power by the Della Scala seigniory, long involved in the wool trade, who little by little succeeded in controlling the city's religious institutions by effectively taking possession of their mountain funds.

These were the years in which the so-called Potesteria Lissinorum came into being, which would find full development in the subsequent Venetian era, that is, the temporary jurisdiction over the population residing in the high-altitude pastures by, formally, the monastery of San Zeno, but in practice entrusted to the Della Scala family as feudal lords.

[54] The reason that prompted the bishop to call this population was purely economic in nature, namely the need for labor for the production of charcoal and lumber at lower costs than that which was imported from Trent.

Several benefits were granted to this early community, such as exemption from military service, payment of taxes and the right to choose their own parish priest (jus patronatus).

[57] When the power of the Scaligeris ended and after a brief interlude under the rule of the Visconti and the Carraresi, with the devotion of Verona to Venice in 1404 Lessinia also became a territory of the Serenissima and remained so until its fall, except for the period of the War of the League of Cambrai.

For example, the inhabitants of Sant'Anna d'Alfaedo were allowed to carry out grazing and wood-gathering activities as long as they ensured armed control of the paths that led toward the border with the bishopric of Trent.

[59] To benefit the area, moreover, the Serenissima promoted the construction of a road, known as "della Selve Lessinee," that crossed the territory of the vicariate of Valpantena to head toward Lugo, Belloro and Lughezzano.

Abandoning the old wooden dwellings, the inhabitants of Lessinia began to use red Verona marble, which was readily available locally and which was processed into regular slabs and was successfully exploited.

[65] With the intention of learning more about the people who lived there, the French conducted two censuses and studied the spread of the Cimbrian language, ascertaining that it was still spoken in Selva di Progno, Campofontana and Giazza.

During this period there was also the establishment of a free medical service designed mainly to contain any epidemics,[67] of which pellagra, smallpox, and cholera were typical, claiming victims among the malnourished population.

[76] Tourism related to nature and in particular birdwatching is also gradually developing in Lessinia, due to the presence of numerous alpine species such as the golden eagle, rock thrush or dipper.

In Veneto the last wolf sightings date back to 1931 in the Belluno area (Fossa, 1988), while in Lessinia the species seems to have disappeared in the first half of the 1800s (Garbini, 1898) , with sporadic isolated presences recorded in 1880 (Benetti, 2003).

The wolf in Lessinia is historically linked to the socio-cultural traditions of the Cimbrian population, as attested by toponyms, fables, legends, proverbs and idioms dedicated to this animal.

In Lessinia, 11 city councils voted unanimously in 2014 on municipal resolutions calling for the total relocation of the predator to other areas and the abandonment of the Life Wolfalps project.

The Paleontological and Prehistoric Museum of Sant'Anna d'Alfaedo displays artifacts found in stone quarries in the area including fossils of fish, sharks, marine reptiles, and ammonites.

Also important is the presence of racing bike enthusiasts, whose favorite destination is the crossing of the Passo delle Fittanze, particularly the tough climb that starts from Sdruzzinà (Ala).