Giazza is a small mountain village in northern Italy that we had the chance to visit. The best thing about meeting locals when travelling abroad is that you get to see places you would never have come to otherwise. Leif and Patrizia live in a small village just outside Verona in Italy, but Leif also has a house in the mountain village of Giazza. We travelled here the day before yesterday on winding roads among the mountains in northern Italy.
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Share
ShareGiazza in northern Italy
Giazza is located in the northern part of Italy, in the region of Verona. The town is a short distance north of Verona. It is about 1.3 miles from Venice by car and around 1.6 miles from Bergamo.
Giazza - an ancient mountain village with its own language
Giazza is a small cosy village in the mountains with about 100 inhabitants, a small shop and a few restaurants. Some people also have summer houses here, so in the summer there are more people on the move. People from Bayren-Tyrol settled in this area already in the 13th century and many houses are very old. Leif's beautiful house, for example, was built in the 17th century!
Perhaps most notably, the village, along with several other municipalities in the area, has its own language. The language is called cimbro and is rather a German dialect, but apparently differs so much that it is difficult to understand for an ordinary German. By the way, if you visit the village in the summer, there is a museum where you can learn more about the local culture. By the way, Leif sometimes writes on his blog, which is called Giazza.
See more in the neighbourhood
Want to see more near the mountain village of Giazza? This is an amazingly beautiful part of Italy. You can discover the cities of Verona, Bergamo and Milan. You can also experience Lake Garda and its beautiful surroundings. There are plenty of campsites here and you can also visit many vineyards.
Ferry Italy - Greece
Last night we took the Italy - Greece ferry, from Brindisi in southern Italy to Igoumenitsa in...
Southwards along Lake Garda
Now we have travelled south along Lake Garda and stayed at an absolutely huge campsite called ...
Why not rent a motorhome in Italy? - A great motorhome country
In partnership with Compare and Choose Why not rent a motorhome in Italy? We are in...
Jesolo International - luxury camping in Italy
The luxury campsite Jesolo International is located in Lido Di Jesolo, Italy. Here, close to Venice, you'll find...
What to do in Rome - tips for sights and activities
What to do in Rome? Italy's capital is like a living history museum, but...
Valpolicella - with visits to wine producers
Making a visit to the vineyards of Valpolicella was one of the things we really saw...
10 tips for visiting Venice
Venice is built on stilts in a lagoon. Around all the small islands there are bridges. or so...
Visit the Colosseum in Rome - and the Roman Forum
Visiting the Colosseum in Rome is powerful! This impressive amphitheatre was completed in 80 AD...
Tuscany - A journey around the cultural heritage of Etruscan Tuscany Grosseto and Livorno
Guest writer: Cornelia Tonéri Close your eyes. And then you think of Tuscany. What do you see? Mountains,...
Tropea in Italy - enjoy holidays in Calabria
Tropea in Italy took us by storm. The cliffs are high, and the village sits at the top with...
From Sicily to Calabria
Yesterday it was time to leave Sicily and roll into Calabria, the Italian region down...
By motorhome to Venice
When we left the campsite at Lake Garda, the girls at the reception desk worriedly asked if we had any reservations....
See Rome for free!
Guest writer: Charlotta Rönn A big city does not automatically mean a big hole in the coffers - not in Rome....
Italian playa - Sabbiadoro near Lignano
Now we are in the Italian playa, at a campsite called Sabbiadoro, outside Lignano on the...
Milan's city campsite - and a damaged motorhome ladder
Here at Milan's city centre campsite, we've been busy cleaning and washing. Not a cheap pleasure...
Bergamo in Italy - a city with a view
Welcome to Bergamo, Italy! Bergamo, located in northern Italy, consists of Citta Bassa, the...
Ecological holidays in Italy - relax at an eco-resort in Umbria
In collaboration with Il Cantico Della Natura Curious about an organic holiday in Italy? We have...
Motorhome in Liguria - The Flower Coast of Italy
The Flower Coast in Italy, how charming does that sound? We were very curious to see more...
Hotel Il Gabbiano - on Lake Trasimeno in Umbria
In collaboration with Vilaggio Albergo Il Gabbiano Now we have spent two lovely days at the hotel....
Church of the skull in Otranto - 800 skulls in an Italian church
The cathedral of Otranto in southern Italy is sometimes referred to as the Cathedral of Otranto, and there is a...
Wine tasting in Valpolicella, Italy
Day D. Finally, it was time for the wine tasting. This is what I've been talking...
Verona - with the Roman amphitheatre
Lovely Verona in Italy! The Teatro Romano was built in 30 A.D. and could be used as a...
The art of eating a meal in Italy
The Italian food culture is known all over the world and Italian cuisine is full of...
Shopping for wine in Italy - smart wine buying in Valpolicella
Who doesn't want to take the opportunity to shop for wine in Italy? We took the motorhome to the wine regions north...
Northern Lake Garda in Italy - Riva del Garda
Northern Lake Garda in Italy - perhaps the most beautiful part of Lake Garda! Here, among other things, Riva ...
Rome and the Vatican - what to see and what to avoid
Today we present a guest article Rome is the eternal city that has offered the visitor an unexplained...
Vatican City - the smallest country in the world
The world's smallest country is located in the centre of Rome and is called Vatican City. It is home to the Pope, who is the head of state,...
Valpolicella - the wine valleys of northern Italy
Yesterday we went on a tour of the vineyards in Valpolicella, the wine district just north of...
An inspiring weekend trip to Italy - Florence and Bologna
Guest writer: Miss Lopez This weekend I finally got to go back to Italy, a country that has always been...
Driving in southern Italy
The last two days we have been driving quite long distances here in southern Italy. The day before yesterday...
You might also like:
Unesco World Heritage in Croatia - 10 natural and cultural heritage sites
Latin in everyday life - 25 prefixes to "crack the code"
Facts about Sicily - 30 things you (might) not have known
Handmade Christmas decorations in the Czech Republic - a UNESCO heritage site
Liljevalchs konsthall - art on Djurgården in Stockholm.
Agritourism in Cyprus - 7 tips for the Cyprus countryside
English (UK) 
Svenska 
Deutsch 
Suomi 
Polski
Åsa says:
Oh what a gem! Like mountain villages! Now I became curious about the language, I wonder if I would understand it with the Italian and Tyrolean German that I have in my luggage? Will google and see if I can find a sample....
15 November 2015 - 10:29
Marina says:
How wonderful to see a village "a little like that from the inside". Probably a place you would otherwise never get round to visiting!
15 November 2015 - 10:44
Ama de casa says:
Sure, it's fun to get tips and visit places that are a little off the beaten track.
15 November 2015 - 10:55
admin says:
Åsa, who knows? Let us know if you found any samples and if you understood anything!
Marina, we would never have found this place otherwise!
Ama de casa, that's often when it's at its best!
15 November 2015 - 10:57
Deprivation of liberty says:
What a lovely gem you have visited here. It looks in your beautiful pictures both cosy and beautiful. Uhhh would like to go there right now 🙂
15 November 2015 - 13:38
Ditte says:
Thanks for the visit! I love these small villages where tourism has not yet reached. Hopefully it will be soon....
And what fun for you to come here to Giazza. How exciting with this language, seems to be more of a dialect...
Will definitely check out Leif's blog and read more.
15 November 2015 - 13:42
BP says:
Also like old mountain villages. So happy for you that your mates could show you this gem. As you say - locals are the best guides!
15 November 2015 - 15:10
Maria says:
So lovely with small villages! 🙂 As a student of German, I became curious about that dialect and googled, according to wikipedia it is an old Bavarian dialect with influences of Italian 🙂.
15 November 2015 - 16:44
Mr Leif Berglund says:
Maria is right, it's a dialect of Old German that doesn't exist anymore and the language has changed a lot since the 13th century, as of course has Old German, so today Cimbro is not understandable unless you speak the language in its entirety. But you can still hear that it has common roots with German. Some of my neighbours teach Cimbro in their spare time if anyone is interested in learning, Roberto and Domenico have taught me a few words.
Otherwise, it is easier to read here:
https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbriska
and learn a few words here:
http://www.cimbri.it/la-lingua-cimbra/frasi-in-cimbro/frasi-in-cimbro_0_51.html
15 November 2015 - 18:03
Lena in Wales says:
How nice it looks!
Fun with old languages. Hope it survives!
15 November 2015 - 18:57
steel city anna says:
Amazingly beautiful!
15 November 2015 - 20:33
Ninny says:
Oh, how nice! There is something special about these small mountain villages - or mountains in general - I think. The view, the air...Northern Italy is so beautiful, with its lakes and high mountains.
Have fun and good luck on the rest of your long journey!
15 November 2015 - 21:36
admin says:
Ontripdk, we agree, a very nice little village in a beautiful landscape!
Ditte, I don't know if it counts as a language or a dialect, but if so, some kind of dialect of German or Old German.
BP, you always find the best places with local guides! 🙂
Maria, how nice that you googled, and it seems to be true when you read Leif's comment below.
Leif, what fun that you write and sort out the whole thing about the language a bit! 🙂 We have had problems with the internet for a while, but hopefully it will be better now... Thank you again for your hospitality and a super nice visit around Verona!!!!
Lena in Wales, there is a risk that such languages will die out over time, unfortunately...
Steel city Anna, we can only agree! 🙂
Ninnie, we also like northern Italy very much. Beautiful there! 🙂
16 November 2015 - 14:09
Annika says:
Very beautiful!!!
And so good to have some inside information from the locals.
You are on the home stretch now, I understand.
Hope it feels more than OK too.
16 November 2015 - 14:37
admin says:
Annika, yes we are on our way home and it feels pretty good! We are incredibly happy with the trip and it will be fun to meet family and friends. We have gone a little further than Italy, update soon!
16 November 2015 - 16:59
Maria says:
Leif, thank you for the additional information and the link with examples of sentences and verbs, I really recognise the Bavarian origin, I might be able to understand a little bit of what they say, depending on the topic of the conversation etc. of course 🙂 I think others who speak Bavarian dialects can also understand some of what these people are talking about 🙂 Even in Germany there are Bavarian dialects that are quite old and so strong that Germans from other parts of the country hardly understand anything at all .... 😉
16 November 2015 - 21:46