Even though the civic and religious organization of the area must be placed earlier, the inhabited territory evolved in the 13th century following the colonization of ethnic German populations (the so-called
Cimbri). On February 5, 1287, the Cimbrian Olderico da Altissimo signed a contract with Verona's bishop, Bartolomeo della Scala, to become steward of the area. There is little information on the medieval period, and it largely pertains to the church of San Nicola and the districts of Molino and Costa; there is no evidence of castles. Altissimo, together with Padua and Venice, fought against
Mastino II della Scala in
1336. The
Scaligeri were followed by the
Visconti in 1387, and afterwards by the Republic of Venice (1404). During the
Serenissima's reign, the economy shifted from a subsistence economy based on small and medium-sized local proprietors to a profit economy dominated by
nobles and
bourgeois. Altissimo became a
municipality of the
Lombardo-Veneto Kingdom after the
Napoleonic period, located in the
Arzignano district of the
province of Vicenza, a condition that has largely been preserved to the current day. The
Second World War period is notable. Following
Cassibile's armistice, the locals saved several disbanded soldiers going through the area. Furthermore, in the beginning of October 1943, the first
partisan units emerged, with the assistance of many local families, despite the risk of
Nazi-fascist retaliation. The town was traversed by retreating German forces in the days following the conflict's end: some were confronted and disarmed, while others ransacked houses and kidnapped hostages. ==References==