Discover Veneto
Veneto, a land of a thousand colours, is the Italian region with the largest number of yearly visitors. It offers town and cities full of artistic treasures, nature reserves and mountains, fortified towns and aristocratic villas as well as age-old villages and holiday resorts on the coast and lakeshores.
In Venice, the capital of the region, the narrow alleyways and canals have been bustling with life ever since 421 and still do today. This city, unique due to its very nature, has only one road, and the most intriguing way to explore the city is to wander aimlessly through the calli and campielli. Its breathtakingly evocative dawns and sunsets can be enjoyed from any angle and even flooding, known as acqua alta, becomes a unique, unrepeatable experience that the city of the Doges offers its guests. Coming to Venice isn’t only about crossing the Rialto Bridge or admiring Saint Mark’s Square with its Basilica. It is a succession of artistic periods, evidence of which is still visible today, that has much to offer. Just think of the islands on the Lagoon such as Torcello, the first Venetian settlement, or Murano where the magical craft of glassblowing began in the late 13th century. Here in the old town, Gothic and Baroque styles mingle amidst the nineteenth-century mansions, likewise the traditional craft of lacemaking on Burano and battiloro gold leaf manufacturing still carry on to this day.
The islands on the Venetian Lagoon represent a natural and artistic heritage that includes myths and legends. The three main islands, Murano, Burano and Torcello are definitely worth a visit. Famous all over the world for its hand-blown glass, Murano with its 30,000 inhabitants is the largest island on the Venetian Lagoon. Glass indeed is the main source of livelihood on the island due to the many shops and workshops where you can watch the glass being blown. Anyone visiting Burano will be enchanted by the colourful houses lining the canals. Burano is known for its lace produced locally and the fish landed freshly every day. The island of Torcello is noted mainly for its Devil’s Bridge, named after a legend according to which, the devil himself waged that it could not be built in a day. After crossing the second bridge on the island, we come to the earth and gravel square where we can admire the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, which conserves an immense authentic Byzantine mosaic.
The Venetian Villas offer a journey of discovery into the patrician mansions of Venice’s aristocratic families. Originally built as centres for developing the land, the Venetian Villas were home not only to affluent families from the Venetian Republic, but also to their farmers. Today you can visit this immense architectural heritage, built mainly by Andrea Palladio and decorated with frescoes by Tiepolo or Veronese, extending from the lagoon and countryside through to the foothills of the Dolomites.
Veneto encompasses beauty in all its many different facets. Its history, art, nature, sea, mountains, lakes, spas and parks all make our region truly unique, and to prove it we have an indeed excellent range of UNESCO World Heritage sites, which make it definitely worth visiting.
The Prosecco Hills between Valdobbiadene and Conegliano are a magnificent expanse of vines, a delight to see and to savour. In 2019 they became a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the cultural landscape, where the work of the winegrowers has contributed to creating a unique setting.
The mosaic effect of the landscape is the result of respectful environmental practices that make good use of the land, today as in ancient times. The small vineyards perched on the ridges co-exist with patches of forest, woodland, hedgerows and lines of trees that serve as corridors to connect the various habitats, and villages dotted along the narrow valleys or perched on the hilltops.
These magnificent landscapes mingle with the outstanding architecture of the Venetian Villas, the country residences of the Venetian aristocracy, with their intriguing sequence of discoveries and customs.
The Dolomites in the province of Belluno are amongst the most beautiful mountains in the world and offer magnificent landscapes such as the Tre Cime di Lavaredo or Lake Sorapis, which are part of the UNESCO Natural World Heritage. In every season, the Dolomites offer a wide variety of activities such as hiking through the woods to delightful, almost fairy-tale like locations.
