Venice is wonderful – full of wonder
Venice is awesome – with an awe-ful lot of history and art
Venice is beautiful – in any beholder’s eye
Venice is quirky – with oddities around every corner
But there’s so much more to Veneto than its famous city. An autonomous region of Italy since 1971, its inhabitants are known as ‘the Venetian people’ and they spread across the provinces of Belluno, Padua, Rovigo, Treviso, Venice, Verona and Vicenza.
We fell in love with the area and discovered 7 things to do in Veneto that don’t include Venice.
Explore ancient villages
The area is peppered with small towns and villages with a long history, many of them listed in the Association of The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy.
Asolo is high on the list – a hilltop village with a beautiful old square, ancient castle and ruined fortifications. The Museum gives a great overview of the region’s history and art and the village’s most famous inhabitants; the actress Eleanora Duse and explorer and writer Freya Stark.
Arqua Petrarca, south of Padua is another village with a literary connection, the poet Petrarch, for whom it is named, spent his final years there.
It’s also home to a sweet, sticky date-like fruit, the jujube which produces excellent jam, dessert wine and ice-cream.
Follow the Prosecco road
Recently granted UNESCO World Heritage status, here’s where you can see the rolling vineyards and harsh-lifestyle of the Prosecco viticulturist.
The steep slopes limit mechanisation, and the grapes are still harvested by hand and carried in huge baskets up and down the precipitous slopes.
The trail itself is very short, easily driven in about an hour or cycled and hiked over a few days if you have the energy and stamina for the hills.
At one end is Valdobbiadene, a sleepy town with a huge clock tower. At the other, the historic Vittorio Veneto, named for a major battle which turned the tide in the First World War.
En route, there are churches and monasteries to linger in. Most unusual is the church of Col San Martino, a huge edifice which dwarfs the surrounding village. Here couples trying for a baby can ask for divine intervention.
Part of the deal is they select a random name from a sealed box and promise that when the baby arrives, it will be given that name. Judging by the number of votive offerings with happy baby insignia, the system seems to work!
There are plenty of small cafés along the route to serve you with a glass or two of bubbles but for a more unusual experience stop off at Osteria Senz’Oste – literally the ‘inn without a host’ – where you can either bring your own picnic or pick up a few items from vending machines, including bottles of chilled prosecco.
Enjoy a leisurely meal among the vineyards. Avoid weekends in high season as it gets very busy, but it’s worth it for the view.
Climb every mountain
Whilst much of the Veneto is an open plain, you can’t ignore the beautiful Dolomites rearing up in the north. We stayed in the foothills in a tiny village with one bar, a few goats and the occasional donkey.
Cooler in the hot summer days than the open plain, the ranges gave us beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
If you’re into cycling and hiking, the mountain pathways are a joy, mile after mile of winding tracks, snaking across the peaks.
Those less athletically inclined can head for the hills on four wheels via dizzying roads, hairpin bends and precipitous cliff sides to the relative ease of the mountain valleys.
Look out for the rural restaurants, like Malga Mure, but remember they’re only open in the short summer season.
Mount Grappa is a must. A huge memorial, dedicated to the casualties of both sides in World War 1. These hilltops and their hidden caves were the scenes of hard-fought battles and enduring hardship for the troops, something this vast monument aims to keep fresh in every visitor’s mind.
Walk the Walls of Cittadella
Most of the towns and villages of the Veneto were fortified at one time or another. At Cittadella these walls remain complete, totally encircling the tiny town.
As long as you don’t suffer from vertigo (and the approach steps are steep) a stroll around the walls will take about an hour and give you stunning views of the whole region.
There’s a neat little museum too at the halfway point.
Market days are bustling in the town – and the clean-up operation at closing time most impressive – but mainly it’s a calm, quiet and restful stopping point.
Visit ‘Little Venice’
You might not be able to paddle a gondola through the tiny canals of Treviso, but it’s cuter than its big sister city. Ornate bridges span the narrrow canals, the lifeblood of the settlement since Roman times.
One sweeping canal girdles the town, with other, smaller ones criss-crossing the streets.
Treviso claims to be the birthplace of that Italian classic dessert Tiramisu, but Pork Belly knows it as the place he found a delicious zuppa inglese gelato. Trifle. As ice-cream. He was in seventh heaven!
Cafés, gelateria and smart shops are all housed in ancient buildings, some still displaying their medieval frescoes and balconies. It’s city life, but far less crowded than the packed streets of Venice.
Play a giant game of chess in Marostica
We loved this tiny town just a little way south of Bassano del Grappa which boasts the remains of two castles – an upper and a lower. It’s a pretty stiff climb to the top, but there is a way up by car, and you can then meander slowly, if steeply, down through a tiny wild garden to the castle below.
The town square is laid out like a giant chessboard and in September every other year they stage a live chess game with humans acting the roles of the pieces – kings, queens, bishops, knights and all. The lower castle has a wall walk and a museum where the costumes for this lavish event are displayed.
Visit the world’s oldest botanical garden
Most people go to Padua for the Giotto frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel. We made a mistake and failed to book ahead (you can’t just turn up on the day) so instead we headed for the botanical gardens – the world’s oldest academic botanical garden still in its original location.
Plant buffs will be amazed at the variety and depth of knowledge the curators have gathered over the years. Specimens include a palm planted in 1585 called the “Goethe palm”, because the poet referred to it in one of his essays.
There’s a tiny alpine garden, a medicinal plant section, orchids and water lilies. Recent additions include a series of hothouses comparing the flora of desert and rainforest.
Not the largest or most dramatic botanical park we’ve seen, but packed with information and a welcome oasis of coolth.
If none of the above are your thing, you can always lie on a beach – Veneto’s Adriatic coast has miles of sandy beaches, safe for swimming and relaxing.
So, visit Venice by all means, but please don’t miss out on the rest of what Veneto has to offer.
Getting to Veneto
Situated in the north-east of Italy, Venice is the big draw that makes Veneto the most popular Italian tourist region, and getting there is straightforward. You can fly direct to Venice in around two hours from most UK airports. Flights to Treviso are also available, though there’s less choice.
Accommodation is right across the board – from AirBnB and small family-run hotels, to self-catering apartments and luxury villas.
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