The Veneto region is one of the most beautiful of the world. Located between the magical city of Venice and the majestic peaks of the Italian Alps, Il Veneto offers a stunning array of breathtaking views, cultural activities, foods, wines and other travel adventures that begin at the Adriatic Sea and reach to the heights of the Dolomites. Whether your interests lie in exploring the palazzo and canals of Venice or finding the perfect romantic hideaway in unspoiled natural grandeur, the Veneto offers all you could ever want.

The ancient Romans called this area Venetia. Over the centuries the named a changed a bit to Venezia and came to refer only to the city on the lagoon. In modern days the region has re-adopted its Roman appellation.

The Veneto encompasses a wide variety of landscapes, including wide plateaus, rounded hills, the lake shores of Lake Garda and in the end the Po River Plain, which we call in Italian La Pianura Padana. The Veneto is bounded by four of Italy’s most interesting and historic cities: Venezia, Treviso, Vicenza and Padova.

Between them lie the majestic villas built between 1500 and 1700 as summer residences for the wealthiest citizens of Venice. The most famous of these villas were designed and built by Andrea Palladio (1508-1580). Many of these “Palladian Villas” retain the exquisite architecture that reminded their tenants of the palazzi that lined Venice’s Grand Canal in its Golden Age. Today they are a must-see destination for every serious student of Italian Renaissance life.

Veneto is also an important wine growing area. Among the best are: Soave, Bardolino, Recioto, Amarone, Torcolato, Prosecco, Tocai Rosso,Garganega, and Valpolicella. Other, more common wines are Verduzzo, Raboso, Moscato, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Nero, Pinot Grigio, and Merlot. In an effort to make fullest use of the harvest, the dregs of the wine-making are used to make grappa. Ccalled graspa in the local dialect, it is a coarse but delicious distillation often flavored with cherries or other fruit. Homemade wine making is a widespread tradition among many local families.

Among the best-known cheeses of Veneto are: Asiago, Monte Veronese, Piave, Morlacco and Grana Padano. And what is cheese without good meats to go with it? La Sopressa Vicentina is an aged salami made of exquisitely seasoned high-quality pork. It may or may not include garlic in its ingredients and comes in medium and large sizes. Prosciutto Veneto Berico-Euganeo offers a delicate, sweet and fragrant aroma that only hints at how delicious it is.

The Veneto is also famous for a two special varieties of radicchio: Rosso di Treviso has a faintly bitter taste and a crunchy texture while Variegato di Castelfranco is more delicate and slightly sweet. Both are excellent in salads and on pizza.

Other local products include Riso Veronese Vialone Nano, a type of rice high in starch with short, plump grains that have a creamy consistency when cooked. It is perfect for risotto. The Bean of Lamon is particularly prized for its delicate flavor and extremely tender skin. The White Asparagus of Cimadolmo has a characteristic scent and a very delicate taste. The San Zeno di Montagna (Verona) chestnut is another remarkable product. The town of Maróstica is famous for its cherries – and the local grappa flavored with them.

We at TrevisoCarService know the Veneto as only people who were born and raised here can. From the world-famous palazzi and canale of Venice to the ancient fields of the high country, we welcome you to our home. We look forward to the opportunity to tailor an itinerary to suit your unique interests, needs and curiosità.

OUR MOST POPULAR EXCURSIONS:

- The Hidden Treasures

- Enchanting Prosecco

- The Dolomites

- The Palladian Villas

Between  1994 and 1996, 24 Palladian Villas have been listed in the World Heritage list by the  UNESCO.

Departures available from Treviso or Venezia

ITINERARY

- Treviso, home of medieval palazzi, frescoes by Tommaso da modena and scenic canals

- Asolo, 15th century hilltop “Town of a Hundred Horizon” was once home to Robert Browning and Eleonora Duse

- Villa Barbaro, completed in 1565, also known as the Villa di Maser, designed and built by Andrea Palladio, with frescos by Paolo Veronese and sculptures by Alessandro Vittoria for Danile Barbaro, Patriarch of Aquileia and ambassador to Queen Elizabeth I of England. The villa was added to the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1996.

- Villa Emo, designed by Andrea Palladio in 1559 for the Emo family of Venice and in the hands of the Emo family until it was sold in 2004. Since 1996, it has been conserved as part of the World Heritage Site “City of Vicenza and the Palladian villas of the Veneto”

It features some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes anywhere, with vertical walls, sheer cliffs and a high density of narrow, deep and long valleys.

The World Heritage Committee inscribed Italy’s Dolomites mountains on the World Heritage List in 1993

Departures available from Treviso or Venice

ITINERARY

- Pieve di Cadore, birth place of Titan, 16th century Reneissance master

- Photo stop at the Olympic sky jump on the way to Cortina d’Ampezzo

- Cortina d’Ampezzo, known as the “Pearl of the Dolomites”, thanks to its position in the middle of this wide valley, surrounding by splendid mountains such as Tofane, Monte Cristallo and Croda da Lago. Host town of the Winter Olympic games in 1956.

- Lake Misurina, the greatest natural lake of the Cadore,  1,754meters above sea level

- Tre Cime di Lavaredo ( Italian for “Three Peaks”), three distinctive battlement-like peaks, in the Dolomites of the Northereastern Italy. The largest of the peaks has an elevation of 2,999 metres (9,839 ft). It stands between the small peak, of elevation 2,857 metres (9,373 ft), and the western peak, of elevation 2,973 metres (9,754 ft)

This all-day excursion explores the land, the people and the culture that produces Italy’s nationl treasure in a glass.

Departures available from Treviso or Venice

 ITINERARY

- Conegliano, situates at the foo of the Dolomites, it is home of Italy’s foremost enology school and experimental viticulture station (Istituto Sperimentale per la Viticoltura) 

- The Abbey of Follina, a small Renaissance town famed for its silk and wool

- Valdobbiadene, picturesque wine growing area, just below the Alpine areas of Veneto, home of Prosecco.

- WINE TASTING in a local winery

Often overlooked by the casual traveler, Italy’s “other” famous hill towns offer unique treasures all their own. Little faschinating tows full of history at the foothills of the Dolomites

Departures available form Treviso or Venice

 ITINERARY

- Marostica,  little medieval town whose medival fortifications are almost intact. All along the lenght of the walls are towers placed at regular intervals, Marostica is not a big town and it is centered around a large square called Piazza Castello, famous for the chess board painted on its pavement.  According to the legend, in 1454, Rinaldo da Angarano and Vieri da Vallonara played an important live game of chess in Marostica on a huge chessboard, specially painted in Piazza Castello, to win the hand of Lionora, the daughter of the lord of the castle, Taddeo Parisio.
Since 1954 this challenge has been re-enacted every two years and has turned into a real town festival, with traditional 15th century costumes.

- Bassano del Grappa, crossed by the river Brent, is one of the most densely-populated and well-developed town in Veneto. As well as fast-growing industrial economy and a lively cultural activity, Bassano has a fine gastronomic tradition. Its tipical products are the asparagues and grappa.
All the town is full of buildings of fine taste, enriched with prescious ornamentation.
In the central Monte Vecchio square are the impressive Palazzo del monte di pieta’ and the Casa Dal Corno Bonato, the facade of which was frescoed by Jacopo da Ponte, known as il Bassano ; a few steps away, in Piazza della Liberta’, is the neoclassical church of San Giovanni built in the 1300s by the architect Giovanni Miazzi. The 15th century Loggia del Comune is also lovely. The pearl of Bassano is, however, its wooden bridge, designed by Palladio in this material as its flexibility would resist the raging Brenta river. It was damaged both by the river and by bombings, but it was always restored following the ideas of Palladio. The last restoration was in the second postwar period and it was due to the Alpine troops.

- Asolo, old walled hill town known as the town of ‘One Hundred Horizons’, Asolo is one of the most enchanting spots in Italy and the jewel of the Veneto region. Its great location and wonderful climate made Asolo a population centre right from prehistoric times and later a principal settlement for the Veneto people.It has been the beloved retreat for the poet Robert Browning and explorer Freya Stark.

- Villa Barbaro, completed in 1565, also known as the Villa di Maser, designed and built by Andrea Palladio, with frescos by Paolo Veronese and sculptures by Alessandro Vittoria for Danile Barbaro, Patriarch of Aquileia and ambassador to Queen Elizabeth I of England. The villa was added to the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1996.