Discovering Veneto
Abbazia di Follina (TV): immersed in the green hills of the Valmarena, simple and austere, with two authentic cloisters for meditation: the larger one is Romanesque and the other was built in the XVI century and adorned with a pretty baroque fountain.
Montagnana (PD): the ancient city stands on the green plain, between hills and cool watercourses, surrounded by 2 Km of still intact walls, built by the Seignory of the Carraras.
Palladian villas: three splendid Palladian villas around Asolo, scattered within a radius of 15 kilometers, are open to visitors (TV): Villa Barbaro in Maser, Villa Emo in Fanzolo di Vedelago and Villa Angarano Bianchi Michiel in Bassano del Grappa.
Valeggio sul Mincio (VR): Scaligero Castle and the Visconti bridge-dike dominate the landscape. The splendid and vast park of Villa Maffei-Sigurtà can be visited by car, motorcycle or bicycle.
Other villages: Asolo, Costozza, Noale, Oderzo, Valnogaredo.
Tastes and flavors in Veneto
Risi e Bisi: typical Venetian dish based on peas and rice. Pastizada de caval: a horsemeat stew cooked for a long time with a rich, very aromatic sauce.
Lagoon Goby Risotto: the gobies (small spiny-finned fish), cooked and then passed through a sieve, are enhanced by the addition of laurel and onion.
Smegiazza: a cake from the Padua area made with crumbled polenta.
Wines: Amarone, Chardonnay, Duella, Gargenega, Sauvignon, Verduzzo.
Handicrafts in Veneto
Paper-making: a very ancient art in the Venetian region – it is for this reason that we find shops selling decorated paper here.
Artistic leather: skins are finished and decorated in Venice and luxury items are made: handbags, shoes, masks and the famous leather with golden decoration.
Lace: The Island of Burano is one of the places where old lace is still made, yet another technique in which Venetian craftsmanship reached unparalleled heights.
Glass: objects made out of very fine, multicolored glass beads, such as flowers, knick-knacks, frames, masks, frills and embellishments for clothing, are produced on the Island of Murano.
Veneto events & exhibitions
Chioggia: third week in June - Marciliana ‘Palio’. Held in commemoration of the liberation of Chioggia from the Genoese: regattas, jousts, processions in costume, music and dancing.
Marostica: mid-September – Living Chess. The history of the game dates back to 1454. Two noble warriors fell in love at the same time with the daughter of the lord of the castle and challenged each other to a game of chess to compete for her hand.
Treviso: October to December –La Via della Seta (The Silk Road). Exhibition held at Casa dei Carraresi gallery, retracing the birth of the Celestial Empire.
Venice: third weekend in July - Festival of the Redeemer. Hundreds of boats gather in St. Mark’s basin to await the midnight fireworks in honor of the Redeemer, while a bridge of floating platforms connects the city to the Island of Giudecca.