Veneto
3
Day Itinerary •
Italy
The Veneto is one of the most extraordinary regions in Italy and one of the most misunderstood. Most visitors come for Venice and leave having missed the full extraordinary context. The region also contains the finest Shakespeare city in Italy, the most underrated Renaissance city in the world, extraordinary Palladian villas scattered across a landscape of vineyards and the dramatic foothills of the Dolomites. This 3-day route covers the hidden Veneto. Venice beyond the tourist surface , the quiet islands and the hidden sestieri that most visitors never find. Verona, where the Roman arena is finer than the Colosseum and Romeo and Juliet's city rewards slow exploration. And Vicenza, Palladio's extraordinary city of Renaissance architecture, one of the finest and least visited in Italy.
Best Time To Visit
April to June or September to October
Getting There
Fly into Venice Marco Polo (VCE) or Verona (VRN)
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 100 to 160 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and driving
DAY 1
HIDDEN VENICE
MORNING
MIDDAY
TORCELLO AND BURANO, THE FORGOTTEN ISLANDS
Torcello was the original Venice, home to 20,000 people before the main island took over. Now almost entirely uninhabited, the island contains the extraordinary Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the oldest building in the Venice lagoon, built in 639 AD with Byzantine mosaics from the 11th century that rival Ravenna. Next door, the tiny church of Santa Fosca is a perfect Romanesque gem. Burano, 5 minutes by boat, is the extraordinary island of brightly coloured houses where the finest Venetian lace has been made for 500 years. Drive: 30 min vaporetto back to Venice
AFTERNOON
THE HIDDEN SESTIERI OF VENICE
The Dorsoduro and Castello sestieri are the parts of Venice that most tourists never reach. The Dorsoduro contains the Scuola Grande dei Carmini with extraordinary Tiepolo ceiling paintings, usually with no queue. The via Garibaldi in Castello is the widest street in Venice, lined with local bars and markets visited entirely by Venetians. The Giardini della Biennale beyond Castello give a rare view of Venice from a green open space.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Madonna dell'Orto church in Cannaregio contains the finest collection of Tintoretto paintings in existence, including two enormous canvases that fill entire walls. Tintoretto is buried here. Entry approx 3 euros and visited by a fraction of the tourists who queue for the Accademia despite containing work of equal quality.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar at the Rialto fish market The Venetian tradition of eating cicchetti (small snacks) and drinking ombra (small glass of wine) starts at 7am here. | Lunch: Osteria alle Testiere, Castello The finest small restaurant in Venice. Only 22 covers, the freshest lagoon seafood and extraordinary wine list. Book weeks ahead. | Dinner: Trattoria da Jonatan, Cannaregio Beloved neighbourhood trattoria in Cannaregio where the Venetians eat. Excellent bigoli in salsa and local wines.
DAY 2
VERONA
MORNING
THE ARENA DI VERONA, FINER THAN THE COLOSSEUM
The Roman Arena at Verona is the finest surviving amphitheatre in the world outside Rome. Built in the 1st century AD to hold 30,000 spectators, it is extraordinarily well preserved and still hosts extraordinary outdoor opera performances in summer. Entry approx 10 euros. Climb to the top tier for views over the city and the Alps beyond. The adjacent Piazza Bra is the most beautiful large piazza in northern Italy. Drive: 15 min walk to old town
MIDDAY
VERONA HIDDEN, SHAKESPEARE'S CITY
Most visitors see Juliet's balcony and leave. The real Verona is far more extraordinary. The Roman Theatre above the Adige river contains a theatre museum with extraordinary finds. The extraordinary Piazza delle Erbe, the Roman forum still serving as a market after 2,000 years, the Palazzo della Ragione with its extraordinary scaligeri tombs, and the extraordinary Castelvecchio bridge give a much richer picture of the city. Drive: 15 min walk to Castelvecchio
AFTERNOON
CASTELVECCHIO AND THE ADIGE RIVERFRONT
The Castelvecchio is one of the finest Gothic castles in Italy, built by the Scaligeri lords in 1354. The Museo di Castelvecchio inside is one of the finest and most beautifully curated art museums in northern Italy, designed by Carlo Scarpa in the 1960s. Entry approx 6 euros. Walk the extraordinary Ponte Scaligero, the medieval fortified bridge, for the finest view of the castle and the Adige river.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Giardino Giusti above Verona is one of the finest Renaissance gardens in Italy, laid out in 1580 on a steep hillside above the Adige with extraordinary views over the city. Goethe visited and declared it the most beautiful garden he had seen. Entry approx 10 euros and visited by a fraction of those who see the Arena.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Caffe Dante, Verona The most beautiful cafe in Verona on the Piazza dei Signori. Coffee under the medieval loggia. | Lunch: Osteria al Duca, Verona The finest traditional trattoria in Verona. Risotto all'Amarone, horse meat ragu and the finest local wines. | Dinner: Il Desco, Verona One Michelin star in a beautiful Renaissance palazzo. Outstanding modern Veronese cuisine. Book ahead.
DAY 3
VICENZA AND PROSECCO HILLS
MORNING
VICENZA, PALLADIO'S EXTRAORDINARY CITY
Vicenza is the most underrated Renaissance city in Italy. The entire historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the extraordinary concentration of buildings by Andrea Palladio, the most influential architect in history. The Basilica Palladiana, the Palazzo Chiericati, the Teatro Olimpico (the oldest surviving indoor theatre in the world, completed in 1585) and the extraordinary Palazzo Barbarano are all extraordinary. The Teatro Olimpico has an extraordinary permanent stage set of a Roman city in perfect trompe l'oeil perspective, unchanged since opening night. Drive: 20 min drive to Villa Rotonda
MIDDAY
VILLA ROTONDA, THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BUILDING IN THE WORLD
The Villa Almerico-Capra, known as La Rotonda, is the most imitated building in the history of architecture. Palladio's perfect domed villa of 1566 became the direct inspiration for the Pantheon-domed buildings of Thomas Jefferson (Monticello, the University of Virginia), Chiswick House, and hundreds of others across the world. The exterior and gardens are accessible most days for approx 5 euros. Drive: 40 min drive to Prosecco hills
AFTERNOON
THE PROSECCO HILLS, UNESCO WINE LANDSCAPE
The Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore hills are a UNESCO World Heritage Site of extraordinary wine landscape. Steep terraced vineyards on dramatic hillsides, medieval villages and the finest Prosecco in the world produced from the Glera grape. The town of Asolo, considered the finest medieval hill town in the Veneto, is a detour of 20 minutes and extraordinary.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Piazza dei Signori in Vicenza, designed by Palladio as the civic heart of the city, is one of the most beautiful squares in northern Italy. The Basilica Palladiana's two-level loggia of columns wrapping the medieval palace is extraordinary. Free to view and almost entirely unvisited by international tourists.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Caffe Garibaldi, Vicenza Most beautiful cafe in Vicenza on the Piazza dei Signori. Coffee under the Palladian Basilica. | Lunch: Ristorante Tre Visi, Vicenza Finest traditional restaurant in Vicenza since 1483. Local baccala alla vicentina and Soave wine. | Dinner: Osteria Da Mariano, Asolo Outstanding restaurant in the finest hill town in the Veneto. Local game, truffles and Prosecco Superiore.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
Venice, Night 1 Hotel Bucintoro, Castello. Quiet hotel away from tourists with extraordinary lagoon views. Approx 130 to 200 euros. Verona, Night 2 Hotel Gabbia d'Oro, a beautiful palazzo hotel in the old town. Approx 150 to 230 euros per night. Budget Option Venice: Hotel Al Nuovo Teson from approx 80 euros. Verona: Hotel Aurora from approx 70 euros.
Top Tips
1. Venice at 6am is a completely different city. Set the alarm and walk the Cannaregio before 8am.
2. Book Osteria alle Testiere weeks ahead. Only 22 covers and the finest seafood in Venice.
3. The Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza is the oldest surviving indoor theatre in the world. Book ahead.
4. Torcello vaporetto runs from Fondamente Nove. Take Line 12 via Burano. Allow a full morning.
5. The Verona Arena opera season runs July to September. Tickets from approx 25 euros. Book ahead.
6. Venetian cicchetti culture: order a small glass of wine (ombra) and one small snack per bar. Move every 20 minutes.
Total Budget
85 to 140 euros/day