The land of Prosecco

Prosecco land occupies a wide swathe of hills cut through by the River Piave. The tour divides into two itineraries, one each side of the river. The first explores what’s called the “Strada del Vino Bianco” (White Wine Road), leaving from Conegliano and finishing at Vittorio Veneto; the second starts at the town of Valdobbiádene and crosses the Piave to wind through the Montello hills, an area famous for both its wines and its splendid villas.

Conegliano

Well known as the home of Prosecco, the highly regarded white wine produced in this area, the town stands at the foot of the hill on the left bank of the Piave river. The centre has grown in the lee of the castle, which was built before the year 1000 by the Bishops of Belluno and subsequently destroyed. Fought over by the various different baronal domains or seigniories in the centuries leading up to Venice taking over, the city has frequently shown enterprising productivity in modern times, by becoming the headquarters of large industries, in particular those of wine-making and electric household appliances. The cathedral, which was begun in the 14th c., is connected to the Scuola dei Battuti and its fine hall, and houses a number of important 15th- and 16th-c. paintings.

Vittorio Veneto

A town in the Treviso area which presides over access from the west to the valleys of the Belluno area. It was created in the early years of the Kingdom of Italy by joining together two existing neighbourhoods, Serravalle and Ceneda, which had had very different histories. Serravalle was an important town in Roman times, Ceneda during the Longobard era. In the years that followed, both were subjects of Venice. Ceneda still has a cathedral which is 13th c. in origin. The Loggia del Cenedese, which would appear to have been designed by Sansovino, now houses the Museum of the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, the decisive event in the World War I. Serravalle still has a number of medieval buildings in its fine Piazza Flaminio, while along the Corso Calgrande are several 16th-c. and Venetian-style palaces.

Maser

In a magnificent position with the hillside immediately behind it, the Villa Barbaro at Maser is universally acknowledged as one of Palladio’s masterpieces. The central block, presented to the visitor’s eye with the perspective of an open expanse of green, has a pediment supported by four columns, between which are sets of upstairs and downstairs windows. The wings, which are set further back, incorporate a spacious low open gallery with a high tympanum at each end. In 1560 Paolo Veronese painted an extensive cycle of grand frescoes.

Montebelluna

This town in the Marca region stands at the foot of the Montello range of hills, halfway between Treviso and the Piave valley, and is renowned for its modern industrial activity, the manufacture of mountain boots. It sprang up around the Mons Bellonae, a hill on which a market was held in medieval times. Fortified and attached to the commune of Treviso, it came to be ruled by Venice towards the end of the 14th c. The modern industrial development of the town has caused rapid expansion and led to Montebelluna encompassing other built-up areas nearby.

Asolo

Small centre rich in history and culture situated among the Treviso Hills near Montebelluna. Perhaps on account of its particularly mild climate, it was already a centre of some importance – known as Acelum – in Roman times, with a theatre, thermal baths and its own aqueduct. In the centuries that followed, it was fortified and had a chequered history. It is worth visiting the Civic Museum, which, in addition to its large stock of archaeological material , has on show sculptures and paintings by Canova, Strozzi, Canaletto and other great artists from the collection of Caterina Cornaro, the Venetian-born queen of Cyprus and later the sovereign of Asolo.

Valdobbiadene

Agricultural town, noted for its wine production, which stands on high ground in the Pre-Alps of the Belluno area on the left bank of the Piave river. It is one of the biggest centres in Italy for the production and marketing of naturally fermenting sparkling wines. The site was inhabited in very early times and during the Middle Ages was a staging-post for travellers heading into the Belluno area. It was completely destroyed in World War I.