The Regional Exhibit at Festa Italiana will highlight Veneto. Be our guest at the Cultural Tent, and we will show that there is so much more to this Region than only Venice. Let us show you the beauty of the spectacular Dolomite Mountains, Lago di Garda, Padua, Verona and much more. View the architecture of one of the world’s most famous architects, Andrea Palladio. Leave a message of love on the wall of Juliet’s balcony. Learn about the about the food and wine from Lou Bruno of LoDuca Bros. Purchase some Venetian glass jewelry.
Behold Giotto’s extraordinary frescoes in Padua, the Palladian pleasures of Vicenza and the romance of riverside Verona – explore the hamlets, vineyards and valleys of the Valpolicella wine-making region, the tight medieval centre of Treviso (Benetton country) and the elegant home to grappa (Italy’s firewater), Bassano del Grappa. Explore hilltop beauties like Asolo and the castle of Soave, surrounded by vineyards. Further north, Belluno is the perfect base for spectacular hiking in the staggering eastern Dolomites.
And then there is Venice. Venice makes you a believer in fairy tales. Cars are banned, so the only way to get around the 1,500-year-old city is by foot or by water. From these vantage points, you’ll be awed by the magical beauty. La Serenissima, “the most serene one,” is filled with palaces and art, fine shopping and excellent food. Relax in Piazza San Marco, visit the Basilicas, drink a Bellini at Harry’s Bar and wander the alleyways and bridges.
Cuisine – the region’s cuisine is founded on rice and polenta. Risotto is cooked with almost everything the Veneto has to offer – from baby peas to baby crab. The single most popular tipple is Prosecco, a generic bubbly that flows freely in bars across the region, but most locals finish the day with a biting afternoon Venetian Spritz – the classic Veneto apperitivo, made of one part Prosecco, one part soda and one part bitters (like Campari or the slightly sweeter Aperol). Cin cin!
Vino – Veneto is among the foremost wine-producing regions, both for quality and quantity. The region counts over 20 DOC zones and a variety of sub-categories, many of its wines, both dry and Spumanti, are internationally known and appreciated.
The three most well known DOCs are Bardolino, from the town with the same name and surrounding the shores of Garda Lake, Valpolicella, and Soave. Other noteworthy wines produced here are the white Bianco di Custoza, the excellent sparkling Prosecco, the Breganze, and the Amarone (a rich and powerful red from the Verona province).
The importance of winemaking in this region is underscored by the creation in 1885 of the very first Italian school for vine growing and oenology. In addition, Veneto was the first region to constitute the first strada del vino or “wine road”. This first wine-touring road featured special road signs providing information on vines and the wines they were made into and joined the Valdobbiadene and Conegliano DOC zones crossing a series of hilly vineyards.
The most appreciated wines in the region come from the provinces of Treviso, Verona, Padova, Venice, and Vicenza. The area around Verona, with its temperate climate and hilly surrounding, is believed to have cultivated grapes since the Bronze Age.
