WORDS: KERRY WALKER. IMAGE: GETTY
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PAID CONTENT FOR ITS ITALY
Veneto, Italy Through the grapevine
Between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea, Veneto is one of Italy’s unsung beauties. Paired with a glass of fi zz, the region has never looked more appealing
I
f ever there was a landscape to make you want to crack open a bottle of something special, it would be Veneto in Italy’s northeast, where the
Dolomites ripple down to the Adriatic Sea. Venice’s obvious charms aside, the region receives just a trickle of tourists every year. Here, rivers braid valleys, hills are plumed with oak and chestnut woods and UNESCO- listed slopes produce the country’s fi nest prosecco. Days play out gently in alley- woven, terracotta-tiled villages, locals share gossip on shady piazzas and family-run wineries fl ing open heavy, wooden doors for impromptu tastings of the region’s famous fi zz. Situated in northeastern Veneto,
Solighetto is one quaint, cobbled village that moves to its own beat. Flanked by vine-streaked hills, this is a place where simple pleasures are celebrated, whether it’s morning pastries and espressos in a back alley, dinner at an osteria serving up locally sourced dishes such as beef cheek slow-cooked in red wine, or a tasting of the region’s outstanding Prosecco Superiore
DOCG at a family-run winery like Albarossa Vini, putting bubbles in bottles since 1890. For a spritz of culture, wander the
banks of the Soligo River, past watermills and cascades, to the 18th-century Villa Brandolini. Here, visitors can gain an insight into the dolce vita lifestyle of the Brandolini Counts who chose to plant the highly prized glera prosecco grape there. Or, visit the step- gabled, neo-Romanesque church of Santa Maria Assunta in Pieve di Soligo, which hides a 16th-century treasure of an altarpiece by Francesco da Milano. Everywhere you look, paths twist up through vines, with uplifting views across the patchwork countryside. The 2.5-mile trail from Soligo to Eremo di San Gallo chapel provides a short, scenic overview of this undulating landscape. Solighetto is also right at the heart of
the UNESCO World Heritage Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene, a ravishing region of emerald-green hills and ciglioni — small plots of vines planted on narrow terraces, which rake the steep contours of the slopes. Seen from above, the 19th-century bellussera technique
of training vines gives the landscape the appearance of honeycomb. The best way to explore the region is to get
behind the wheel or in a saddle on Strada del Prosecco (Prosecco Road), bookended by the graceful Renaissance town of Valdobbiadene and the medieval, castle-topped town of Conegliano. The route is lined with dozens of wine cellars, where you can often pop in unannounced for a tasting of fruity, spicy Prosecco Superiore DOCG, with at least 85% glera in the blend (Pinot and Chardonnay are sometimes added).
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