The walled city of Cittadella, one of many hidden gems
Extraordinary, irresistible Venice is one of the most visited cities in the world. More than 13 million people come to wander its watery streets every year. But for all Venice’s fame, the wide region surrounding it is not only comparatively unexplored, many people aren’t even sure how to pronounce it. (It’s ‘Ven-eh-to’, by the way, with the stress on the first syllable.) To be clear, it’s not that there aren’t other places in Veneto that visitors love – Verona, Vicenza, and the super-chic ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo – are also much adored. But mention Veneto’s wild open spaces, the rural beauty of the Euganean, Lessini or Berici Hills, or the foothills of the Dolomites, and most travellers scratch their heads.
These rural gems aren’t lesserknown because they’re difficult to get to. Veneto is an extremely prosperous and well-organised region with excellent transport connections and good roads. It’s just that visitors are generally a bit too busy being wowed by Venice and Veneto’s other bijou cities to find time to wander out into the beautiful hills and countryside outside the cities.