Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Table of Contents
Top Reasons to Go | Getting Oriented | Planning | Eating and Drinking Well in the Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia
Updated by Bruce Leimsidor
The arc around Venice—stretching from Verona to Trieste, encompassing the Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia regions—has, in recent centuries, fallen under the cultural influence of its namesake city. Whether coastal or inland, the emblem of Venice, Saint Mark’s winged lion, is emblazoned on palazzi or poised on pedestals. Since the 16th century, the art, architecture, and way of life have all reflected Venetian splendor. But in the Middle Ages Padua and Verona were independent cities that developed substantial cultural traditions of their own, leaving behind many artistic treasures. And 16th-century Vicenza, even while under Venetian political domination, contributed more to the cultural heritage of La Serenissima than it took from her.
The area is primarily flat green farmland. As you move inland, though, you encounter low hills, which swell and rise in a succession of plateaus and high meadows, culminating in the snowcapped Dolomite Alps. Much of the pleasure of exploring here comes from discovering the variations on the Venetian theme that give a unique character to each of the towns. Some, such as Verona, Treviso, and Udine, have a solid medieval look; Asolo, dubbed “the town of a hundred horizons,” has an idyllic setting; Bassano del Grappa combines a bit of both of these qualities. Padua, with its narrow arcaded streets, is romantic. Vicenza, ennobled by the architecture of Palladio, is elegant. In Friuli–Venezia Giulia, Udine is a genteel, intricately sculpted city that’s home to the first important frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo. In Trieste there’s a reminder of its past as a port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in its Viennese-inspired coffeehouses.
Giotto’s frescoes in the Cappella degli Scrovegni: In this Padua chapel, Giotto’s expressive and innovative frescoes foreshadowed the painting techniques of the Renaissance.
Villa Barbaro in Maser: Master architect Palladio’s graceful creation meets Veronese’s splendid paintings in a one-time-only collaboration.
Opera in Verona’s ancient arena: The performances may not be top-notch, but even serious opera fans can’t resist the spectacle of these shows.
Roman and early Christian ruins at Aquileia: Aquileia’s ruins offer an image of the transition from pagan to Christian Rome, and are almost entirely free of tourists.
The wine roads north of Treviso: A series of routes takes you through beautiful hillsides to some of Italy’s finest wines.
The Venetian Arc is the sweep of land curving north and east from the River Adige to the Slovenian border. It’s made up of two Italian regions—the Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia—that were once controlled by Venice, and the culture is a mix of Venetian, Alpine, and central European sensibilities.
Padua. A city of both high-rises and history, Padua is most noted for Giotto’s frescoes in the Cappella degli Scrovegni, where Dante’s contemporary painted with a human focus that foreshadowed the Renaissance.
Verona. Shakespeare placed Romeo, Juliet, and a couple of gentlemen in Verona, one of the oldest, best-preserved, and most beautiful cities in Italy. Try to catch Aïda at the gigantic Roman arena.
Vicenza. This elegant art city, on the green plain reaching inland from Venice’s lagoon, bears the signature of the great 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio, including several palazzi and other important buildings.
Treviso and the Hillside Towns. Treviso is a busy town with a touch of Venetian style. Asolo (the City of a Hundred Horizons) is the most popular destination in a series of charming towns that dot the wine-producing hills north of Treviso.
Friuli–Venezia Giulia. Set between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia in the eastern corner of Italy, this is a region where menus run from gnocchi to goulash. The port city of Trieste has a mixed Venetian-Austrian heritage. It contains several Belle Epoque cafés and palaces built for Habsburg nobility.
Three of the top sights in the region demand advance planning:
Reservations are required to see the Giotto frescoes in Padua’s Cappella degli Scrovegni—though if there’s space, you can “reserve” on the spot.
On the outskirts of Vicenza, Villa della Rotonda, one of star-architect Palladio’s masterpieces, is open to the public only from mid-March through mid-November, and only on Wednesday and Saturday. (Hours for visiting the grounds are less restrictive.)
Another important Palladian villa, Villa Barbaro near Maser, is open weekends and several days during the week from March to October. From November to February, it’s open only on weekends.
Lined up in a row west of Venice are Padua, Vicenza, and Verona—three prosperous small cities, each worth at least a day on a northern Italy itinerary. Verona has the greatest charm, and it’s probably the best choice for a base in the area, even though it also draws the biggest crowds of tourists. The hills north of Venice make for good drives, with appealing villages set amid a visitor-friendly wine country.
East of the Veneto, the region of Friuli–Venezia Giulia is off the main tourist circuit. You probably won’t go here on a first trip to Italy, but by your second or third visit you may be drawn by its caves and castles, its battle-worn hills, and its mix of Italian and central European culture. The port city of Trieste, famous for its elegant cafés, has quiet character that some people find dull and others find alluring. (Famed travel writer Jan Morris’s book in praise of the city is tellingly titled Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere.)
There are interurban and interregional connections throughout the Veneto and Friuli, handled by nearly a dozen private bus lines. To figure out which line will get you where, the best strategy is to get assistance from local tourist offices.
Padua, Vicenza, and Verona are on the highway and train line between Venice and Milan. Seeing them without a car isn’t a problem; in fact, having a car can complicate matters. The cities sometimes limit access, permitting only cars with plates ending in an even number on even days, odd on odd, or prohibiting cars altogether on weekends. There’s no central source for information about these sporadic traffic restrictions; the best strategy is to check with your hotel before arrival for an update. You’ll need a car to get the most out of the hill country that makes up much of the Venetian Arc.
The two main access roads to the Venetian Arc from southern Italy are both linked to the A1 (Autostrada del Sole), which connects Bologna, Florence, and Rome. They are the A13, which culminates in Padua, and the A22, which passes through Verona running north–south. Linking the region from east to west is the A4, the primary route from Milan to Trieste, skirting Verona, Padua, and Venice along the way. The distance from Verona to Trieste via A4 is 263 km (163 miles, 2½ hours), with one break in the autostrada near Venice/Mestre. Branches link the A4 with Treviso (A27), Pordenone (A28), and Udine (A23).
Trains on the main routes from the south stop almost hourly in Verona, Padua, and Venice. From northern Italy and the rest of Europe, trains usually enter via Milan or through Porta Nuova station in Verona. Treviso and Udine both lie on the main line from Venice to Tarvisio. Unfortunately, there are no daytime express trains between Venice and Tarvisio, only the slower interregional and regional service.
To the west of Venice, the main line running across the north of Italy stops at Padua (30 minutes from Venice), Vicenza (1 hour), and Verona (1½ hours); to the east is Trieste (2 hours). Local trains link Venice to Bassano del Grappa (1 hour), Padua to Bassano del Grappa (1 hour), Vicenza to Treviso (1 hour), and Udine to Trieste (1 hour).
Be sure to take express trains whenever possible—a local “milk run” that stops in every village along the way can take considerably longer. The fastest trains are the Eurostars, but reservations are obligatory and fares are much higher than on regular express trains.
FS.
You can check schedules on the Italian national railway’s website. | 892021 | www.trenitalia.com.
Please note that restaurant prices listed as “Average Cost” include a meal consisting of first course (primo), second course (secondo), and dessert (dolce).
There’s a full range of accommodations throughout the region. Hotels often renovate and raise their prices, but good low-cost options can still be found. Ask about weekend discounts, often available at hotels catering to business clients. Rates tend to be higher in Padua and Verona; in Verona especially, seasonal rates vary widely and soar during trade fairs and the opera season. There are fewer good lodging choices in Vicenza, perhaps because more overnighters are drawn to the better restaurant scene in Verona and Padua. Agriturismo (farm stay) information is available at tourist offices and sometimes on their websites.
With the decisive seasonal changes of the Venetian Arc, it’s little wonder that many restaurants shun printed menus. Elements from field and forest define much of the region’s cuisine, including white asparagus, wild herbs, chestnuts, radicchio, and mushrooms.
Restaurants of the Venetian Arc tend to cling to tradition, not only in the food they serve, but in how they serve it. This means that from 3 in the afternoon until about 7:30 in the evening most places are closed tight (though you can pick up a snack at a bar during these hours), and on Sunday afternoon restaurants are packed with Italian families and friends indulging in a weekly ritual of lunching out.
Meals are still sacred for most Italians, so don’t be surprised if you get disapproving looks when you gobble down a sandwich or a slice of pizza while seated on the church steps or a park bench. In many places it’s actually illegal to do so. If you want to fit in with the locals, eat while standing at the bar, and they may not even notice that you’re a tourist.
Pasta e fagioli, a thick bean soup with pasta, served slightly warm or at room temperature, is made all over Italy. Folks in Veneto, though, take a special pride in their version. It features particularly fine beans that are grown around the village of Lamon, near Belluno.
Even when they’re bought in the Veneto, the beans from Lamon cost more than double the next most expensive variety, but their rich and delicate taste is considered to be well worth the added expense. You never knew bean soup could taste so good.
For primi (first courses), the Veneto dines on bigoli (thick whole-wheat pasta) generally served with an anchovy-onion sauce delicately flavored with cinnamon, and risotto—saturated with red wine in Verona and made with prosecco in Conegliano. Polenta is everywhere, whether it’s a stiff porridge topped with Gorgonzola or stew, or a patty grilled alongside meat or fish.
The catch of the day is always a good bet, whether sweet and succulent Adriatic shellfish, sea bream, bass, or John Dory, or freshwater fish from Lake Garda near Verona. A staple in the Veneto is baccalà, dried salt cod, soaked in water or milk, and then prepared in a different way in each city. In Vicenza, baccalà alla vicentina, is cooked with onions, milk, and cheese, and is generally served with polenta.
Because grazing land is scarce in the Veneto, beef is a rarity, but pork and veal are standards, while goose, duck, and guinea fowl are common poultry options. Lamb is best in spring, when it’s young and delicate. In Friuli–Venezia Giulia, menus show the influences of Austria-Hungary: you may find deer and hare on the menu, as well as Eastern European–style goulash. Throughout the Veneto an unusual treat is nervetti—cubes of gelatin from a cow’s knee prepared with onions, parsley, olive oil, and lemon.
In fall and winter be sure to try the radicchio di Treviso, a red endive grown near that town but popular all over the region. It’s best in a stew with chicken or veal, in a risotto, or just grilled or baked with a drizzle of olive oil and perhaps a bit of taleggio cheese from neighboring Lombardy.
Wine is excellent here: the Veneto produces more D.O.C. (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) wines than any other region in Italy. Amarone, the region’s crowning achievement, is a robust and powerful red with an alcohol content as high as 16%. Valpolicella and Bardolino are other notable appellations.
The best of the whites are Soave, sparkling prosecco, and pinot bianco (pinot blanc). In Friuli–Venezia Giulia the local wines par excellence are Tocai Friulano, a dry, lively white made from the Tocai grape, which has attained international stature, and piccolit, perhaps Italy’s most highly prized dessert wine.
Previous Chapter | Beginning of Chapter | Next Chapter | Table of Contents