Small-Town Gems of Veneto: Villas, Wine Tasting and Local Delicacies
Discover the beauty of the Veneto landscape by exploring small towns and villages.
Unlike our Veneto Cities of Living Art tour, which focuses more on art, in our Small Town Gems of Veneto tour, you will experience the Palladio Tours difference. You will visit towns immersed in the rolling hills of the Alps. Charming villages like Marostica and Asolo will surprise you with their pristine beauty and their charming squares. Small towns like Treviso and Bassano del Grappa will make you fall in love with their geographical settings.
Every small town in Veneto is famous for some local food product. We will taste these products while enjoying the world-famous sparkling Prosecco wine.
In your exploration of this region, the one we believe to be the richest in all of Italy, you will discover its cuisine and fall in love with the warmth of Veneto village life.
The wonders of Veneto await you
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ASOLO, also known as "The Pearl" and "The City of a Hundred Horizons" for its spectacular mountain views, was an important cultural and political center during the Renaissance.
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CASTELFRANCO VENETO, the town where the Renaissance painter Giorgione was born, is still surrounded by its spectacular medieval walls and towers built in 1211.
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TREVISO, with its beautiful historic center boasts many important monuments that include 13th and 14th century churches, as well as an imposing fortress and palace.
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BASSANO DEL GRAPPA was founded by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. The symbol of the town is the celebrated Old Bridge (Ponte Vecchio) designed by Andrea Palladio in 1569.
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MAROSTICA is famous for its unique “human chess game” that takes place every two years in honor of a game played by two noblemen in 1454.
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CITTADELLA, on whose wall parapets you can still walk, was founded in 1220 by the Paduans to counterbalance the fortification of Castelfranco Veneto.
The Small-Town Gems of Veneto itinerary
Day 1 - Sunday
Arrival and Welcome Dinner
You will be picked up at the Venice airport and (transported) driven to your hotel in Asolo. After check-in, the tour leader will provide a detailed introduction to the program. You will be our guests for a pleasant welcoming dinner in Asolo.
Day 2 - Monday
Visit Palladian Villas
Morning off.
Afternoon visit to Villa Maser (1560) and Villa Emo (1558). Both were built by Andrea Palladio during his most prolific period. They represent two of the most accomplished villas ever build and since 1996 are part of the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites.
Day 3 - Tuesday
Two small town visits
Visit to the small town of Bassano del Grappa. Dominated by the Alps in the foreground, Bassano is famous for the Grappa liqueur and for the wood bridge designed by Palladio. Just minutes away we encounter the village of Marostica, famous for its cherries and its human-scale chess tournament held on the main square.
Day 4 - Wednesday
Treviso
Morning off
Afternoon visit to Treviso –
Described by the New York Times, in comparison to Venice, as an oasis. “Canals flow in Treviso, too, but trout swims in their canals and water hens glide on them, and water mills still wheel in them...This is the town of radicchio, tiramisu and spritz. The vegetable market is the finest you will see in the world. Its many canals make it look like a small version of Venice without the chaos of Venice.”
Dinner in Treviso
Day 5 - Thursday
Visit three small villages and Prosecco winery
Blessed by a mild microclimate and a good balance of rain and sunshine, these gorgeous hills are perfect for the growth of Prosecco’s Glera grape. Nestled on these hills are small but beautiful villages like
Conegliano – Vittorio Veneto – Valdobbiadene. The area is full of wineries, and we will visit a couple of them.
Lunch
Day 6 - Friday
Arqua, Praglia
Only few miles away from Padua you find the small village of Arquà. It is an oasis of peace and tranquility in the middle of the Euganean Hills. Build in the Middle Ages over an original Roman settlement, it was originally a defensive line against the barbarian invasion. Considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, in 1370 it became the residence of the poet Petrarch.
Day 7 - Saturday
Castelfranco and Cittadella
Castelfranco (founded in 1195) was built by Treviso to defend its territory from the bordering Padua. Besides the walls, in the Duomo (1723) is visible one of the most important paintings by the Renaissance artist Giorgione - 1477-1510 (born in Castelfranco). Cittadella, originally a medieval outpost of Padua, displays some of the best walls in Italy. Founded in 1220, it was built to counterbalance the fortification of Castelfranco. Still visible is the Rocca with its defense apparatus and the Casa del Capitano.
Day 8 - Sunday
Montagnana, Este, Lonigo
Este, rich in history since the Roman time, was dominated by the Este family, the same family that founded Ferrara, since the 10th century. Among the many churches, Este is famous for Villa Contarini, build in the early 1600s.
Near Lonigo, we find Villa Pisani (1540), built by Palladio for a rich Venetian family. In the central salon, with barrel vaulting inspired by Roman baths, one can admire beautiful frescoes.
Catered lunch on the premises of Villa Querini Stampalia.
Day 9 - Monday
Asiago
A major sky resort destination, Asiago is located on a plateau from where you can enjoy a splenid panorama of the Dolomites. Asiago is also the location where the cheese by the same name is produced. We will stop at a local dairy to see how it is produced. We will also visit one of the most observatories in Italy. Built by the University of Padua, the city where Galileo made his discoveries, the location was chosen for its low light pollution and relative remoteness. The telescope was named after Galileo and when constructed in 1942, was the largest in Europe.
Day 10 - Tuesday
Departure
Transfer to Venice airport or Mestre train station
Choose your tour date, then give us a call.
4-13 August 2024 - 6-15 October 2024
Small Town Gems Tour Details
10 DAYS | 9 NIGHTS
Program includes:
10 days, 9 nights’ accommodations in double deluxe room, based on double occupancy.
Meet your travelling companions and group leader to share an aperitivo followed by a welcome dinner (wine and beverages included).
Daily breakfast.
Transportation to all venues plus all entrance fees.
Three dinners and two lunches.
Transportation from and to the Venice airport or the Mestre train station.
Program Price US $5,500 per person
Scroll down to see a detailed itinerary.
Your comfort and enthusiasm are our passion
LUXURY ACCOMMODATIONS
Villa Cipriani Hotel
The Villa Cipriani, a noble 18th century country residence, is located in the heart of the rolling hills that surround the hill town of Asolo. It is an oasis of serenity and elegance, with splendid views of the valley below. While dining in its exquisite restaurant, you can enjoy any number of local delicacies. After dinner you can enjoy a stroll through its garden with its wide variety of local flowers and trees. On a summer day you can lounge by the pool. This is a lodging that has hosted the much of modern European royalty. Your experience here will be a memorable one.
Key locations in the Small Town Gems Itinerary
Sightseeing - Your Locations
Your hotel in Asolo is strategically situated close to all the other major attractions on your itinerary. You will enjoy visits to many small towns, two Palladian villas and sample the classic Prosecco. These are just some of your destinations. You will be within an easy pick-up and drop off at the transportation centers of Venice and Mestre.
Choose your tour date, then give us a call.
4-13 August 2024 - 6-15 October 2024
Small Town Gems of Veneto Tour
10 Days and 9 Nights
1-833-4-VENETO
(1-833-483-6386)
Call us and leave a message to learn more about the tour. We will respond to you as soon as possible.