From the Venetian lagoon to the Prosecco hills it is less than seventy kilometres, yet the landscape and the pace change completely. You start from the water of the lagoon cities and climb towards the vineyard-covered hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. Six stages link the Marca Trevigiana from south to north, crossing walled towns, Romanesque parish churches, the oldest wine road in Italy and the steep slopes where Prosecco Superiore is born.
Venice is the natural starting point of the itinerary: the water, the canals and the Rialto markets tell the story of a city that for centuries lived on trade with the mainland. Before leaving the lagoon it is worth spending time on the smaller islands — Burano with its coloured houses and Torcello with its basilica and mosaics — and in the city's bacari, where you eat standing up among cicchetti and a glass of wine. From here you head north into the Veneto plain, leaving the sea behind to follow the course of the spring-fed rivers.
Treviso is the first mainland city on the itinerary and is crossed by water just as much as Venice: the Cagnan canals and the channels fed by the river Sile flow among the houses of the old town, enclosed within sixteenth-century walls. It is the capital of the "Marca gioiosa" and of its cuisine: this is the home of the red radicchio of Treviso PGI, harvested in winter, and of tiramisù, whose invention the city claims. The arcaded squares, the fish market on an island in the middle of the canal and the frescoes on the façades are easily explored on foot in half a day.
From Treviso you climb towards the first hills and reach Conegliano, the gateway to the Prosecco territory. Italy's first School of Oenology, still active today, was founded here in 1876, and this is the start of the Strada del Prosecco, the oldest wine road in Italy, traced in 1966 as far as Valdobbiadene. The old town runs along Contrada Granda, the arcaded street dominated by the Castle and the Cathedral, which holds an altarpiece by Cima da Conegliano, the Renaissance painter born in the town. From the castle hill the view opens onto the first rows of Prosecco Superiore.
Between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene the road enters the heart of the cultivated hills, a succession of steep slopes called rive, where the grape harvest is still done entirely by hand. Refrontolo is one of the symbolic villages of this area: just outside the centre stands the Molinetto della Croda, an old water mill set against a rock face, one of the most photographed sights in the Veneto. The village gives its name to Refrontolo Passito, a sweet wine from Marzemino grapes mentioned even by Mozart. All around, the Romanesque parish churches of San Pietro di Feletto and the paths among the vines recall the rural life of these hills.
Valdobbiadene is the capital of Prosecco Superiore di Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG. Around the town gather the most suitable hills, up to the Cartizze, a handful of hectares on the steepest slope considered the finest cru of the denomination. The climb towards San Pietro di Barbozza and Santo Stefano crosses the landscape that earned the UNESCO recognition: rows that follow the gradients, isolated farmhouses and cellars open for tasting. Many producers welcome visitors to explain the Martinotti method, the second fermentation in autoclave that gives Prosecco its perlage.
The itinerary ends in Asolo, west of the Prosecco hills, known as the "town of a hundred horizons" for the views that open from its hill. It is a walled town dominated by the medieval Rocca, with the centre gathered around arcaded squares and historic residences that hosted Caterina Cornaro, queen of Cyprus, and later the actress Eleonora Duse and the writer Freya Stark. Asolo also gives its name to a third denomination, Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG, produced on the surrounding hills. It is the ideal end point to close the journey among art, landscape and wine.
The best times are spring, when the vineyards bud and the hills turn bright green, and early autumn, during the harvest, when the slopes take on shades of yellow and rust. Summer is pleasant in the hills but hotter in the lagoon and in Treviso. The car is the most practical way to link the stages, but the hill area lends itself well to cycling, including e-bikes, along the signposted loops among the rive; some stretches, such as the climb to the Cartizze or the path to the Molinetto della Croda, are best done on foot. Conegliano and Valdobbiadene are also connected to Venice by train, useful for those who want to avoid the car on the first part.
The Prosecco hills are dotted with agriturismi created from farmhouses and family cellars: many are wineries that host guests among their own rows and offer tastings of the wines they produce. Staying here means waking up with a view over the vineyards, having breakfast with local produce and reaching every stage in less than half an hour. On the plain around Treviso there is no shortage of agriturismi linked to radicchio and seasonal vegetables, with regional cooking by reservation. It is the best way to experience the Marca Trevigiana at the slow pace of its hills, beyond just visiting the towns.
