The Veneto region of Italy has deep roots in cycling, wine, food and art, and is a region that is definitely worth exploring post our Como, Stelvio & Dolomites cycling tour. While most people stay in Venice for 1-2 nights and then venture further afield for their travels, we highly recommend spending 5-7 days in the Veneto to explore its beauty and rich history. We’ve put together our top 10 list of things to do in Venice and surrounds post tour.
1. Visit Cicli Pinarello & Bottega di Pinarello
No stay in the Veneto is complete without a visit to the HQ of Pinarello in Treviso, especially given they now have their ‘Bottega’, which is not only loaded with all of their latest new bikes and gear, but also beautiful pieces from their rich history.
Enjoy a coffee in La Bottega, a showroom over 2 levels envisaged by Fausto Pinarello to welcome all fans of the brand and give them the opportunity to immerse themselves in the history of Pinarello, and soak up the excitement of being surrounded by old and new bikes and the racing inspiration associated with this iconic brand.
Viale della Repubblica, 12/7, 31020 Villorba TV, Italy
https://pinarello.com
2. Try Cartizze Prosecco in Santo Stefano
If you’ve ever been to the Veneto, you’ll have noticed that the locals drink Prosecco like water, preferring to pair this with their meals rather than a still white or heavier red.
If you are in the Veneto and intending to visit the stunning Prosecco Road region, we highly recommend that you try a prosecco that is called Cartizze and is grown on only a few hills around Guia & Santo Stefano; an area that extends for only 108 hectares where this prestigious sparkling wine, officially known as Prosecco DOCG Superiore di Cartizze, is produced.
The stunning 1km square parcel of land is completely dedicated to the production of the Glera grapes, with approximately 140 different landowners tending to the small vineyards.
It’s a sub area within the prosecco region that is recognised as the premium prosecco territory due to the microclimate and its terroir, which gives Cartizze wines their unique characteristics.
Due to its exclusivity, Cartizze is recognized as a CRU and if you are wanting to enjoy an impressive tasting experience, we recommend visiting the family run cantina of Nani Rizzi.
Via Stanghe, 22, 31049 Valdobbiadene TV, Italy
https://www.nanirizzi.it/
3. Stay in Asolo
Asolo, a walled medieval hilltop town outside of Venice, is one of the Veneto’s best kept secrets. Situated an hour from Venice Airport in the often referred to ‘garden of Venice’, the small charming town of Asolo has attracted artists, poets and writers for centuries and to this day remains a creative, quiet haven for those who visit. It is a town that can easily be visited in a day but for those who stay to soak in its quiet streets and piazza’s lined with stone houses and medieval architecture, and its surrounding natural beauty, it is pure joy.
It’s one of our favourite small towns in the Veneto. Read our full story of how to spend a few days in and around this beautiful hill top town.
4. Your own handmade glass experience of Murano
After wandering the island of Murano’s streets and taking in a few of the glass galleries and workshops, book yourself into a one-on-one or small group workshop to learn how to make you own glass cup, vase or glass beads – with either Alessia, an artisan making glass bead jewellery using the lampwork technique, or the team at OMG, where you’ll blow your glass or vase to take home.
OMG: Fondamenta San Giovanni dei Battuti 4b. 30141, Murano Venezia Italy.
https://www.visitmuranoglassfactory.com/
Alessia Fuga: Rio Terà S. Salvador, 12, 30141 Venezia VE, Italy
http://www.alessiafuga.com/
5. Dine at Osteria alle Testiere in Venice
A lunch at Osteria alle Testiere in Venice is up there as one of the best dining experiences we have had in Italy. This is a tiny osteria in the backstreets of Castello where the menu is created daily based on the fish that is freshest at the market that morning.
This is more than just a place to eat. With Luca taking care of you, you’ll enjoy a very local Venetian flavour adventure. We started with a local white wine varietal that skipped the filtered process and was delightful, pairing perfectly with the very special Cappelunghe or razor clams and carpaccio of swordfish. The flavour of the clams grilled with a little olive oil and garlic was simply superb. More fruits of the sea followed with a very decadent seafood soup and our favourite, spaghetti alle vongole.
The guys at Osteria alle Testiere have created a cookbook of their special recipes, as well as their own Amaro digestivo, based on herbs and botanicals from the lagoon. It goes without saying that a bottle also made it home with us. A seriously delicious and enjoyable few hours. Highly recommended by us for your next special lunch or dinner in Venice.
Calle del Mondo Novo, 5801, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy
http://www.osterialletestiere.it/
6. See the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice
The Scuola Grande di San Rocco is a building with the most impressive interior and large collection of paintings by the artist, Tintoretto. It’s not just the detailed mosaic and tiled floor, the intricately carved furniture or the vast amount of art on the walls, but it’s the ornately golden framed art completely covering ceiling that leaves you in awe. If you are able to see this with only a few other people, as we did on our recent trip to Venice, the experience is even better again.
San Polo, 3054, a, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy
http://www.scuolagrandesanrocco.org/home-en/
7. A Cooking Class in the Countryside
If you’re looking for a beautiful escape to the Venetian countryside and enjoy cooking incredible food with local ingredients, join Ruth and Andrea at Our Rustica, a unique cooking school in the heart of the Prosecco wine country.
Located about an hour from Venice, you’ll enjoy a day of cooking like no other, preparing a range of seasonal dishes of the Veneto and sitting down to a delightful long lunch – all while in engaging in wonderful conversation around the table with Ruth, Andrea and others. You may also choose to participate in one of their multi-day cooking experiences and stay for a night or two in their divine country farmhouse and B&B, and if you do this, you’re guaranteed to come away feeling nurtured, revived and having made new friends for life.
Via Toedalto 20, Vittoria Veneto 31029, Italy
8. Padova and Scrovegni Chapel
The Scrovegni Chapel is a short stroll from the centre of Padova and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2021, as part of the serial site ‘The frescoed cycles of the 14th century in Padova’.
The chapel is dedicated to Santa Maria della Carità and is famous all over the world for the extraordinary cycle of paintings by Giotto. This is his greatest fresco and is painted over the entire interior surface of the Chapel, narrating the History of Salvation in two different paths and completed in just 2 years. It is truly spectacular.
Piazza Eremitani, 8, 35121 Padova PD, Italy
http://www.cappelladegliscrovegni.it/
9. Venetian Island Hopping with a Lunch Stop in Burano
Take a ferry or two to meander and explore some of the Islands in the Venetian lagoon, and enjoy a stop for lunch at Trattoria al Gatto Nero on the island of Burano, with its brightly coloured houses.
This is a family run trattoria that has been operating since 1965 and has an ethos of using the best produce available to create traditional Venetian cuisine. It’s the perfect place to soak up Venetian life and while away the afternoon.
10. A Wine Tasting of the amazing Wines of the Veneto at Pieropan
Stay with one of Italy’s iconic wine makers, Pieropan in their Wine Relais, a 16th-century Venetian villa, restored to the smallest details and combining modern facilities with the style of a historic Venetian residence.
While you soak up the refined and elegant atmosphere, make your stay unforgettable with one of their wine tastings; be sure to try the superb DOCG Soave, made from Garganega grapes and considered by some to be the most famous white wine in Italy, and the Valpolicella Superiore DOC, made using 45-95% Corvina and then finished with Amarone. This is a very special experience.
Via Carlo Cipolla, 19 37039 Tregnago (VR)
https://www.pieropan.it/en
