V is for Veneto

IN the glory days of the Most Serene Republic of Venice, travelers knew that it was not an isolated treasure but a jewel in a crown of cities that glittered across the entire Veneto region. Verona, Padua, Treviso, Vicenza and Asolo were laden with riches: gold, architecture, culture, wines and wonderful food.

The travel elite knew that one did not just stop at Venice, but lingered throughout the Veneto. Today”s travelers often miss its beauty, yet the region”s cities, towns and villages are just as seductive today. Venice is just the beginning.

Columbus Day Parade 2009 Official Line of March

THE LIDO

On the fringe of Venice, the Lido is the shimmering sandbar that is home to the Venice film festival every September. In Lord Byron’s day, the Lido was a wild stretch of beach. Today it”s choc-a-bloc with Euro-chic and renovated 19th century gem hotels like the Excelsior and the Des Bains. Karl Lagerfeld staged a beachfront fashion show here this summer, inspired by Thomas Mann’s “Death in Venice” (set here and written at the Des Bains Hotel) and Coco Chanel’s love of the Lido. Just 20 minutes away from St. Mark”s square by public water bus, it’s a good way to begin to dip your toes in the Veneto beyond Venice.

ASOLO

An hour to the north of Venice in the province of Treviso, Asolo was known as the “City of a Hundred Horizons” for the mountain views that surround it. Asolo’s beauty has lured the influential, powerful and artistic since the days of the Venetian Empire when it was the Queen of Cyprus” palace. You can understand what drew poets and princes here by enjoying a meal or a stay at the Villa Cipriani (pictured top right.) The small but luxurious hotel sits on a hill in a pomegranate grove.

PADUA

Padua is a labyrinthine city of arcades and antiquity. The setting of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew,” it is also connected to the Catholic Saint Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of lost things, who died here in 1195. He is buried in the marble-laden church here called “Il Santo,” and it is just one of many living museums of Padua. After all the art and grandeur, take a coffee break at the Pedrocci Café, a neo-Egyptian gem that has been serving lattes since Lord Byron’s day.

VERONA

“Fair Verona where we lay our scene,” is how Shakespeare introduces this city in “Romeo and Juliet.” Juliet’s house, or the Casa di Giulietta, is one of the most visited attractions in the city, even if this 13th century house is not the real home of the fictional character — lovers still leave love notes on the balcony and exchange vows of eternal love in front of the house.

TREVISO

Italy’s famous sparkling wine, prosecco, is a product of the region. The Prosecco Route, or the strada del vino prosecco, is a 28-mile trail that winds its effervescent way through charming towns and hamlets to the major wine-producing town of Treviso (also home to fashion’s Benetton and their famous basketball and rugby teams). The town, like its big sister Venice, is a città del”acqua — a city of water with lots of meandering waterways. Buy a glass of prosecco at an outdoor café and look for signs of Venetian lions — those ancient emblems of the Most Serene Republic. If you look around the Veneto you will find them in abundance — an art and history lover’s “Where’s Waldo” that shows how venerable the Venetian Empire in the Veneto really was.

A TASTE OF THE REGION

VANDERBILT HALL at Grand Central Terminal will soon be home to the sights and sounds of Veneto. Titled “Veneto: A Bridge Between Venice and New York,” the exhibit explores the sounds, sights, artistry and food of this Italian wonderland. Think Piazza San Marco, Doge’s Palace with its Gothic arches, Venice Film Festival, hand-crafted miniature shoes and a lit 14-foot steel tree with Murano glassblown creations.

Italian classical and popular music will play while a giant screen projects images of lakes, beaches, castles, churches and cities around Veneto.

— Georgett Roberts