Venetoinside.com is pleased to accompany you on a journey through the delectable world of food & wine in Veneto, its wine routes, best areas and delicious traditional Venetian cuisine.
To whet your appetite we assist you in preparing the table by proposing your food and wine holiday, with tours and tastings, accommodation and restaurants, off the well-trodden tourist track: undisturbed oases of tranquility able to cater for all your tastes and needs.
A food and wine holiday in Veneto in fact offers the best way to experience the traditions and customs of local life. Thanks to their locations (often situated near to the larger centres of art), a food and wine holiday unites all the values of the territory: nature, history and well-being combine in a typical day dedicated to the gastronomy of the Veneto, where the palate is always satisfied yet there is always more to tempt you.
Food & wine in Veneto also means sampling the unique countryside and natural beauty, discovering age-old traditions of farming life, escaping from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and living by the cycle of the sun rather than your watch. Here 'food and wine' and 'holiday' combine to signify total relaxation and enjoyment, immersed among the harmonious natural setting.
Venetian food and wine is also famous for its specialities which all have the common denominator of tradition and love for the earth. All products from the region arise from centuries-old knowledge, such as the medival monasteries which have greatly contributed to the land's famous wine culture. In fact the Veneto produces more prestigious wines (both in aquality and quantity) than all the other Italian regions.
The Veneto does not only mean wine: Bassano del Grappa and Conegliano are home to grappa, the high-alcohol content spirit famed throughout the world.
Euganean Hills
In every drop of the wine of the Eugenean Hills we can taste the memory of the Veneto.
Soave
This area of nature, on the east-lying hills of Verona, contains centuries of history.
Bardolino, Valpolicella
Verona corresponds to the wealth of tastes the prestigious local wines offer
Wines of the Piave
The wine route of the Piave runs mainly along the left bank of the river
Valdobbiadene
The March of Treviso, the famous 'garden of the Veneto'
Colli Berici
The wine-growing culture south of Vicenza has its own particular value.
Breganze
In Vicenza the wine-growing Veneto find another exclusive portrait of its prestige.
Veneto, extraordinarily fortunate region from the point of view of land, has been immortalized for centuries by great artists such as Canaletto, Tintoretto, Titian and many others, who fixed for eternity in their canvases the spectacular scenery of its mountains, the beautiful valleys, the fertile plains, the rolling hills, the numerous rivers and the Adriatic Sea.
It is in this region which, throughout history, civilizations and people from different cultures have met, creating an incredible mix of cultural, social and gastronomical fusions. And the typical food is one of the main features and causes for pride of the region: each of the seven provinces of Veneto boasts its own traditional cuisine, with recipes unique to specific areas.
The Venetian culinary tradition is based on ancient wisdom combined with the ability to bind the flavors of the 'newness' that from time to time historical events have introduced in the region. The Venetian cuisine combines at the same time simplicity and charm, authenticity and magnificence, highlighting above all the pleasure of little things.
Maize, rice, beans, potatoes, salt cod and a host of seasonal vegetables are the main ingredients of Venetian cuisine and many of them arrived in this region due to contacts with neighboring countries, to the international trade of the Republic of Venice, to the influence of the Austrians during the occupation of the region.
The richness of waters (the sea, the lagoons, the lakes, the rivers) also gave the people an ample supply of fish stocks, which has resulted in a huge range of recipes and preparations in the kitchen. And this same water wealth has allowed the development of productivity in the countryside and in the allotments, moderating the climate and giving lush crops.
In Veneto, there is large production of sugar beet, wheat but especially corn, which has long been an essential element for the Venetian diet, especially with its signature dish, the 'polenta'. But let's not forget the great productions of Vialone Nano rice, an acknowledged typical Verona IGP.
From the point of view of the vegetables, Veneto has seven products identified by brand protection: radicchio (the Red one from Verona, the Red one from Chioggia, the varied one from Castelfranco Veneto, the Red from Treviso); asparagus (including the most famous ones from Bassano and Cimadolmo); beans, especially those of Lamon, in Belluno, a key element for the typical 'pasta and fasioi'.
And from foreign influences and the incredible fertility and productivity of the land, the most famous Venetian recipes are born: baccalà mantecato - creamed cod (salt cod fish from the North, made creamy and mild), sarde in saor – sweet and sour sardines (typical Mediterranean sardines preserved in vinegar and onions, one of the oldest recipes from Venice), risi e bisi - rice and peas (perhaps the most typical dish of Venice), fegato alla veneziana – liver Venetian style, the pastissada de caval – horse meat stew (where horse meat is king), poenta e osei – polenta and small countryside birds, gran bollito padovano – great Paduan boiled meats (typical courtyard meats), tiramisù (which seems to have its origins in the city of Treviso), risotto polesano – risotto from Rovigo and many more.
Discover the traditional Venetian cuisine on an unforgettable vacation!