Scenic Chalet With Rustic SophisticationN°001
Italy (other), Italy
Hot TubSaunaFireplace
From $11,627 per night
Venice, vineyards, Lake Garda and the Dolomites in one region
Veneto compresses an improbable amount of Italy into one region: Venice and its lagoon, Verona's Roman arena, the eastern shore of Lake Garda, the Prosecco hills and the pale peaks of the Dolomites around Cortina d'Ampezzo. A private villa or chalet here puts opera, wine country, lake swimming and alpine air within a single unhurried stay.
- Venice's canals, palazzi and lagoon islands, a day trip or a destination in themselves
- Opera under the stars in Verona's 2,000-year-old Roman Arena each summer
- Lake Garda's eastern shore: Garda, Bardolino and cypress-lined waterfronts
- Amarone tastings in Valpolicella and the UNESCO-listed Prosecco hills of Valdobbiadene
- Chalets in Cortina d'Ampezzo, queen of the Dolomites, for winter and summer alike
Known forVenice, Verona's Arena opera, Lake Garda, Valpolicella and Prosecco wine country, Palladian villas, Cortina d'Ampezzo and the Dolomites
Best time to visitApril to June and September to October for touring and wine country; summer for the lake and opera; December to March for skiing in Cortina
Nearest airportVenice Marco Polo (VCE), Verona (VRN) and Treviso (TSF)
Ideal forCulture lovers, wine enthusiasts, families and ski parties
Wood-clad Luxury With Mountain ViewsN°002
Veneto, Italy
Hot TubSaunaFireplace
From $11,627 per night
Modern Chalet Overlooking Dolomite PeaksN°003
Dolomites, Italy
Hot TubSaunagarden
From $11,627 per night
Amazing Slopes Apartment In Cortina's CentreN°004
Veneto, Italy
From $10,465 per night
Beautiful Chalet in Dolomites With PrivacyN°005
Dolomites, Italy
Private poolSpagarden
From $7,244 per night
Sweet Harmony Chalet Made with Top Quality MaterialsN°006
Dolomites, Italy
From $6,843 per night
180homes available
1–9bedrooms
up to 34guests
14with a pool
Events not to miss in Veneto
- January to February, before Lent
Venice Carnival
Masked figures, costume balls and processions fill Venice's squares and canals in the run-up to Shrove Tuesday, one of the world's great carnivals. Book accommodation and events far in advance.
- April
Vinitaly
Verona hosts one of the world's most important wine fairs, drawing producers from every Italian region. Even outside the fairgrounds, the city's wine bars are at their liveliest that week.
- June to early September
Arena di Verona Opera Festival
Grand opera staged under the stars in a Roman amphitheatre from the first century. An evening at Aida or Carmen here is a signature Veneto experience; the concierge can secure prime seats.
- Late August to early September
Venice International Film Festival
The world's oldest film festival brings premieres and red carpets to the Lido. Venice hums with glamour, and public screenings are open to booked visitors.
- First Sunday of September
Regata Storica
A costumed water pageant and Venice's fiercest gondola and rowing races sweep down the Grand Canal, best watched from a balcony or boat arranged in advance.
Veneto through the seasons
- Spring (March – May)
Art cities before the crowds
Mild days suit Venice, Verona and Padua, gardens and vines come into leaf, and April's Vinitaly puts wine at centre stage.
- Summer (June – August)
Lake Garda and open-air opera
Swim and sail from Garda and Bardolino by day, then take warm evenings at the Arena di Verona's opera festival or in the Dolomites' high meadows.
- Autumn (September – October)
Harvest in Valpolicella and Prosecco country
The grape harvest, golden vineyards and truffle menus make this the season for cellar visits, with the Regata Storica opening September in Venice.
- Winter (December – March)
Cortina ski weeks and Venice Carnival
Cortina d'Ampezzo offers Dolomiti Superski slopes and polished après-ski, while Venice answers with misty lagoon light and Carnival masks.
The Area and Where to Stay
Veneto stretches from the Adriatic lagoon to the high Dolomites, and where you base yourself shapes the holiday. The eastern shore of Lake Garda, around the old harbour towns of Garda and Bardolino, is the classic villa country: olive groves, lake views and easy ferries across the water. Just east, the Valpolicella hills above Verona, around villages such as Arbizzano and Negrar, put you among the Amarone estates within half an hour of the Arena. The plain between Treviso and Montebelluna opens onto the UNESCO-listed Prosecco hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, dotted with Palladian villas. For mountain stays, Cortina d'Ampezzo delivers the Dolomites at their most glamorous, with chalets that work as well for summer hiking as for ski weeks. Venice itself is an easy day trip from most bases.
Things to Do
Begin with the icons: St Mark's, the Doge's Palace and the quieter lagoon islands of Venice; Juliet's city of Verona with its Roman Arena; and Padua's Scrovegni Chapel, frescoed by Giotto. Then let the region slow you down. Taste Amarone and Ripasso in Valpolicella cellars, follow the Prosecco road between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, and visit Palladio's villas along the Brenta and around Vicenza, both UNESCO-listed. Lake Garda offers sailing, swimming and cycling beneath Monte Baldo, while Cortina d'Ampezzo opens the Dolomites for via ferrata, hiking and world-class skiing. Food markets, opera evenings, and boat days on lake or lagoon round out a stay; the concierge arranges private tastings, skippered boats on Lake Garda, mountain guides, ski passes and prime Arena tickets.
Food and Local Flavour
Veneto's table runs from lagoon to alp. In Venice, graze on cicchetti with a spritz made from the region's own Aperol or Select; inland, look for bigoli pasta with duck ragù, risotto all'Amarone in Valpolicella and creamy baccalà alla vicentina. Treviso claims tiramisù and grows the prized radicchio rosso, while Garda's shores press a delicate DOP olive oil to go with lake fish. The cellars are the headline act: Amarone della Valpolicella, Bardolino, Soave and the Prosecco Superiore of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, all tastable at family estates. In the mountains, Cortina adds alpine refuges serving casunziei dumplings and cured speck. A private chef at the villa turns market produce into long, memorable dinners.
When to Visit
April to June and September to October are ideal for touring: mild days for Venice and Verona, vines in leaf or harvest, and lakeside terraces at their most pleasant. High summer belongs to Lake Garda's beaches and to the Arena di Verona opera festival, when warm evenings under the stars are unforgettable; book Venice sights early in the day to beat the crowds. Autumn brings the grape harvest to Valpolicella and the Prosecco hills, with golden light and truffle menus. From December to March, Cortina d'Ampezzo turns to skiing on the Dolomiti Superski circuit, while Venice's Carnival fills the calli with masks in the weeks before Lent.
Getting There
Venice Marco Polo (VCE) is the region's main intercontinental gateway, with Verona (VRN) most convenient for Lake Garda and Valpolicella and Treviso (TSF) a low-cost alternative handy for the Prosecco hills. Fast trains link Venice, Padua and Verona in under ninety minutes end to end, but a car is the key to wine country, the lake's eastern shore and the mountain roads to Cortina d'Ampezzo, roughly two hours north of Venice. The concierge arranges airport pickups, private drivers for tasting days and winter transfers with ski equipment to the Dolomites.