ITS FOOD & DRINK
With cuttlefish ink or peas, with cuttlefish or eels. Risotto, the undisputed star of Venetian cuisine, can be made with anything depending on tastes and seasons, such as bisi (peas), cape (seafood), peoci (mussels) or scampi. Risotto gets some competition on the table from delicious fritole (fritters), granseola (giant crab), baccal alla vicentina (dried cod stewed in milk) accompanied by pieces of polenta; stewed Venetian-style beans and 'pastizada de caval' (stewed horse steak cooked in a sauce with spices). The region's strong points include 'fagioli di Lamon' (Belluno, pasta and Lamon beans with rosemary), red Treviso radicchio, roebuck, mushrooms and fried cheeses. But there's also Asiago, Vialone rice, the heart-shaped cherries of Marostica and San Zeno chestnuts. On the other hand, the most popular sweets are: Verona Pandoro (cake), pinza (a sweet made of bread and dried fruit) and galani (a typical fried carnival sweet).
ITS SIGHTS
Abano, Recoaro, Bibione and Montegrotto. But also Teolo, Battaglia and Galzignano. For those looking for relaxation, the Veneto region offers an embarrassment of choices. Hot-spring spas, massages, firming and stress-reducing treatments to balance the body and mind or, simply, to coddle yourself. It's a truly toning experience, after which you may also decide to travel around the region on foot, even taking a tour in the mountains. On the Belluno Dolomites, to be precise, to then continue on the Asiago plateau before turning towards the sea, in the direction of Jesolo, Bibione or Cavallino, the latter considered to be one of Italy's loveliest beaches. Among the art cities, the obligatory stop is Verona, if nothing else to see the majestic arena and Romeo and Juliet's mythic balcony. In Padua, its worth visiting the Basilica of SantAntonio and the Chapel of the Scrovegni with frescos by Giotto while, in Venice, you could take a ride on the Grand Canal in a traditional, black-lacquered gondola or just play with the pigeons in Saint Mark's Square and stroll along the bridges and calles. And then, you could head towards the pristine areas of the most spectacular nature preserves of the region: the Po Delta, characterised by a surreal silence, the Eugenian Hills, passing through areas dotted with small lakes and the mills of Sile river. Another excursion not to be missed is one characterised by sports and nature on Lake Garda, where spectacular landscapes provide a setting for sailboat races and windsurfing. Finally, you will find a decidedly more refined atmosphere in the streets of aristocratic Asolo, where there are still vivid memories of the Corsair Queen; and in the streets of Rovigo, Vicenza and Belluno, which the Celts called the 'shining city'. |
