Veneto

Without looking at a map, it’s probably easy to guess that the Veneto region of Italy is the one containing Venice. The region does, after all, share the first few letters with the famous canal city’s name. But the Veneto is far more than just Venice.

Veneto is located at the northern end of the Adriatic Sea, and although the vast majority of the people visiting the region only get as far as Venice, this is Italy’s 8th largest region with a variety of landscapes and attractions to offer.

You’ll find an overview of the Veneto region on this page, including links to articles elsewhere on this site to help you plan your trip. Please let me know if you don’t find what you’re looking for.

Quick links to Veneto travel resources:

Veneto: Fast Facts

Veneto is both the Italian and English name for this region – the Italian is pronounced VEH|neh|toh.
The capital of Veneto is Venice.
The Veneto region borders four Italian regions (Friuli Venezia Giulia, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, and Trentino-Alto Adige) and even shares a small part of its border with Austria.
There are four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Veneto, three of which are entire historic cities. The sites are: Venice and its lagoon, the city of Vicenza (and the region’s Palladian villas), the city of Verona, and Padua’s Botanical Garden.
The Venetian dialect is commonly spoken along with Italian.
People from the Veneto are called veneti (masc. pl.). Other variations are: veneto (masc. sing.), veneta (fem. sing.), and venete (fem. pl.).

Where to Stay in Veneto

Since Venice is one of the most popular stops on any Italy tour, you’ll find the usual array of accommodation options both on the Venetian islands proper and on the Venetian mainland. But those same options exist throughout the Veneto region, albeit in sometimes smaller numbers.

Venice and the other major cities in Veneto have hotels, hostels, and B&Bs available for travelers – especially since a few of the Veneto cities are also university cities in Italy. Outside the cities you’ll also find agriturismo-style accommodation, and apartment rentals are available throughout the region.

Keep in mind that if your goal is to venture further from the main cities in Veneto and get into the countryside, you’re likely to need a rental car to get around as well as get to wherever you’re staying. Agriturismi especially tend to be situated far from city centers and train stations.

Here are some links to articles about hotels and hostels in Veneto:

What to Do & See in Veneto

The Veneto region is famous for Venice, but it’s much more than that. It’s a geographically diverse region with beaches, mountains, lakes, and forests in addition to its beautiful cities.

Aside from the sights in Venice, Verona is home to a world-renowned summer opera festival as well as being the setting for Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet.” Padua (or Padova, as it’s called in Italian) is a university city with beautiful churches and Roman ruins. Vicenza is home to a U.S. military base, but tourists focus on the Palladian villas in the area. Winter visitors may want to head for Cortina d’Ampezzo to do some skiing. The area around Treviso is known for its many pretty villas. Lake Garda stretches into the Veneto and is a popular getaway for Italians as well as tourists. And this is an excellent region for wine lovers, too, as it’s where you’ll find the Valpolicella denomination.

It’s not possible to cover all the things to do and see in the Veneto on one page, but these articles should help you begin your planning:

Where to Go in Veneto

While most travelers make a beeline for Venice and then head back out of the Veneto region altogether, there are many other cities and towns worth exploring if you have time to spare. Some of them make good day trips from Venice, while others can serve as nice bases themselves if you’ve either visited Venice already or prefer to stay in a less-popular city and make Venice a day trip.

Some of the main Veneto cities are listed in the section above, but here they are again so you can do more research on the ones that sound interesting to you:

Venice – Veneto’s capital, one of Italy’s most popular tourist cities, hosts annual Carnival celebration; read more in my Venice travel guide
Verona – Setting for Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet,” home to summer opera festival; read more in my Verona travel guide
Padua – University city, botanical gardens on UNESCO’s list
Vicenza – Home to many Palladian villas
Cortina d’Ampezzo – In the Dolomites region, popular ski resort town
Asolo – Beautiful hilltop town
Lake Garda – One of Italy’s lakes in the northern lakes region, popular vacation destination for Italians and foreigners
Valpolicella Region – Famous wine region

photos, top to bottom, by Alastair Rae, Otourly, *gia*inLoveWithWinter, Fabio Macor, spentrails