Veneto attractions

Castel San Pietro is a hilltop fortress in Verona. Built in the Austrian style in the 19th century and surrounded by cypress trees, it offers panoramic views of the city, including the Roman theater and the Adige river.

Via Mazzini is Verona’s top shopping street. It’s lined with stores selling the latest fashions and chic cafes where you can sit and people watch over a creamy cappuccino. Leading from the central square Piazza Bra to the Casa di Giulietta (Juliet’s balcony) it connects some of the city’s main sights.

Scuola Grande di San Rocco Tintoretto, one of Venice’s most important Renaissance artists, left his mark on a number of the city’s churches, as well as palaces of the confraternity known as the Great Schools (Scuole Grandi). The 15th-century Scuola Grande di San Rocco is one of these, home to some of the artist’s best-known works along with paintings by Titian.

Verona’s largest church, the impressive brick facade of Basilica di Sant'Anastasia has been a fixture of the city for hundreds of years. Located in the historical center, it’s also one of the city’s finest examples of Italian Gothic architecture.

Italy’s Amalfi Coast may be the capital of la dolce vita, but Lake Garda (Lago di Garda) has its own brand of effortless elegance that has attracted celebrities and artists for centuries. Ringed by steep alpine foothills, tiny spa towns, and vineyards, the lake offers a heady mix of languid leisure and cosmopolitan flair.

The largest square in Italy isn’t in Rome or Florence, but in the charming northern city of Padua. A turn through the oval-shaped Prato della Valle, considered one of the most beautiful public spaces in Italy, to admire its grassy central island encircled by an elegant statue-lined canal, is a must while visiting Padua.

Steps away from Piazza San Marco is one of Venice's most artistically dazzling churches, San Zaccaria. Looking out over the serene Campo San Zaccaria Square, this bonafide hidden gem with a striking 15th-century layer-cake façade has a museum’s worth of art and a striking underground crypt all worth a visit.

Verona Arena, the first-century Roman amphitheater on Piazza Bra is one of the city’s most famous sights, but Verona also boasts a pristine Roman Theater that is even older than the arena and is set on the banks of the River Adige. Visit the theater to see remains of the stage, stone seating (cavea), and loggia arcades.

In northeastern Italy, close to the Austrian border, the Dolomites form a stunning mountain range of jagged peaks, dramatic spires, and picturesque valleys. The Cinque Torri–a group of five tower-like rocks outside the town of Cortina d’Ampezzo—is one of the most famous attractions in the Dolomites and offers an array of outdoor recreation opportunities.

Long connected to monastic orders and once home to a leper colony, the tiny, diamond-shaped island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni is most famous for its Armenian Catholic monastery. Home to monks of the Mekhitarist Order, San Lazzaro is a center for Armenian culture and boasts one of the world’s largest collections of Armenian manuscripts. Around the monastery, rose gardens offer views of the nearby Lido island.

The striking St. Zeno Maggiore Church (Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore) is just as famous for its pink-and-white pastel color scheme as it is for hosting the marriage scene in Shakespeare’sRomeo and Juliet. A lasting example of Romanesque architecture, the building—parts of it, at least—dates back to the 9th century AD.

With its multi-colored marble façade and striking round windows, the small-yet-beautiful Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli (Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli) is one of the most important examples of early Renaissance architecture in Venice. It’s also a highlight of the historic Cannaregio neighborhood along the Miracoli Canal.

Italy has a host of hot springs, many used as natural thermal baths since ancient Roman times. Among these historic spa destinations is the town of Abano Terme, the largest hot spring resort in Europe. Take a relaxing day trip from Venice to visit Abano Terme, set in the Euganean Hills with natural thermal waters as hot as 176°F (80°C).

When floating down Venice’s Grand Canal, the Ca' d'Oro—so named for the gold-leaf details that once adorned its Gothic-style exterior—is sure to catch your eye. This 15th-century Venetian masterpiece, also known as Palazzo Santa Sofia, is home to a lavish collection of art and furnishings, and offers gorgeous canal views.

Of all the sumptuous palaces lining Venice’s Grand Canal, Ca’ Rezzonico is arguably the most magnificent. An outstanding example of Venetian baroque and rococo architecture and décor, this palace and its museum offer a glimpse into the extravagances of 18th-century Venice.

Villa Pisani is considered the queen of the magnificent villas built between the 16th and 18th centuries by wealthy Venetians along the Brenta Riviera, and its original 114 rooms were an homage to its owner, the 114th Doge of Venice. Take a day trip from Venice to admire the sumptuous architecture and vast gardens.

Piercing the sky high above Verona’s historic Piazza delle Erbe, the 12th-centuryLamberti Tower (Torre dei Lamberti) is one of the most eye-catching landmarks in this UNESCO-listed city. Climb 84 meters (275 feet) to the panoramic terraces and belfry at the top for 360-degree views over Verona’s historic center.

Santa Croce is one of Venice’s six central districts (sestieri). Home to a number of sumptuous palaces and museums, important churches, and Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio— one of the city’s prettiest squares—it is also where Venice’s busy Piazzale Roma bus station and vaporetto (water bus) hub is located.

Brenta del Riviera is an ancient waterway that connects the Italian cities of Padua and Venice and is lined with the opulent second homes of Venice’s noble families—a perfect spot far enough away to enjoy a countryside atmosphere but close enough to return quickly to Venice.

Built in the late 15th century on the site of a 7th-century church, the Church of Santa Maria Formosa (Chiesa di Santa Maria Formosa) showcases Italian Renaissance architecture. The church is famed for its double façade, domed white marble roof, and bell tower. As for the name, legend says Saint Magnus saw a vision of a shapely (in Latinformosa) Mary, telling him to build a church.

Villa Barbaro (often known as Villa di Maser), masterpiece of 16th-century Italian architect Andrea Palladio, is one of the most striking of Veneto’s UNESCO-listed Palladian villas. This group of elegant patrician residences are scattered in the hills between Vicenza and Treviso, and make for a fascinating day trip from Venice.

If you are touring Italy with kids who have had their fill of majestic churches and Roman ruins, a day at Gardaland may be in order. This landmark amusement park sits on the eastern flanks of Lake Garda and is the country’s most popular family-oriented resort, with more than 30 rides, musical performances and light shows, and an aquarium.

A must for oenophiles, the rolling hills of Valpolicella are one of Italy’s most important wine-producing areas. With its temperate microclimate, this stretch of countryside just west of Venice has been home to vineyards since the time of the ancient Greeks, and today produces the most DOC-classified wine in Italy after Chianti.

One of the many magnificent villas constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries in the Veneto countryside, Villa Valmarana ai Nani is named for the 17 stone sculptures of dwarves that line the top of its garden wall, and its interior frescoes by Giambattista and Giandomenico Tiepolo are considered among their finest works.

Campo San Luca is a bustling square in the heart of Venice. Located midway between the Rialto Bridge and St. Mark’s Square, Campo San Luca’s central location makes it a popular meeting spot for locals and visitors alike, and a constant stream of visitors makes it a lively spot for people-watching.

Prosecco has become one of the world’s most popular wines, and fans of this crisp bubbly will enjoy visiting the scenic hills just north of Venice where it has been produced from the glera grape for a millennium. Stop in a winery for a tasting and tour, and visit the pretty towns of Valdobbiadene, Conegliano, and Asolo.

The Villa Foscari, also known as La Malcontenta, is the only mansion by acclaimed Venetian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio along the Brenta Canal. Built in the 1550s for the brothers Nicolò and Alvise Foscari, this temple-like villa is an architectural jewel. Visitors are drawn to its perfectly symmetrical design, floor-to-ceiling frescoes, and views of the Venetian Lagoon.

Just outside the resort town of Peschiera del Garda on the shores of Lake Garda, the 19th-century English-style Parco Giardino Sigurtà, or Sigurtà Park, is considered among the most beautiful gardens in Europe, with a Great Lawn, large hedgerow maze, Avenue of the Roses, and Water Gardens.

Discover a 700-year history of artistic glassmaking at the Museo del Vetro (Museum of Glass), located on the island of Murano, just north of Venice. Master craftsmen still create exquisite pieces of glass art on the island today, and the museum, housed in a 15th-century palace, showcases the world’s largest collection of Venetian glass.

Once home to the Mocenigo family of Venice, the Mocenigo Palace (Palazzo Mocenigo) is now a museum dedicated to 17th- and 18th-century fashion and aristocratic Venetian life. Located just south of the Grand Canal in the Santa Croce district, the beautifully furnished palazzo offers visitors the opportunity to learn about the lives of Venetian nobility.