VENETO REGION

Territory and Economy:

Veneto is one of the most highly populated Regions in Italy. It is situated in the northeast of the peninsula and has an extensive coastline on the Adriatic Sea.

 
The land here is mainly flat  and full of rivers. Veneto is considered one of the principal driving forces behind Italian industry and its economy has a lengthy tradition of agricultural and industrial activity. At the heart of this industry is Porto Marghera, located on the Gulf of Venice, where an important shipbuilding industry has also developed. In recent decades the Region's dynamism has led to the founding of numerous small and medium-sized companies and the establishment of many large industrial groups.

History:

The history of the Veneto dates back thousands of years to around 1000 BC. Roman presence dates from as early as 250 BC, an influence that continued until the fall of the Empire in 476 AD.

The Barbarian invasions drove the population out to the islands in the lagoon. Between the 6th and 7th centuries the islands united in a commune under the protection of the Byzantine Empire. Gradually, Venice broke away from Byzantine protection and around 1100 became the effective ruler of the Adriatic. Its victory over Genoa in 1380 gave it dominion over the Mediterranean. The fear of being cut off by land, the advance of the Turks and the shifting of trade routes from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean induced Venice to attempt expansion over land in the 15th century. Venice made notable acquisitions, but became exposed to the European struggles for dominance in Italy and was defeated in 1509 by the League of Cambrai. Its decline can be said to have begun at this point, continuing until Napoleon entered the city in 1797. Handed over to Austria in October 1797 with the Treaty of Campoformido, it was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy with the plebiscite of 1866.

Curios

Venetian Glass
Certainly the most famous in the world, but produced in Murano and not in Venice since 1291, when a furnace fire caused heavy damage to the city.

Marionettes
There was once a festival in Venice called the "Festa delle Marie", where the most beautiful woman of each "sestriere" (district) was elected. In order to give each of these women more "publicity" as we would say today, a life-size "copy" was made of her (known as the "Mariona") to be exhibited to possible, and preferably rich, suitors. For greater ease of movement, the "copies" were gradually reduced in size, thus giving rise to the "Marionettes".

Cuisine
Specialities range from fish and seafood along the coast, to game in the hills and mountains, and then there are the very prestigious Veneto wines.

Tourist Itineraries

Even without Venice, an enchanting tourist destination celebrated throughout the world about Veneto is a region extraordinarily rich in tourist attractions.

The Coast and Mountains.
The Veneto beaches, such as Jesolo and Venice Lido, are some of the most famous internationally. The variety on offer means that anybody can find the type of holiday they wish. Two of the Veneto coast's trump cards are its short distance from important historic cities and the quality of the services provided along the coast. The mountain areas may be lesser known than the beaches, but they also offer interesting attractions. The best known are probably "Il Cadore" where you find Cortina d'Ampezzo and the Dolomites National Park.

The Veneto Villas.
Noble families often kept a second residence outside the city. These villas were generally as magnificent and grandiose as the town residences so that the families could also display their power and wealth beyond the city confines. However, the villas had not only "aesthetic" value and, in most cases, were the centre of a more complex and vaster organisation of economic production (swamp drainage, canal building and other works preceded the construction of the villas). This phenomenon, which lasted from the 15th to 19th century, was to have a deep and lasting effect on the territory and landscape of the entire Region. Some of the most beautiful Veneto villas are located along the Brenta river, and the most outstanding are Villa Pisani, situated in Stra', and Villa Barbaro in Maser (province of Treviso) designed by Palladio and decorated with frescoes by Veronese.

Major Cities: Venice is the regional capital; other important cities are: Verona, Padua, Vicenza, Treviso, Rovigo, Belluno, capitals of their respective provinces.

Art: In the region numerous and important Roman traces can be found: the best known example is the Arena of Verona. In the area around Venice, Byzantine influences are visible (St. Mark's and the Cathedral of Torcello); in the hinterland, away from the sea, there are many outstanding examples of Romanesque and Gothic art. The Renaissance palaces are numerous and of great value.

Museums: in Venice: the Academy Gallery houses the major collections of Venetian painting from 1300 to 1700; the G. Franchetti Gallery houses important paintings, while the Guggenheim collection exhibits international works of contemporary art. In the Palazzo Grassi, exhibitions of international interest are organized every year. In this beautiful city there are also: the Museum of eighteenth century life in Venice with tapestries, attire, furniture and paintings: the National Gallery of Modern Art, the Oriental Museum and the Correr Museum, which is reserved for Renaissance masterpieces.

In Verona the Civic Museum of Art, which is devoted to the great Verona paintings, the Archaeological Museum and the Museum of Frescoes can be visited. Vicenza offers: the Civic Museum (ethnology and archaeology) and the Pinacoteca. In Padua the famous Scrovegni Chapel, with Giotto's frescoes, can be admired; the Civic Museum and the botanical garden.

In Treviso there is the Museum of the Casa Trevigiana with modern furniture and sculptures.

Rovigo has the Gallery of the Concordi (Venetian school from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries) and the Civic Museum of the Polesine Civilization.

To be visited: The  Venetian islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello; the canal of the Brenta and the Veneto villas. Visitors can admire the enchanting and unique lagoon and the majestic, reddish spires of Dolomities. The region overflows with art treasures: the main towns have on display many Roman relics and palaces; the most famous is Verona's Arena.

As Venice rose to fame in the middle Ages and extended its rule over the region, almost every town has palaces and structures dating back to that epoch and covering almost every style, from Gothic to late Renaissance.

To all the world Venetia means Venice. As a matter of fact that, words are inadequate to describe its beauty, its little islands, bridges and masterpieces such as the Grand Canal or St. Mark Square.

In Venice, there are more than 400 historic churches, and St. Mark's Basilica can be deemed unique in the world for its convoluted architecture. South of Venetian Lagoon is the picturesque fishing port of Chioggia, another canal town.

Everywhere in the region good wine abounds: in Treviso, the tourist can motor along the interesting "red-wine" and "white-wine" routes. The Dolomities - unique in their setting - are world renowned for splendid ski resorts (Cortina, Misurina, san Vito), rock-climbing, hiking (high level routes), natural parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

Not to mention the 20 km long open-air museum along the Brenta Canal, lined with Palladio's splendid villas, the spa resorts of Albano and Montegrotto, and the northern Venetian border with Cortina, the "queen of Dolomities".

Region of Veneto

Tourism in Veneto Region

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