Treviso in a Day: Prosecco & Local Food (8 hours, lunch + 2 tastings)

Starting from Treviso, this 8-hour food and wine day takes you to the Prosecco hills for a tour with two tastings and lunch included. The itinerary is designed with realistic timetables (no rush hour) and includes private transportation. Explanations are provided in English during the tastings.

The Prosecco hills and the DOCG area are internationally renowned for their wine culture and the Veneto region's agri-food heritage. The program highlights these unique characteristics with stops organized based on availability and schedule.

Recommended for

Duration & Included (8 hours)

Total duration: approximately 8 hours (depending on scheduled stop times)
Meeting/Departure Point: Treviso/Venice/Conegliano/ and all locations within a 30 km radius (meeting point confirmation upon request)

What the program includes:

Note: Access and times depend on the opening hours and availability of partner locations.

Schedule (timeline)

We meet in Treviso and align your interests and tasting style.

Travel with realistic timing, designed to ensure a stress-free experience at each stop.

First session with Prosecco and local products with a guided pairing.

Lunch at selected location. Any dietary requirements must be communicated in advance.

Second tasting session with a different focus, subject to availability.

  1. Return to Treviso

Comfortable and safe return transfer.

Tastings & Pairings (What to Expect)

Subject to availability, tastings include:

Customization: If you indicate preferences (e.g., fresher/more structured style, brut/extra dry), I'll adjust the order of stops where possible. Allergies and intolerances apply.

Cartizze DOCG upon request (premium option)

If you'd like to include Cartizze DOCG, it can be added upon request when available.
I'll include it within the 8-hour program without compromising the time.

How I Build the Itinerary (NCC Approach)

VenetoRoute (a Private chauffeur company specializing in food and wine itineraries) organizes the day to be:

FAQ

Is it suitable for English-speaking travelers?

Yes. I provide English-speaking support during explanations and tastings.

Is lunch included?

Yes—lunch is included in the 8-hour program.

How many tastings are included?

2 tastings paired with local products.

Is transportation included?

Yes. Transportation includes private driver with pick-up/meeting point in Treviso (or agreed-upon area).

Is it possible to include Cartizze DOCG?

Yes, upon request, when available. Please share your date and preferences and we'll check the feasibility.

Can I mention dietary requirements?

Yes. Please let me know your needs: we'll propose the most suitable option based on the possibilities of the partner locations.

Is it private or for a group?

Both options. The program is tailor-made for individuals and coordinated for groups of up to 12-14.

Ready to plan your Prosecco & local food day from Treviso?

Send me the date, number of people, and tasting preferences: VenetoRoute offers a realistic 8-hour itinerary focusing on Prosecco and local products in Veneto.

How to get around Veneto from the airport: the complete guide for international travellers

You're landing in Italy for the first time, you've booked a hotel in Treviso, and your ticket says "Venice Marco Polo Airport." Or the opposite: you're flying to Treviso, but your destination is Venice. Or: you have a group of six, three suitcases each, and no idea how to get to a winery in the hills at 11 pm.

Veneto is one of the most visited regions in Europe, but for those arriving from abroad—especially from the United States or Northern Europe—navigating airports, public transportation, and private transportation can seem more complicated than necessary. This guide was created to clear up any doubts and help you choose the right option for your trip, even before boarding the plane.

Marco Polo or Treviso? The first thing you need to know

Veneto has two international airports, both within a few kilometers of Treviso, but with very different characteristics.

Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) is the main airport in northeastern Italy. It serves intercontinental flights and a wide network of European destinations, with airlines such as Delta, Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France, and many others. It is located on the mainland, about 13 km from the center of Venice and 30 km from Treviso. If you're arriving from New York, Los Angeles, or any major European hub, your flight will most likely land here.

Treviso Antonio Canova Airport (TSF) is a smaller airport, used primarily by low-cost airlines such as Ryanair. It serves select European destinations and has much lower traffic volumes. It is located practically in the city, just 3 km from the center of Treviso, but further from Venice—about 30 km.

The rule of thumb is simple: if your primary destination is Venice or the coast, Marco Polo is more convenient. If you're traveling in the Treviso area, the Prosecco hills, or towards Friuli, Treviso can be an excellent alternative—often with lower fares and shorter boarding times.

Getting Around: An Honest Comparison

Once you land, you have several options. Each has its advantages, but also its limitations—and it's best to know them before finding yourself struggling with your bags on the sidewalk.

Buses and Shuttles: ATVO shuttles depart regularly from Marco Polo Airport to Venice (Piazzale Roma) and the main cities in the Veneto region. The service is punctual, economical, and convenient if you're traveling light and your destination is served by stops. The limitation is clear: it doesn't take you where you want, but where the route ends. For destinations outside of urban centers—a villa, a farmhouse, a winery—shuttles are not a viable option.

Train: Treviso Airport is connected to the train station by a shuttle bus, from which trains depart to Venice, Padua, Verona, and other cities. There is no direct train connection from Marco Polo Airport: you must first reach Venice or Mestre by bus or boat, then take the train. Excellent for those traveling between large cities, but less practical with heavy luggage or late at night.

Taxis Available at the exits of both airports, taxis are a convenient solution, but there are some variables to consider: fares can be high for long journeys, availability at night is not always guaranteed, and multiple vehicles may be necessary for large groups.

Rental Cars: A good option for those who want complete independence and are comfortable driving in Italy. However, beware of the limited traffic zones (ZTL) in historic city centers—Venice, Treviso, and Vicenza have significant restrictions that can result in a hefty fine for a simple trip. Furthermore, finding parking in Veneto's art cities is never easy.

NCC — Rental with Driver Private transportation with a professional driver is the solution that eliminates every variable. Price agreed in advance, no surprise surcharges, and a driver who monitors the flight in real time and adapts to any delays. The car is reserved exclusively for you and your group, from the moment you land until your final destination—whatever that may be.

When a private car service is the choice that makes the difference

It's not necessarily the right choice for everyone or in every situation. But there are situations where private transportation offers something no other option can guarantee.

Groups and families with luggage. Traveling with four or six people carrying large suitcases on buses and trains is stressful and often almost as expensive as a private car service, but without the comfort. A single private car or van solves everything in one fell swoop.

Destinations outside urban centers. The Prosecco hills, the villas of the Brenta Riviera, the farmhouses of the Pedemontana, the wineries of the Piave Valley—these destinations are inaccessible by public transport. A private car service is often the only sensible alternative to car rental.

Late-night or late-night arrivals. Intercontinental flights often land at dawn or late at night. Knowing that someone is waiting for you with your name on a sign, regardless of the time, is worth much more than it seems after a twelve-hour flight.

First impression of the trip. For many international travelers, the journey from the airport to their first destination is their first real contact with Italy. A professional driver who speaks English, knows the area, and can tell you about it, turns that journey into something memorable. Not a transfer, but an introduction to the Veneto region.

The most common destinations: approximate travel times from the airport

Here is an overview of approximate travel times under normal traffic conditions, useful for planning your trip.

From Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE):

From Treviso Canova Airport (TSF):

Times can vary significantly during summer weekends, peak tourist seasons, and during morning and late afternoon rush hour. With a chauffeur-driven car, these unexpected delays are managed by the driver, who knows alternative routes and monitors traffic in real time.

Practical tips for your arrival

If your flight is delayed, it's not a problem with a professional chauffeur-driven car service. The driver monitors the flight status and adjusts the arrival time accordingly. You don't have to do anything: the car will be waiting for you at the exit, regardless of the delay.

If you don't speak Italian, it's not a problem. Most professional chauffeur-driven car services operate in English. With VenetoRoute, communication is fluent in English, both during the booking process and during the journey.

What to expect at the exit: The driver will be waiting for you in the arrivals area with a sign with your name on it. No apps to download, no codes to enter, no lines. Just walk out, introduce yourself, and get in the car.

How to book: Request a quote in advance via email or WhatsApp, including your flight details and destination. You'll receive a confirmation with a fixed, all-inclusive price, with no surprises.

Conclusion

Getting around Veneto from the airport doesn't have to be complicated. With the right information and the right transportation option for your trip, you can begin your Veneto experience the moment you land—stress-free, without waiting, and without unexpected events.

If you're planning a trip to the region and want tailor-made private transportation—from the airport to your destination, or for your entire stay—contact us for a personalized quote. We respond promptly in English and Italian, via email or WhatsApp.

And if, in addition to transportation, you're considering a food and wine experience in the Prosecco hills or in the wineries of the Piave Valley, we can help you create an itinerary worth the trip.

Prosecco Wineries Off the Beaten Track: 5 Authentic Venues to Visit on a Private Tour

Prosecco Wineries Off the Beaten Track: 5 Authentic Venues to Visit on a Private Tour

Five hills, five microclimates, one wine — yet never the same taste.

Most visitors to the Prosecco hills follow the same itinerary: a famous name on a sign, a bus, a tasting menu printed in four languages. They leave with a bottle and a photograph—but without ever understanding why this wine is so different from one town to another, from one slope to another. As a certified sommelier who has frequented these hills for years, I want to show you five areas where Prosecco Superiore DOCG tells a different, more intimate story. You won't find them on a search engine. You just have to know who to call.

Some information to help you understand the difference between Prosecco Superiore DOCG and Prosecco DOC

In general, the hours worked in the vineyard on the UNESCO Prosecco Superiore DOCG hills are approximately 4–5 times greater than those required on the flatter lands where Prosecco DOC is produced.

In the hills of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG and similar areas (a UNESCO World Heritage site), an average of 600–800 hours of work per hectare per year is estimated, often almost exclusively manual due to the steep slopes and the steepness. This is because the vineyards are "heroic viticulture": pruning, mowing, weeding, thinning, and harvesting are almost always done by hand, due to slopes of up to 70–80% and terrain that is difficult to mechanize.

In the flatter DOC lands, vineyard work averages approximately 150–200 hours per hectare per year, with ample opportunity to use machinery for operations such as mowing, weeding, and partial pruning.

Northern slopes

Valdobbiadene, the northern slope: where cold nights build complexity

— Valdobbiadene · Treviso · ~350–450 m above sea level

Terroir: glacial moraine soils, steep slope, marked day/night temperature range

The northern slopes above Valdobbiadene rarely appear in glossy wine magazines. The terrain is too steep for mechanization, the yields too modest for large-scale production. Here, small family-run estates—often no more than a few hectares—are found, where vines cling to terraces rebuilt by hand after each winter.

The cold descends early on these north-facing slopes. The grapes ripen slowly, with a natural acidity that commercial Prosecco producers struggle to replicate. When you taste a glass poured directly from a vat in a cellar carved into the hillside, you immediately understand: this isn't a product. It's a place.

On the palate

Green apple and white peach on a mineral background—wet limestone. The perlage is fine and persistent, with a long, saline finish.

The Grand Cru

Cartizze: the hill that commerce has not yet fully conquered

— San Pietro di Barbozza, Valdobbiadene · 107 hectares total · amphitheater morphology

Terroir: natural amphitheater, sandy-clay soils, reflected heat, late harvest

Cartizze is the most famous and expensive subzone of the entire DOCG—107 hectares whose ownership is so fragmented that most producers own fractions of a single hectare. The amphitheater shape retains heat (it is also known as the Golden Pentagon), prolongs maturation, and produces a wine with a richness that surprises those who consider Prosecco a simple, light aperitif.

What most tourists never experience is the hill itself: walking along the narrow paths between the rows at harvest time, when the fog has lingered in the valley and the vines above it glisten in the autumn light. That moment doesn't exist on a guided bus tour. It requires a private arrangement, a local guide, and the trust of a producer who opens the gates to someone they know.

On the palate

Ripe pear, acacia honey, and a hint of dried flowers. Fuller than any other Prosecco area, with a smoothness that lingers well past the finish.

Southern exposure

Conegliano, the southern hills: sun, clay, and unexpected depth

— Conegliano · Treviso · ~150–250 m above sea level · full southern exposure

Terroir: clay-limestone soils, more hours of sunshine, lower altitude, ripe fruit profile

The hills around Conegliano face south. They receive more direct sunlight than any other part of the DOCG, and the clay soils retain that heat well into the night. The result is a surprising Prosecco: rounder, more generous, with a fruit profile that leans toward yellow plum and ripe apricot rather than the green, crisp notes of higher-altitude vineyards.

Conegliano is the birthplace of the Veneto winemaking school—a fact most winery tours routinely overlook. The producers of this area have generations of technical knowledge behind them. Sitting down with a winemaker in this area means a conversation about the craft, not just a quick tasting.

The Colli di Conegliano isn't just Prosecco! The Colli di Conegliano DOCG also includes excellent, recognized red wines made with local or international grapes well-adapted to the terroir.

On the palate

Yellow peach, ripe apricot, a touch of almond blossom. Rounder and more generous than the northern areas, with less pronounced acidity and an immediate, welcoming warmth.

Inland Valleys

Refrontolo: the hidden valleys where almost no one goes

— Refrontolo · Treviso · Inland Valleys, Mixed Exposure

Terroir: protected valley location, alluvial-clay soils, morning fog, unusual aromatic complexity

Refrontolo is located in the inland folds of the Treviso hills, sheltered from the Adriatic winds that affect the more exposed areas. The morning fog settles there longer, slowing the ripening process and creating a noticeably more complex aromatic profile—floral, herbaceous, with a genuine wildness that's hard to find in commercially distributed Prosecco.

These are the areas where local trattorias still serve Prosecco in unlabeled bottles, filled directly from the producer's vat a few kilometers away. To access the right winery in Refrontolo, you don't need to book online. You go with someone who knows the valley.

Refrontolo is also famous for its Marzemino, an ancient tradition (dating back to the 1400s), and is also famous because Mozart mentions it in Don Giovanni ("Pour the wine! Excellent Marzemino!").

On the palate

Wildflowers, fresh herbs, a hint of elderberry and white currant. Unexpected complexity for a wine with a modest label—or no label at all.

High Altitude

Vittorio Veneto, the high hill: where altitude rewrites the rules
— Vittorio Veneto · Treviso · ~400–550 m above sea level · pre-Alpine transition zone

Terroir: pre-Alpine soils, rocky substrate, extreme temperature ranges, very long growing season

At the northern edge of the DOCG, where the hills begin their slow ascent towards the Dolomites, the story of Prosecco takes on a completely different character. The pre-Alpine rocky substrate forces the vines to descend deep into the soil in search of water and minerals. Harvest here can take place three weeks after that in the valley.

What this produces in the glass is a Prosecco with tension—the kind of wine industry professionals describe as having a "nervous" quality. High acidity, pronounced minerality, a structure that makes you wonder, for a moment, if you're drinking something mountainous. You are. The Dolomites are visible from these vineyards on clear days.

On the palate

Citrus zest, green almond, slate. A wine of edges rather than curves—angular, mineral, demanding. It opens slowly and rewards patience.

These five zones exist. Getting there is another matter.

I am a certified sommelier, cheese taster, and licensed chauffeur, based in Treviso. I've spent years building the relationships that allow my clients to experience the Prosecco hills as the people who live there experience them—not as spectators, but as guests. A private tour with VenetoRoute is not a package. And a conversation that starts before you arrive and continues well after the last glass.

The Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene: What to see and how to get there

Some landscapes are included in the UNESCO World Heritage list because they tell a thousand-year story of humankind and nature. The Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene are exactly that: a land handcrafted by winemakers over centuries, recognized in 2019 by UNESCO as a cultural landscape of outstanding universal value.

If you're planning a visit to the Veneto region and don't know where to start, this article is your practical guide: what to see, how to get around, and how to enjoy this stress-free experience.

Why the Prosecco Hills are a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The 2019 UNESCO recognition isn't just about the wine—it's about the landscape as a whole. The hogback hills, the ridges, the steep slopes planted with vines, the historic villages, and the woods alternating with the rows of vines: all of this forms a unique agricultural system, built and maintained by man for centuries with techniques passed down from generation to generation.

The area extends for approximately 29,000 hectares between the provinces of Treviso and Venice, centered between Conegliano—the city of Prosecco par excellence and home to the first Italian winemaking school, founded in 1876—and Valdobbiadene, the heart of Prosecco Superiore DOCG production.

What to see: the unmissable stops

1. Conegliano

A natural starting point for any itinerary in the hills. The medieval historic center, dominated by the fortress with its 14th-century tower, offers spectacular panoramic views of the vineyards. Don't miss Palazzo Sarcinelli and Via XX Settembre, the city's main meeting place. Conegliano is also home to the Cerletti Institute, Italy's oldest winemaking school: a symbolic place for wine lovers.

2. Valdobbiadene and the Superiore di Cartizze

Valdobbiadene is the capital of Prosecco Superiore DOCG. Of all its subzones, Cartizze is the most prized: a hill of just 107 hectares, divided among over 140 producers, which produces a Prosecco of extraordinary aromatic complexity. Visiting it will help you understand why the terroir is as important as the grape variety.

3. Cison di Valmarino

One of the most beautiful villages in Italy—literally, as it is included in the association of the same name. The perfectly preserved Brandolini Castle dominates the town. During the summer months, it hosts cultural events and concerts. A place that surprises even those who thought they knew the Treviso area well.

4. The Prosecco Road

Established in 1966—the oldest wine road in Italy—it connects Conegliano to Valdobbiadene through 44 kilometers of breathtaking landscape. This is no ordinary road: it's a food and wine itinerary through wineries, agritourisms, restaurants, and scenic spots that change with the seasons.

5. Col Fondo and Artisanal Wineries

For those who want to explore beyond mass-produced Prosecco, the hills hide artisanal producers who work with ancestral methods, such as Col Fondo: a Prosecco refermented in the bottle, cloudy, vibrant, light-years away from the industrial version. Seeking them—and finding them—is one of the true pleasures of these places.

🍷 The sommelier's advice

When visiting a winery, always ask to taste the still wine—a pure Glera, without bubbles. Understanding the underlying grape variety will help you appreciate Prosecco in its sparkling and semi-sparkling versions much more. It's a detail producers appreciate and transforms a simple tasting into a truly enriching experience.

Getting Around: The Problem No One Tells You About

Here's the truth that travel guides often overlook: the Prosecco Hills are beautiful but logistically complex. The villages are connected by narrow, winding roads, parking is limited, and—most importantly—if you want to visit two or three wineries with tastings, someone in the group will have to forgo the wine.

Public transportation only covers the main routes and has a strict schedule. Taxis aren't designed for long-distance tours. Car rental solves the parking problem but not the tastings.

The smartest solution is a private driver with driver services who knows the area, has direct relationships with the wineries, and—in the case of Veneto Route—is also a certified sommelier.

A typical itinerary with a private driver

Departure from Treviso or Venice in the morning. The first stop is Conegliano for a stroll through the historic center and a visit to the fortress. Lunch will be served at a local trattoria, featuring typical dishes from the Treviso area. In the afternoon, two stops at selected wineries between Valdobbiadene and Cartizze for guided tastings. The tour concludes with a panoramic sunset aperitif overlooking the vineyards. A stress-free return journey, free from driving worries.

📍 When to go
Spring (April-May) and autumn (September-October during the grape harvest) are the most spectacular seasons. In summer, the hills are lush green but warm; in winter, the foggy landscape has a unique, austere charm. There's no wrong time to come.
Getting to the Prosecco Hills

From Venice: About 60-70 km, an hour's drive north. With a private car, direct transfer without transfers.
From Treviso: About 30-40 km, 40 minutes. It's the ideal starting point for the day.
From Milan: About 3 hours by car or train to Treviso, then a private car to the hills.
By train: Conegliano station is well connected to Venice and Treviso. Then a private car or local taxi.

Do you want to visit the Prosecco Hills without worries? We organize your tailor-made itinerary.