Verona, Vicenza, Lake Garda & the Veneto

Verona, Vicenza, Lake Garda & the Veneto

Marisa Fabris

Hunter Publishing, Inc.

michael@hunterpublishing.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

This guide focuses on recreational activities. As all such activities contain elements of risk, the publisher, author, affiliated individuals and companies disclaim any responsibility for any injury, harm, or illness that may occur to anyone through, or by use of, the information in this book. Every effort was made to insure the accuracy of information in this book, but the publisher and author do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any liability or any loss or damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading information or potential travel problems caused by this guide, even if such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause.

Introduction

Discovering the Veneto

Writers, painters, historians and philosophers have long been inspired by the dramatic landscapes of the Veneto Region and, by translating astute observations on canvas or in print, have captured the beauty of a land and a people that have evolved over many centuries.

Situated in Italy’s northernmost zone, few other regions boast such diverse landscapes. From the low sandy coastline where the Veneto meets the Adriatic Sea, to the mighty Alpine peaks, rolling hills, thermal springs and lagoon systems, the varied landscape makes for lively getaways any season of the year.

Veneto, a name that derives from Veneti, a pre-Roman people who once inhabited the area, is divided into seven provinces: Belluno, Padua, Rovigo, Treviso, Venice, Verona and Vicenza.

Although the Venetian Republic’s rule over its mainland territories officially ended in the late 18th century, the presence of its rule is still evident throughout the Veneto today. One of the most telling reminders is the winged lion of St. Mark, which was once Venice’s official emblem.

One of the great cultural cities of the world, Venice’s geographical location contributed to its naval and commercial dominance in the Mediterranean for centuries and the Republic’s subsequent wealth.

The history of Venice, or La Serenissima, drastically affected the entire Veneto region and it is impossible, if not inaccurate, to fully appreciate the many towns and their achievements without putting them in their proper context.

During Venice’s golden age, aristocrats brought their wealth to the Veneto countryside and commissioned architects to build agricultural estates and country homes. Today, more than 4,000 villas remind us of that period, the most famous of which were designed by 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio.

The Veneto is considered by many to be one of Italy’s most artistically rich regions, from Palladio’s significant architectural contribution in Vicenza to the art of Giotto and Mantegna in Padua and the ancient Roman ruins in Verona.

The Veneto’s depth, however, extends far beyond its artistic treasures. From grappa, Bassano del Grappa’s distilled liquor, and Valdobbiadene’s sparkling Prosecco wine, to Asiago’s cheese from mountain dairies, and seafood from the lagoon, the Veneto is a food- and wine-lovers’ delight.

Nearly nine million visitors are attracted to the Veneto each year. The eastern shore of Lake Garda, Riviera degli Olivi, offers visitors Mediterranean scenery against an Alpine backdrop, while Montegrotto Terme and Bibione, famous for their thermal springs and mineral baths, cater to travelers with a more relaxed vacation in mind. The seaside resorts of Caorle and Jesolo are ideal locations for water sports and relaxation alike, and the Dolomite Mountains offer perfect conditions for skiing, hiking, cycling and more.

A Land of Infinite Wonders

Geography

The Veneto is one of Italy’s most topographically diverse regions, boasting Alpine zones, plains, lakes, lagoons and islands within a surface area of 18,364 square kilometers (7,063 square miles). Italy’s eighth-largest region, the Veneto shares its borders with Austria to the north, Trentino-Alto Adige to the northwest, Lombardy to the west, Emilia-Romagna to the south and Friuli-Venezia Giulia to the east.

In the northernmost zone of the region sit the Dolomite Mountains, best known for ideal skiing conditions in towns such as Cortina d’Ampezzo (a resort that gained fame when it hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics) and the region’s highest peak, Marmolada (the site of glacial skiing in summer).

Dropping down in size but certainly not beauty, the Dolomites gently slope toward the smaller mountain groups and plateaus that form the pre-Alpine zone, including Belluno, Mt. Grappa, the Mt. Baldo Range and the Asiago plateau.

Dipping further into the Veneto plain to the region’s sub-Alpine zone are the hills of Asolo and Conegliano and those surrounding Lake Garda.

Lake Garda, set at the foot of the Alps

The vast plain occupies more than half of the region, stretching from the northern mountainous areas southward to the Po River and is crossed by northern Italy’s main rivers: the Po, the Adige, the Livenza, the Brenta, the Piave and the Tagliamento.

Lake Garda, a popular summer vacation spot, is both the region’s and the country’s largest natural lake. Most other lakes in the region are artificial and considerably smaller.

Although the plains make up the majority of the Veneto’s landscape, lagoon systems found between the Po Delta and the mouth of the Tagliamento River form an extensive network dating back nearly 6,000 years, when Venice was formed as a result of rising water levels.

Climate

Travelers to the Veneto region should expect the climate to vary as much as the landscape. Generally speaking, spring and autumn are the most pleasant times to visit. March through May and September and October experience the most comfortable weather and the fewest number of tourists.

The region’s many climatic zones create an overall temperate-continental climate, generally milder along the Adriatic coast and near Lake Garda, but coldest in the mountainous areas. Inland towns are typically colder in winter and warmer in summer than Venice.

The time of year for your travels will depend on what you want to do – be it an adventure along the Adriatic in June, in the Dolomites in December or in Venice for Carnevale.

Understanding the People

Population

In a country with nearly 57 million inhabitants, about 4½ million people inhabit the Veneto region, the majority concentrated in and around the areas of Treviso, Padua and Vicenza.

Many people assume that Venice has the highest population in the region, but there is in fact no one city that is dramatically more populated or more economically-important than others in the Veneto.

Due in part to the region’s shared borders and proximity with other countries, there are several minority groups in the Veneto, including Austrians, Germans, Slovenians and French.

Language

Italian is both the country’s and the region’s official language, although the Venet dialect (one that varies from town to town within the region) is also commonly spoken.

For years people have debated whether or not the dialect is a language, since it was the official language of the Venetian Republic. Although the language has strong Latin roots, it also contains many words of Germanic origin, especially in the more mountainous zones.

Other small, isolated linguistic zones exist where Cimbri, an ancient Bavarian dialect, and Ladin, another dialect heavily influenced by German, are spoken.

Italian remains the dominant spoken language, but travelers to Venice and other large cities in the region can often find shopkeepers and locals who speak English.

Religion

For centuries in Italy, religion has influenced and been influenced by many other aspects of life – namely culture, politics and economics. From the early days of the Kingdom of Italy, there was a strong Catholic presence in the Veneto. The religious importance is easily identified in cities and towns throughout the region, not only in chapels and basilicas, but also in villas, palaces and town squares.

The Veneto’s Place in Time

A Brief History

The Veneto was once inhabited by the Veneti and the Euganei people until, in the third century BC, the Romans conquered the local inhabitants as they worked their way northward to subdue France and Germany. The Romans established Verona as a base for their northward expansion and left the city with more significant marks of Roman rule than any other city in the region.

Though experts agree that the Venetian lagoon was created nearly 6,000 years ago, Venice itself remained mostly uninhabited, except for small numbers of fishermen, until the fifth century AD. When barbarian Goths looted their way southward to Rome, they drove many people away from the Veneto mainland and forced them to take refuge on the coastal Venetian islands.

During the fifth century, people began establishing villages on the islands and trade links began with the Byzantine Empire. Venice was officially founded when the relic of St. Mark the Evangelist was stolen from Alexandria in Egypt and brought to Venice. At that point, St. Mark became the patron saint of the city, establishing Venice as part of Christendom.

As the centuries passed, trade significantly developed with the East and Venice became a powerful crossroads between east and west. In the ninth century AD, Venice gained its independence from the Byzantine Empire and, by the early 11th century, it developed into a powerful city-state, trading with Christian forces during the Crusades.

Piazza San Marco was the trade hub and the source of mounting wealth for the Republic, but the powerful Republic acknowledged that it needed to secure and maintain sufficient control over the mainland, terra firma, in order to control trade through rivers and mountain passes into northern Europe.

The Venetian Army set out to conquer family dynasties such as the Scaligeri of Verona and the Visconti of Milan in order to lay its claim to the mainland.

By the early 13th century, Venice had flourished into a true maritime Republic and ruled the Byzantine Empire. It exercised control over the eastern Mediterranean, though it did not officially rule Venetia until the 15th century.

The Republic took Cyprus in 1489, though many were growing tired of the Republic’s expansion. In 1508, Pope Julius II, the Kings of France and Spain and the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian joined together to form the League of Cambrai, with the intent to conquer cities of the Veneto and halt Venetian territorial expansion.

Venice continued to dominate the Eastern Mediterranean with its monopoly on Mediterranean trade and controlled northeastern Italy for over than 200 more years.

The Turks became a significant threat to Venice and, in 1570, they took Cyprus back. Having recognized that it was imperative to depend on more than the sea for its wealth, Venice shifted its focus to agricultural development on the mainland.

As the Venetian Republic increased its influence over the Veneto region, nobles began to commission architects such as Andrea Palladio, to design villas and farming estates in the Veneto as vacation retreats.

The Venetian Republic was ruled by the Doge, a leader established for life to reign over the Republic along with his Council of 10 and the Grand Council of 2,000 members. This government maintained its force until Napoleon invaded in 1797 and the Doge and his Grand Council resigned, officially bringing the Venetian Republic to an end.

The serious decline of the Republic started long before Napoleon’s invasion, however, when aristocratic Venetians squandered wealth on lavish lifestyles. Shortly after, Napoleon offered Venice to his allies, the Austrians, and looted the city. The Austrian rule inspired many to join the Risorgimento and rise up against Austrians in order to unite Italy.

By 1804, Napoleon took Venice back from the Austrians and established himself as King of Italy but, again in 1814-15, the Austrians drove the French out of Venice during a volatile period. In the First Italian War of Independence in 1848, Venice revolted against Austrian Rule, though it was not until 1866 that Venice and the Veneto were finally freed, allowing Venice to reconstruct.

With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, and then the construction of the Port of Marghera, some old trade routes were revived. By the turn of the century, Venice was once again becoming a fashionable spot where the wealthy vacationed at the new beachside resorts.

Cities and small towns of the Veneto alike felt the effects of both World War I and World War II. The main cities of Treviso, Verona, Vicenza and Padua were bombed and other towns badly scarred. With Nazi occupation, people resisted and formed partisan groups. Combat was often fierce in the mountains, especially around Monte Grappa, Asiago and Belluno.

Art & Architecture

Among the most notable artistic achievements in the Veneto region are those that date to the Byzantine Gothic period as a result of the commerce route and ties with Constantinople and the East.

The Kiss of Judas (Giotto, the Scrovegni Chapel)

During the early 14th century, Giotto arrived in Padua to fresco the Scrovegni Chapel with what became his masterpieces. Though not Venetian by birth, he left an extraordinary mark on the region and influenced other painters of that period.

The Slaughter of the Innocent (Giotto, the Scrovegni Chapel)

By the 15th century, artists such as Andrea Mantegna, and Jacopo, Gentile and Giovanni Bellini marked the dawn of the Renaissance, abandoning the Byzantine techniques for fresh ones that added perspective and dimension to paintings.

The golden age of Venetian painting came later in the 16th century with painters Jacopo Tintoretto, Jacopo da Bassano, Lorenzo Lotto, Paolo Veronese and Titian.

The great architect Andrea Palladio, the most famous in the region and most influential of his time, designed many structures throughout the region during the century, including Villa Barbaro, the Ponte