Bubbles, castles and Palladian villas: plan your stay in a room among the vineyards, in the land of high quality “Spumante“, between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene

texts by Massimiliano Rella

 

Sunset by the small church of San Vigilio	Conegliano Valdobbiadene: Prosecco bubbles
The Castle of Conegliano Veneto	Vineyard landscape around Santo Stefano, a hill of the Cartizze “cru” zone

With summer getting closer, you can enjoy a weekend in the land of Italian sparkling wine combining wine tasting and shopping for your home-cellar. To celebrate the beginning of the english version of  “The Wine Traveller”, we went browsing and shopping among the producers of sparkling wine in the Prosecco territory, between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. This area in the province of Treviso, immortalized by famous 16^th century painters such as Giovanni Bellini and his follower Cima da Conegliano, has recently asked to become a Unesco site as “ and cultural landscape” to be preserved from exploitation. For centuries vineyards have dominated this gentle, hilly landscape. At the end of the 19^th century the first Enological School in Italy, the Cerletti Institute, was founded at Conegliano and gave fresh impulse to the production of sparkling wine. This scientific approach was carried on by the Institute for experimental viticulture (today’s CRA), founded in 1923, with the development of a branch related to winemaking machinery.

 

“Enological school” at Conegliano, a center for high level training of wine experts in Italy

The Prosecco hills in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene zone, where one of the most famous Italian sparkling wine is produced, should be visited at a leisurely pace, to discover the rich historical and cultural heritage of this territory. The first Italian wine -route started here in 1966, and new theme routes were introduced later with the “Prosecco Touring” and “Vini dei Colli Conegliano Valdobbiadene Touring” (www.coneglianovaldobbiadene.it). Our first stop is Conegliano, to admire its artistic treasures. Cima, “the landscape poet - painter”, was born here in 1459 and one of his most famous oil paintings “The Madonna, enthroned with Child, Angels and Saints” of 1492, is in the Cathedral. The town’s medieval quarter, along via XX Settembre, is at the foot of the Colle di Giano; on the hill you can see Villa Gera, an elegant neoclassical residence, and the medieval castle with the Civic Museum and its collection of paintings by artists belonging to Cima’s School (tel. 0039/0438.22871). The Cathedral, next to the mansions of Contrada Granda, has an extremely interesting facade with ogival arches and a great fresco, the most extensive one in the Veneto region. The Enological School, now a national monument, is certainly worth a visit; in its Bottega del Vino you will learn a lot about the techniques to produce sparkling wine (tel. 0039/0438.61421). The Bottega del Vino was opened in 1927, for the 50^th anniversary of the Enological School. It was designed by engineer Bernardo Carpené, with interior decorations by Enrico De Falco and furnishings by Giovanni Marsili. It is the accurate reproduction of a tavern in all its details: on the outside, a wrought iron sign featuring a flask, while in the interior you can see finely decorated arches, carved barrels, a wooden counter and a series of side cells with frescos of vines, grapes and animals.

 

A room at the “Canon d’Oro Hotel”, Conegliano Veneto

“San Salvatore” Castle at Susegana

If you decide to spend the night at Conegliano, a good address is the Canon d’Oro hotel, in an ancient 16^th century palace, with antiques and Venetian style furniture (www.hotelcanondoro.it).

Susegana, a few kilometers away, is the ancient fief of the Collalto family. The San Salvatore Castle, an imposing fortress of the 14^th century, surrounded by a double thick bailey, stands on a hill dominating the little town. Every year it is the panoramic showcase for the most important Prosecco promotional event, Vino in Villa (www.prosecco.it/vinoinvilla). It is possible to spend the night nearby, in the rooms of the Montesel Winery (www.monteselvini.it), or in one of the apartments at the Tenuta di Collalto holiday farm on the hills (www.tenutadicollalto.it). Driving north we reach Collalbrigo with its beautiful church of San Dionisio, originally a chapel of San Pietro di Feletto’s parish church. At Collalbrigo we can also admire some historical buildings, such as the 19^th century vicarage and the 18^th century Villa Montalban Ghetti. From these soberly elegant, historical residences, we move to San Pietro di Feletto, a place with a strongly spiritual atmosphere. In 1670 it became the Camaldolese hermitage of Colle Capriolo, originally with 14 cells, of which only four remain, each one with its flower and kitchen garden. The religious order was suppressed by Napoleon at the beginning of the 19^th century and nowadays in the former hermitage the parish church and the town hall are set. The parish church of San Pietro was built on the ruins of a pagan temple among the woods, while now the land is covered with vineyards. It is one of the most ancient Italian parish churches, dating back to the 11^th century, a simple, austere building with a wide porch, a medieval bell tower and 16^th century frescos in the three-nave interior. It is possible to spend the night among the vineyards of Ca’ Milone, a holiday farm in a country house of 1860 (www.camilone.com).

 

The vaulted cellar where the “Prosecco Brotherhood” meets, with frescos of Bacchic inspiration

“Molinetto della Croda” near Refrontolo, an example of engineering feat and an architectural jewel set among the rocks

The village of Refrontolo, nearby, offers lovely views of hills and vineyards; besides Prosecco, Refrontolo Passito is produced here, a ruby red wine with purple tints. You should not miss the Molinetto della Croda, a 17^th century water mill, which can still be operated when visited by tourist groups. It is an example of engineering feat, an architectural jewel set among the rocks, in a wild, natural landscape (tel. 0039/0438.978199). Farther north we get to the cru zone of Docg Prosecco Superiore, the Cartizze zone, comprising 106 hectares of vineyards and giving its name to a high quality sparkling wine, produced on the steep hills of Santo Stefano, Saccol and San Pietro di Barbozza. Valdobbiadene, the last stop of our tour, is a little town of ancient origins, with interesting churches and villas: the parish church of Guia, supposedly by Canova, San Gregorio, a 15^th , Villa dei Cedri, a 19^th century textile factory, set in a public park. The “Prosecco Brotherhood”’s venue is also in this town, in a vaulted wine cellar decorated with mythological Bacchic figures and symbols (www.confraternitadelprosecco.it). If you want to stop in Valdobbiadene, you can eat and spend the night at the Locanda Sandi, at Zecchei, in a park surrounded by vineyards (www.locandasandi.it). Or you can choose one of the following places: the Roccat holiday farm (www.roccat.com); La Casa Vecchia, with restaurant (www.lacasavecchia.it); Campion (www.campionspumanti.it); Il Follo, a B&B with miniflats (www.ilfollo.it); Villa Barberina, an 18^th century mansion, with classical furnishings and a century-old park with statues and fountains on the Prosecco hills (www.villabarberina.it).

Docg Bubbles

The Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Docg (Denomination of controlled and guaranteed origin) is produced in a territory comprising 15 towns, between 50 and 500 meters above sea level, on the southern flanks of the Veneto hills. It is the ideal environment for the production of glera, the Prosecco main vine variety. Winters are long but not too cold, summers are hot but not sultry. The glera variety grows well on soils with different gradient, altimetry, exposure, thus creating a Docg sparkling wine, with different flavors and nuances. Hand-harvested grapes from the steepest vineyards produce the Rive, a new Prosecco denomination, referring to particular subzones in the Prosecco Conegliano Valdobbiadene area.

 

The Abbey at Follina

The Cistercian Abbey of Santa Maria di Follina was erected on the foundations of an older, 12^th Madonna del Sacro Calice, a sandstone statue and an object of worship and pilgrimages. In the center of Follina you can spend the night in the elegant Relais&Chateaux Villa Abbazia, an 18^th century structure, offering different tourist packages: Golf and Prosecco, Gourmet Tours, Walking in the vineyards (www.hotelabbazia.it).

 

The village of Rolle

The village of Rolle, the first place to be chosen by “FAI” (“Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano”, for the preservation of natural and artistic beauty in Italy)

It has been the first place to be chosen by FAI (Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano, a foundation to preserve natural and artistic beauty in Italy). The village is on a knoll, with a wonderful panorama. San Giacomo e San Filippo, a church of ancient origins, was remodeled in the 18^th century, when it became the parish church. In the hills nearby, you can spend the night at the Relais Duca di Dolle, a rural structure offering high quality reception services (www.bisol.it)