Venetia
When the word Venetia is mentioned, one is tempted to think of the city of Venice, St. Mark's square, the great lagoon, the gondolas on the Canal Grande, the bridge of sighs, the hedonistic carnival, the magnificent works of architecture and art, the ostentatious palaces within the city, the magic of the alleys ("calli"), the international film festival, the Biennale, the Fenice theatre (which has been destroyed by a fire a year ago and is currently rebuilt), the renowned university, the many signs of a once magnificent and wealthy naval power that ruled the Mediterranean Sea for five centuries.
But Venetia (Veneto) is not only Venice and the venetian landscape not only sea. The mountainous regions are of rare beauty. From Cortina d'Ampezzo, the famous holiday destination and winter sports centre of the province Belluno, the Dolomites make for a spectacular panorama.
The unique Podelta in the province of Rovigo is of high profile to travellers in search of natural beauty. The city of Padova, the old university city with the majestic basilica in which the reliquia of St. Anthony are kept on display, attracts thousands of pilgrims every year.
Particularly interesting are also the Palladio Villas, the countryside residences of the venetian patricians, built by the great architect Andrea Palladio in the 16th century. Still today they are admired for their beauty and balanced proportions.
One example for that is the Rotonda in Vicenza. In the arena in Verona, where Shakespeare's drama of Romeo and Juliet is set, an opera night during the summer is simply unmissable. Verona is home to the third largest open air opera arena in the world.
Whether one is interested in lagoon landscape, wide sandy beaches, the eastern shore of the Garda Lake, the fascinating world of the Dolomiti mountains or the soft transition of the land leading up to the Alps and lovely vineyards - within a very short timespan travellers are able to experience all of the above in Venetia.
