? and a vacation for Prosecco lovers

As my personal quest for Italy?s unique destinations continues, I figured that after tasting the best of Tuscan cuisine I need to sip on one of my favorite Italian wines: Prosecco. What a better destination than the ?Strada del Prosecco?? (Literally Prosecco wine road).

First known as the ?Strada del Vino Bianco? (officially opened in 1966), this stretch of road leads you, for about 47 kilometers (29 miles), among the hills of Conegliano, Feletto, Quartier del Piave and Valdobbiadene all the way to the feet of the Prealpi mountains in the Veneto region. The trip starts in Conegliano exactly in the square where the castle is and it procedes throgh several towns: Costa, Rua, San Pietro di Feletto, Refrontolo, Pieve di Soligo, Solighetto, Farra, Colle San Martino, Guia, Santo Stefano and San Pietro di Borbozza. The road is drizzled with florishing vineyards, lovely communities that welcome old taverns, locandas and trattorias, and striking landscapes. Each participating locanda in town has to feature a plate that reads ?Bottega del Vino?. This means that the business has been carefully reviewed by a group of experts in terms of quality of wines available for tastings and on sale, authenticity of the place and oenological knowledge of the staff. The review is done yearly, and who does not pass has to remove the plate. To be considered for qualification, each bottega has sell, no matter the season, the following wines: Bianchi dei Colli, in the dry and amabile varieties, and Prosecco and Cartizze, in dry, amabile, frizzante and spumante varieties. These great wines are paired with fresh baked bread, appetizers, cheeses and cold cuts.

For a place to stay: Villa Giustinian in Portobuffolè (TV) is an amazing villa that offers Prosecco-flavored stays. From June 6th to August 1st, a five-night stay features a tasting in a locanda, a meal in a local trattoria, a bottle of Prosecco and a relaxing vacation at the villa. From August 6th to the 8th fireworks will color your nights, while sipping Prosecco in one of the many locandas.

By Natasha Lardera