Veneto

The Veneto and its famous city, Venice, lie in the Po Valley, between the Adriatic Sea in the south, and the Dolomites to the north. Venice was once the most famous maritime trading city in the world, dominating the spice trade amongst others, and its cosmopolitan history is reflected in the cooking of the whole region. Indeed Veneto is regarded as one of the formative regions, along with Tuscany, responsible for Italian cuisine as we know it today.

Veneto is the largest of the three northern Italian regions known collectively as Le Tre Venezie (the three Venices), comprising Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto. Venice, ‘La Serenissima’, is the heartbeat of Veneto. It is built on over 100 alluvial islands in the lagoon of Venice, mostly separated by narrow canals crossed by some 400 bridges. Venice may be in danger now from sinking and high water, but at one time it was virtually the most important city of Italy.