After the Prosecco Marathon: Valdobbiadene

The Route: Vidor → Valdobbiadene → Vidor Logistics: There is no reliable rail link to the start area, so plan a taxi, a hire car or a transfer arranged with your accommodation. Confirm the return in advance, since taxis in a small wine town are few on a Sunday or Monday. Marathon Month: December Duration: Day trip

Vidor ──(taxi or car, about 15-20 mins)──> Valdobbiadene (Piazza Marconi)
                                                │
                                café, then one booked cellar visit
                                                │
                                      return by pre-arranged transport

Valdobbiadene is the town at the northern end of the Prosecco hills, and it is built around a single wide piazza with a cathedral and a clock tower. The slopes behind it are planted to the roof with glera vines on narrow terraces called ciglioni, grass-covered banks held up by the hand labour of a century of vineyard workers. The landscape was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list for exactly that: the hand-built hills, steep enough that a tractor cannot work them.

The town is a good choice for the day after a marathon because it asks for nothing. You can sit, look, drink a glass of something cold and go.

December in Valdobbiadene: the vines are bare and brown, and the hills look like ribbed corduroy under a low, often foggy sky. It is cold, damp and quiet. Cellars are warm and many are open by appointment only, so book. The Christmas season brings some stalls to the piazza.

Getting there

From Vidor it is a short drive along the valley road. Ask your hotel to book a taxi or a transfer, or hire a car if you are driving on to another stop. Confirm return times with the driver before you leave, and do not drink and drive: a cellar visit and a car do not mix, so use a taxi.

The piazza

Piazza Marconi is flat and has cafés with outdoor heaters. Order a coffee or a glass of local sparkling wine and sit for a while. The cathedral stands on the square, and its opening hours vary, so check at the door.

A cellar visit

Pick one producer, and book ahead by phone or email. Cellar visits run from a short tasting to a full tour with lunch, and many are closed on Mondays. Race-weekend cellar events are different from ordinary tasting appointments, so ask which one you are booking. The small Cartizze hill, regarded locally as the premium site, is a name to look for on a label. Prices vary, so use any figure as a guide only.

Lunch

A restaurant in the town or in a hillside hamlet will serve winter dishes: radicchio from the Treviso area, risotto, polenta with local sausage, bigoli in a rich sauce. Ask what is local, and book for lunch because kitchens close mid-afternoon.

Getting back