LE COLLINE DEL PROSECCO
THE PROSECCO HILLS OF CONEGLIANO AND VALDOBBIADENE, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The first thing you absolutely must know about the Prosecco Road is that it was the first recognised Wine Road in Italy, in 1966. But in reality, the grape growing tradition in the Veneto hills is much older, going back to before the Romans.
The Strada del Prosecco e Vini dei Colli Conegliano Valdobbiadene (Prosecco and Wine Route of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Hills) winds through the hills of Treviso, starting in Vittorio Veneto and ending in Valdobbiadene, touching the town of Conegliano to in the south.
The current route, established in 2003 in the footsteps of the original wine road proclaimed in 1966, has a total length of 90 km. Thanks to the care of the wine producers for the preservation of the typical characteristics of the area, from 2019 the Prosecco Hills also boast the recognition as the 55th UNESCO World Heritage Site in Italy.Â
Not bad for being the cradle of the most exported (and copied) Italian wine. Framed by the Dolomites, the Po Valley and the Venice lagoon, the area surrounding the Prosecco Road is in fact known worldwide for the production of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G., made from the Glera (or Prosecco) grape.
On the Prosecco Road you will encounter vineyards with a somewhat unusual appearance compared to other hilly producing areas in Italy.Â
Here, in fact, the rows of vines are arranged radially and seem to literally embrace the hillside, creating a woven embroidery visible from above. A unique and spectacular landscape.
 What has contributed enormously to today’s landscape is the close relationship between man and viticulture over the centuries.They are called  ‘mosaic’ or ‘chequerboard’ vineyards, because already in medieval times the terracing system consisted of cultivated plots alternated with woods which is still maintained today.
Furthermore, due to the steepness of the slopes, the Prosecco Hills are known as heroic vine-growing because such steep slopes (over 30% at altitudes of around 500 m above sea level) require exclusively manual and extremely hard labour.The wine obtained, however, is the sweet fruit of so much effort and passion!
To best enjoy the splendid panorama of the vineyards and the hills, we recommend a road trip by car or motorbike (the curves are perfect!), but also the rental of bicycles (electric if you are not trained!).
For those who like to walk, the right choice is wine trekking in the vineyards with a final tasting in one of the many wine cellars in the area.
