Veneto, land of Amarone and Prosecco, but also of many excellent white and red wines with a strong personality. If during Vinitaly the world of Italian wine is shown in all its breadth, in the around Verona and throughout the region there are historical realities which have also established themselves in the wine tourism sector. The most far-sighted wineries have understood that wine today is best told from the inside: by opening fruit cellars and barrel rooms, building spaces where you can taste, learn, pause and get excited.
Venetian wine tourism it has become experiential, a structured offer in which territory, art, gastronomy and history become an integral part of the “glass”. And if getting lost among the rolling hills of Valpolicella wasn’t enough, you can go to seventeenth-century Palladian villas that hide cellars keeping fine wines in their underground labyrinths. Or in a world where art also finds space: with installations and initiatives that enliven Verona, supported by winemakers who are passionate patrons. Here are 5 destination ideas that blend wine and unforgettable destinations.
Resonance di Pasqua Vini: the art that comes from wine
On the occasion of Vinitaly in Verona, in the Monastery of Palazzo Maffei, a museum that spans four thousand years of history, Easter Wines presented a site-specific installation of great impact: RESONANCEcreated by the artist Sara Ricciardi on commission from the Veronese winery.
RESONANCE, the installation by Sara Riccardi for Pasqua Vini. (Press Office)
A monumental geode of crystals over four meters high splits to reveal an internal landscape of light and sound. The luminous variations evoke the cyclical time of nature and the breath of the vineyard; the reflections that chase each other on the surfaces tell the dialogue between two visions: that of Pasqua and that of the American winemaker Charles Smith, with whom the winery began a collaboration in 2025 that brings the centenary history of the Veronese family into contact with a contemporary and international look on wine.
The installation is open to the public free of charge until April 14th. But Easter doesn’t stop there and for the hot season it becomes a partner of the Veronese theatrical summer, an initiative that animates the whole city in a conversation between art, music and wine.
The Palladian style of Villa Sandi
In the Prosecco area, at the foot of the Treviso hills, Villa Sandi has been pursuing a successful bet for over thirty years: opening the doors of a seventeenth-century villa of the Palladian school, and the cellars that wind beneath it, to the general public of enthusiasts. The property of the Moretti Polegato family, founded in 1622 in Crocetta del Montello, is today one of the references of Italian wine tourism, capable of combining wine culture, history and landscape in a coherent and profound experience.
Villa Sandi’s new program of seasonal events also touches on Locanda Sandi in Valdobbiadene and broadens the proposal towards new dimensions: physical well-being, live music, the valorization of female identity. Three initiatives: Wellness Saturdays, Yoga and Tai-chi among the vineyards, with final tasting and Jazz Matinée. In addition to every Sunday, live outdoor music with platters and aperitifs and a women’s route
Wellness Saturdays are morning appointments at Locanda Sandi where yoga and Tai-chi professionals lead immersive sessions among the rows. The silence of the vineyards and the grazing light of the morning become an integral part of the experience, before the time arrives for tasting the wines from the cellar. A format designed for those looking for a regenerating break that does not give up oenological quality.
Every Sunday morning, however, the Prosecco hills come alive with the Jazz Matinees: live outdoor music, selected platters and a quick cuisine proposal for an alternative aperitif, away from the beaten track. Evening musical aperitifs are also on the calendar, designed both for the local public and for passing visitors.
Monteleone21 by Masi: the cellar as a cultural hub
In the heart of the Classic Valpolicella, in Gargagnago di Sant’Ambrogio, Masi it opened in May 2025 Monteleone21a production-wine tourism structure that redesigns the concept of an open cellar, thanks to an architecture designed to welcome.
The heart of the project is the Agora: a circular square of over one thousand square metrestopped by a concrete coffered ceiling, originally conceived by Libero Cecchini and reinterpreted with refined contemporaneity by Giovanna Mar and her Venetian studio. A collection of marble bas-reliefs depicting the winged lion of San Marco introduces the visitor to a space where the history of Venice is architectural material. The experiential journey then leads to the historic cellars, the drying room and the heart of the work. There Costasera Inna restaurant in Monteleone21, offers fusion cuisine inspired by the “Wine First” principle: wine as the starting point of the menu, not as an accompaniment. The Enoteca Masi, part of the complex, completes the experience with the entire range of the group, from the rarities of the Boscaini Private Cellar to the labels of the Argentine estate Masi Tupungato.
During Vinitaly, Monteleone21 held extraordinary evening openings with wine-based cocktails, tastings of new products and dinners at the Locanda Costasera, to bring the spirit of the fair directly to the territory that the fair celebrates.
Possessioni Serego Alighieri: hospitality of ancient memory
Serego Alighieri guesthouse
There is a place in Valpolicella where the history of wine is intertwined with that of Italian literature: Serego Alighieri Possessionsin Sant’Ambrogio. The estate was purchased in 1353 by Pietro Alighieri, son of Dante, and since then it has remained in the hands of his descendants, now in its twenty-first generation.
What was originally a farmhouse was transformed in the mid-16th century into the magnificent residence that welcomes visitors today. In the cellars, cherry barrels are still used alongside oak ones: an ancient custom, appreciated for the particular aromas it gives to the wine, kept alive as a gesture of continuity with the past.
The Guesthouse, created from the renovation of the ancient rustic buildings, has eight apartments in the traditional elegant country style, where you can stay immersed in the vineyard and nature. In good weather, breakfast is served in the garden overlooking the park. Here it is possible to go on tours of Valpolicella, do tastings, take part in lessons in the cooking school and organize private events. An experience imbued with the ancient spirit given by the important surname but also by the relaxation of a country house.
Farina Wines: where wine dialogues with contemporary art
In the ancient village of Pedemonte, at the entrance to the Valpolicella Classica, the Farina winery has been carrying on for over a century a history that has its roots in sharecropping. Today Elena and Claudio Farina, the fourth generation, lead a company that produces approximately one million three hundred and fifty thousand bottles a year on sixty-five hectares of vineyards, with Amarone della Valpolicella Classico as its flagship.
What distinguishes Farina in the regional wine tourism scene is the Art Ferment project: the cellar hosts rotating works by internationally renowned contemporary artists, exhibited in the internal spaces, where industrial design and ancient stone form a natural setting. Among the most significant presences, a sculpture by Anselm Kiefer dedicated to the poet Paul Celan, which coexists with the barrels and the new ceramic stoneware containers. Hospitality is taken care of in every detail: guided wine tours with tasting of six wines and typical local products, a Wine Boutique and a program of business events.
