
Walking in the Venetian Hills
The wonderfully unspoiled Venetian countryside is only an hour or so from the great city of Venice, but couldn’t be more different! Here is a landscape of rolling hills, shady forests, vineyards and fields ablaze with colorful flowers.
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Reviews 64 Reviews5/5
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Vacation Style Holiday Type
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Self Guided
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Walking
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Activity Level Easy plus
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This walking holiday is based in the wonderfully unspoilt Euganean Hills, tucked in a quiet corner below the beautiful mediaeval city of Padua, west across the plain from Venice. Once volcanic islands, these hills have a striking conical appearance; they are cloaked in an astonishing variety of plant life including holm oak, maple, orchids, heather and poppies and have been recognised as a National Park. The lower slopes give way to colourful meadows and immaculately groomed vineyards so it’s little wonder the region produces such a fine variety of wines!
Starting in the tiny hamlet of Cortela, nestled amongst vines, you head across poppy fields and through forests to Valnogaredo. You discover the jumbled cobbled streets of mediaeval Arqua Petrarca, where the famous C14 Italian poet, Petrarch, made his home, before continuing through fertile fruit orchards to Galzignano. A convenient stone’s throw from the Italian Baroque gardens of Valsanzibio, there’s time to explore its magnificent maze before a series of outstanding views leads you to panoramically perched Teolo.
The hotels we’ve selected for you are full of character and are all family run, with warm welcomes throughout. They range from a hillside villa just outside mediaeval Arqua Petrarca and Gabriella and Alessandro’s rustic, yet cosy agriturismo, to the exquisite Liberty Villa Lussana with its stunning position overlooking the dramatic Euganean Hills.
- All continental breakfast and evening meals
- 8 nights accommodation, hotel-to-hotel
- Managed locally by Headwater employed representative
- Headwater wine service
- Route notes and maps
- Luggage transfers between hotels
- Flights
- Arrival & departure transfers (available on request, inquire for supplement)
- Room upgrades and extra nights at selected hotels (inquire for prices and details)
- Single Supplement (available on request – inquire for supplement)
Highlights
- Untouched verdant walking country: rolling hills, shady forests, vineyards and olive groves
- Hotels full of character; lovely friendly hosts; genuine Italian hospitality
- Amazing array of wild flowers: heather, poppies, wild orchids and Mediterranean maquis
- Venetian architectural treasures: villas, churches and monasteries
- Venice, Vicenza, Padua and Este – hidden gems in the Venetian crown
- Day 1 Day 1 Arrive in Cortela
- Day 2 Day 2 Cortela to Arqua Petrarca 14km/8.75mi/5hr
- Day 3 Day 3 At Arqua Petrarca
- Day 4 Day 4 Arqua Petrarca to Galzignano 14km/9mi/4.5hr
- Day 5 Day 5 At Galzignano
- Day 6 Day 6 Galzignano to Teolo 13km/8mi/4hr
- Day 7 Day 7 At Teolo
- Day 8 Day 8 Teolo to Cortela 11km/7mi/3.5hr or 16km/10mi/5hr
- Day 9 Day 9 Leave Cortela

All continental breakfast and evening meals.
The Veneto ranks as one of the most fertile agricultural regions in the country. You will see fields of maize and barley everywhere. It is also a big area for fruit; expect to eat cherries, peaches, melons, plums, pears, strawberries and apples. The cuisine varies from the coast up into the mountains and reflects the region’s mixed cultural past. Nearer to Austria in the mountains, you get a more Tyrolean cuisine with dishes such as apple strudel creeping onto the menu, whereas towards the coast, you will find a lighter cuisine with lots of fish dishes.
Three typical dishes you are likely to find throughout the region are baccalà (air-dried salted cod soaked and cooked to a creamy consistency in garlic, parsley and olive oil), carpaccio (now seen on menus throughout Italy and even internationally, this is thin slices of very rare beef sprinkled with lemon juice and garnished with parmesan cheese, mushrooms or even white truffles according to the season and the restaurant) and polenta (made from maize, this is served as an accompaniment to meat or fish).
Starting in the tiny hamlet of Cortela, nestled amongst vines, you head across poppy fields and through forests to Valnogaredo. You discover the jumbled cobbled streets of mediaeval Arqua Petrarca, where the famous C14 Italian poet, Petrarch, made his home, before continuing through fertile fruit orchards to Galzignano. A convenient stone’s throw from the Italian Baroque gardens of Valsanzibio, there’s time to explore its magnificent maze before a series of outstanding views leads you to panoramically perched Teolo.
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AGRITURISMO-IL-FEUDO-Cortela
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Villa-del-Poeta-Arqua-Petrarca
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Belvedere-Resort-a-Colli-Galzignano-Terme
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VILLA-LUSSANA-TEOLO-s
Package Confirmed Dates | Trip Status Trip Status | Price (PP) Excluding Flights | Price (PP) Including Flights | |
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May 9, 2021
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Available |
$1,679.00 |
N/A |
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May 11, 2021
|
Available |
$1,679.00 |
N/A |
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May 13, 2021
|
Available |
$1,679.00 |
N/A |
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May 15, 2021
|
Available |
$1,679.00 |
N/A |
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May 17, 2021
|
Available |
$1,679.00 |
N/A |
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May 19, 2021
|
Available |
$1,679.00 |
N/A |
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May 21, 2021
|
Available |
$1,679.00 |
N/A |
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May 23, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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May 25, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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May 27, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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May 29, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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May 31, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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June 2, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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June 4, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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June 6, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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June 8, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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June 10, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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June 12, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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June 14, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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June 16, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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June 18, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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June 20, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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June 22, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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June 24, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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June 26, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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June 28, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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June 30, 2021
|
Available |
$1,849.00 |
N/A |
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July 2, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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July 4, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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July 6, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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July 8, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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July 10, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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July 12, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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July 14, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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July 16, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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July 18, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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July 20, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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July 22, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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July 24, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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July 26, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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July 28, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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July 30, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 1, 2021
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Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 3, 2021
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Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 5, 2021
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Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 7, 2021
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Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 9, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 11, 2021
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Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 13, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 15, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 17, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 19, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 21, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 23, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 25, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 27, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 29, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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August 31, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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September 2, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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September 4, 2021
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Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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September 6, 2021
|
Available |
$1,749.00 |
N/A |
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September 8, 2021
|
Available |
$1,799.00 |
N/A |
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September 10, 2021
|
Available |
$1,799.00 |
N/A |
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September 12, 2021
|
Available |
$1,799.00 |
N/A |
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September 14, 2021
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Available |
$1,799.00 |
N/A |
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September 16, 2021
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Available |
$1,799.00 |
N/A |
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September 18, 2021
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Available |
$1,799.00 |
N/A |
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September 20, 2021
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Available |
$1,799.00 |
N/A |
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September 22, 2021
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Available |
$1,799.00 |
N/A |
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September 24, 2021
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Available |
$1,799.00 |
N/A |
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September 26, 2021
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Available |
$1,799.00 |
N/A |
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September 28, 2021
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Available |
$1,799.00 |
N/A |
Mrs Lancaster
Lovely, varied walking in an unspoilt, lesser known area of Italy. It was good being able to intersperse visits to beautiful villas and the historic city of Padua. The rep, James, was very professional and friendly and very well-organised.
Mrs Cotton
Holiday made perfect by care .commitment and expertise of James . It was very reassuring to have his constant but unobtrusive help throughout our holiday Excellent in every way .Thank you
Mr James
A joy to walk in vineyards, olive groves and wooded areas in anunspoilt untouristified area.
Mr Wood
Our first trip with Headwater, and we were very impressed. We liked being in charge of our day (unlike when walking with a group) - we can leave when we like, and walk at our own pace. Walk instructions were (mostly!) very clear, accommodation very comfortable and well-located, with plenty to do on the 'rest' days. Overall organisation good, and all involved very helpful.
Mr Perry
We thoroughly enjoyed the hills. What a relaxing place to go. Everyone we met were very friendly. The hotel staff couldn’t do enough to please us. James the Headwater rep went out of his way to ensure everything went smoothly. The only downside for us was American Express was not accepted at any of the hotels. This was our fourth Headwater walk and I am sure there will be many more.