The Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene: how to visit

What the UNESCO site is and how far it extends

The site is called "Le colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene" (the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene) and was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2019, by the 43rd session of the Committee meeting in Baku, as a cultural landscape. According to the Associazione per il Patrimonio delle Colline del Prosecco, it covers the band of hills that runs east from Valdobbiadene to Vittorio Veneto, descending towards Conegliano.

The Association names three distinctive features:

• the "hogback" landforms, steep ridges running east to west and separated by small parallel valleys;
• the ciglioni, grassed terraces used in place of stone walls;
• the mosaic of small vineyards alternating with woodland.

According to the mapping studies cited by the producers' consortium, the ciglioni covered 20% of the area in 2015 (28% in 1960), and 67.33% of the area lies on slopes with gradients between 15 and 60 degrees.

There are three zones, and their boundaries do not match administrative ones: the table below compares them.

The villages along the hills, from Conegliano to Valdobbiadene

The production rules (disciplinare) of the DOCG list fifteen production municipalities: Conegliano, San Vendemiano, Colle Umberto, Vittorio Veneto, Tarzo, Cison di Valmarino, San Pietro di Feletto, Refrontolo, Susegana, Pieve di Soligo, Farra di Soligo, Follina, Miane, Vidor and Valdobbiadene. They do not entirely match the UNESCO boundary: Revine Lago is in the core zone but does not appear in the list in the rules, while Conegliano, Susegana and San Vendemiano are in the buffer zone.

The producers' consortium describes the historic route of the Prosecco Road stage by stage:

• Conegliano: the School of Oenology, with its nineteenth-century Bottega del Vino (declared a national monument) and the L. Manzoni Oenological Museum;
• San Pietro di Feletto: the twelfth-century Romanesque parish church;
• Refrontolo: the Molinetto della Croda;
• Solighetto: the eighteenth-century Villa Brandolini, home of the consortium;
• Farra di Soligo: the Torri di Credazzo, towers that the same source links to Lombard rule;
• Col San Martino: the small church of San Vigilio, reached on a walk through the vines;
• Valdobbiadene: after Colbertaldo the climb towards Cartizze begins, and the route ends here, in what the consortium calls the production capital of the DOCG.

The Veneto Region includes these hills in the destination Treviso e le Colline del Prosecco on its tourism portal, which presents them as a place for tastings, walks among the vineyards and scenic routes.

The Strada del Prosecco e Vini dei Colli Conegliano Valdobbiadene

The Strada del Prosecco e Vini dei Colli Conegliano Valdobbiadene, the association that runs the wine road, was founded in 2003 and is, according to the producers' consortium, the direct heir of what in 1966 became Italy's first wine road; the production rules also record that Italy's first wine road was created in 1966. The two sources give different figures for the length of the route, which is worth bearing in mind when working out timings.

The Strada's website works as a planning tool. It contains:

• a list of members with filters for wineries, restaurants, accommodation, vehicle hire and incoming travel agencies;
• a downloadable guide to what members offer visitors;
• downloadable opening hours for wineries and restaurants;
• a section of routes and itineraries;
• the events calendar.

Anyone planning a one-day itinerary can start here to check the hours of the estates they have chosen.

The consortium, for its part, publishes a list of wineries with filters for services (tastings in a casera, a traditional rural building, with a view; accommodation; restaurant; bike tours; direct sales; tastings with food) and for the wines produced, including Rive and Superiore di Cartizze.

Cartizze and Rive: what they are on the ground

The production rules define Cartizze as a traditional subzone of the hamlet of San Pietro di Barbozza, in the municipality of Valdobbiadene. Only spumante made from grapes picked in that area may carry the mention "Superiore di Cartizze". The report attached to the rules states that it covers 106 hectares, with steep slopes and a south-facing aspect that forms a kind of natural amphitheatre.

The mention "Rive" indicates spumante made from the grapes of a single municipality or a single hamlet, followed by the name of the place. Annex A of the rules lists 43 additional geographical units grouped by municipality: for Valdobbiadene, for example, San Vito, Bigolino, San Giovanni, San Pietro di Barbozza, Santo Stefano and Guia; for Farra di Soligo, Farra di Soligo, Col San Martino and Soligo.

The table below compares the two mentions.

Winery visits and tastings: how they work

The Strada's "Degustazioni in cantina" (winery tastings) page presents its "Visit Cantina" scheme as an invitation to visit member wineries and sets two conditions: booking is required, by contacting the winery directly, and prices and arrangements are to be agreed with the winery itself. If you prefer to book a tasting or a tour online, you can compare the options available.

The Strada's shop lists 129 experiences for sale, 111 of them classed as wine tastings, the rest spread across tours, picnics, food, crafts, beer, olive oil and wellbeing. As an example, the Ballancin winery offers a tasting of two glasses for 10 euros and a cellar visit with tasting for 25 euros. The counts in the table are Wine Veneto's own, calculated from the list as published when consulted on 3 November 2026; prices vary by estate and season and should be confirmed when booking.

For each winery on its list, the producers' consortium shows which services it offers: these include tastings in a casera with a view and tastings with food, so it is worth choosing according to the kind of visit you want.

Getting there and getting around without a car

The railway arrival point is Conegliano. RFI, the Italian rail network operator, lists it as a Veneto station with an assistance service for people with disabilities and reduced mobility (the reference Sala Blu assistance office is in Venice). Trenitalia's list of services guaranteed on public holidays during strikes includes, for example, the RV 3643 train from Conegliano to Venezia Santa Lucia at 8:31, a sign that the town has regional trains to Venice. Current timetables are on the Trenitalia website and app.

To go up into the hills you need a Mobilità di Marca (MOM) bus. The timetable page gives these details:

• the extra-urban timetables have been in force since 10 September 2026;
• lines 132 and 121 have files for Monday to Friday and for Saturday (some journeys are reserved for season-ticket holders);
• the service is suspended on 1 January, at Easter, on 1 May and on 25 December.

In 2026 MOM also ran the Valdobus on-demand service, from 27 March to 31 October on Fridays and Saturdays, bookable only through the MOM+ app and with a 3 euro day ticket. It has finished for this year; for future seasons, check the MOM website.

The four lines that serve the hills are in the table below.

On foot in the hills: the Cammino and the circular walks

The UNESCO Association publishes 40 walking routes within the site. The longest is the Cammino delle Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene (the Prosecco Hills Trail), from Vidor to Vittorio Veneto: 51 kilometres with 2,265 metres of ascent, recommended in four stages:

• first stage: 11.7 kilometres;
• second stage: 15.4 kilometres;
• third stage: 14.3 kilometres;
• fourth stage, in two variants: 4A of 9.6 kilometres (suited to experienced walkers) and 4B of 9.1 kilometres (less difficult).

The technical difficulty is described as moderately low, but this is a hiking route with a lot of climbing, running along the ridge line of the core zone, with signposts and yellow and red painted waymarks. For the Cammino the Association provides an optional Variante Nord (northern variant) that avoids the most demanding stretches, and refers walkers to the trail rules and to the credential (a walker's record), which you receive by filling in a form.

The shorter routes are compared in the table below.