The Veneto

Imagine the audacity of building a city of marble palaces on a lagoon – and that was only the start.

Padua's version of the Sistine Chapel, the Cappella degli Scrovegni houses one of Italy's great Renaissance masterpieces – a striking cycle of Giotto frescoes. Dante, da Vinci and Vasari all honour Giotto as the artist who ended the Dark Ages with these 1303–05 paintings, whose humanistic depiction of biblical figures was especially well suited to the chapel Enrico Scrovegni commissioned in memory of his father (who as a moneylender was denied a Christian burial).

Around 14,000 music lovers pack the Roman Arena on summer nights during the world's biggest open-air lyrical music event, which draws international stars. Performances usually start at 8.45pm or 9pm. Tucking into a pre-show picnic on the unreserved stone steps is fine, so decant that wine into a plastic bottle (glass and knives aren't allowed), arrive early, rent a cushion and prepare for an unforgettable evening.

When Andrea Palladio moved from Padua to Vicenza he began to produce some extraordinary buildings, marrying sophistication and rustic simplicity, reverent classicism and bold innovation. Go for a walk while you're here to see some of his finest works. His showstopper, La Rotonda, sits on a hill overlooking the city, its namesake dome and identical colonnaded facades giving it the ultimate classical proportions.

Walk up the narrow path opposite to Villa Valmarana ‘ai Nani’, which is nicknamed for the 17 dwarfs (‘ai Nani’) who guard the garden walls. In 1757 the entire interior was redecorated with frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo and his son Giandomenico.

At the heart of the Dolomites, just 16km west of Cortina at the confluence of the Ampezzo, Badia and Cordevole valleys, is the gorgeous area of Cinque Torri (www.5torri.it). It is accessible from Cortina by buses – ski shuttles in winter (free to ski-pass holders) and a Dolomiti Bus service in summer – which connect with the lifts at Passo Falzarego.

Hard though it is to believe, some of the fiercest fighting of WWI took place in these idyllic mountains between Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops. Now you can wander over 5km of restored trenches in an enormous open-air museum between Lagazuoi and the Tre Sassi fort. Guided tours are offered by the Gruppo Guide Alpine, and in winter you can ski the 80km Great War Ski Tour with the Dolomiti Superski ski pass. En route, mountain refuges provide standout lunches with spectacular views.

The contemporary white marmorino entrance to Treviso’s modern-art museum is a sign of good things to come. Namely, a stunningly good 20th-century art collection, featuring portraits by Luigi Serena, Lino Selvatico and Bepi Fabiano, sculpture by underappreciated talents like Ottone Zorlini, and the largest collection of works by Arturo Martini. The latter is wide-ranging and shows Martini’s incredible talent in graphic art, monumental sculpture, terracotta modelling and bronze casting.

If ever there was a table with a view, the dining room of Due Mori provides it, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Asolo and the layered Veneto hillsides. Nor does the food disappoint. Refined rustic dishes are cooked on a wood-burning stove that yields a delicious depth of flavour. Try the ravioli with poison-oak leaves and ricotta, or the rich guinea fowl ragù.

Running through a landscape of rolling vineyards, this driving route takes you from Conegliano to Valdobbiadene via some of the region’s best wineries. The website provides an itinerary, background information on prosecco, and details about stops along the way.

The Damoli family have been cultivating wines in Negrar since 1623, first as tenant farmers and then as owners of their own small vineyard. Their passion and dedication show in their classic Amarones and the three-hour-long tastings where Lara Damoli explains the attention to detail in their production process. The award-winning Checo wine is also extremely well priced at €30.

No battle defines Italy’s struggle in the Great War better than the 1917–18 battle of Monte Grappa. Despite being severely weakened after the battles of Caporetto and Isonzo, Italian Alpine brigades mounted a heroic stand atop this barren mountain and finally brought a halt to the Austro-Hungarian advance. The savage conflict claimed the lives of 22,910 troops, who are now entombed in this memorial, which caps the summit and is studded with bronze plaques commemorating the deceased.