There is naturally Venice, but also so much more to see, discover and admire in this fine region known as Veneto. Cities of art, sea-side towns, mountains, parks, lakes and thermal spas are among the treasures to be found in this enchanting land where surprises are never lacking. There are indeed five places in the region included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Venice and its lagoon, Verona, the botanical gardens in Padua, Vicenza and its Palladian villas and lastly, the Dolomites. But there are also countless other ‘real gems’, such as picture-book scenery, soft rolling hills, enchanting lakes, an atmosphere richly and tangibly filled with history and tradition, solitary churches, fortified towns, ski resorts, frescoed palaces, villas, luxurious thermal spas, squares and arcaded walks; the list is endless. Art is everywhere in Veneto, from the architecture of Palladio to the paintings of Giorgione, Giotto and Tiziano, while Verona has acquired its association with love and passion played out by Romeo and Juliette from the balcony immortalised by Shakespeare. Venice is merely at the far end of a long natural fresco enriched by man with a series of masterpieces that you will come across on any itinerary in a land where even the fruits of the earth are treated as if they were precious jewels. This is why Veneto is a region of all- round excellence, manifested in each of its museums or in anything that testifies to the quality of its trademark.