Veneto offers endless natural scenery, to admire the most extraordinary spectacle of autumn: its foliage. The moment when the woods are transformed into a vibrant mosaic of colours. Here are four places in the Venetian mountains where you can immerse yourself in nature, savour chestnuts and marrons, drink good wine and enjoy countless gastronomic specialties.
The Cansiglio Plateau, with its thousand-year-old forest, is located between the Belluno Prealps and upper Marca Trevigiana. Autumn is the best time to stroll among the beech and spruce trees: just take one of the many paths to find yourself walking among brushstrokes of red, yellow and ochre. In autumn it is also possible to hear the roar of the deer competing for female partners, and with a little luck you can also spot them. Pian del Cansiglio and Pian Osteria are excellent starting points not only for excursions, but also for enjoying local specialties such as cheese, mushrooms, polenta and game.
The Plateau of the Seven Municipalities, in the province of Vicenza, is transformed into an artist’s colour palette in autumn. The choice of paths for those who love walking is almost endless: from quiet walks where you can discover ancient districts, to challenging hikes in the mountains. Every year towards the end of October, Asiago Foliage comes to life: colours, flavours and atmospheres of the magical autumn; a festival to celebrate the most exciting show of the year with guided tours, photo contests, workshops for children, music, and sampling of typical products such as Asiago PDO cheese.
In the province of Verona, the colours of foliage are celebrated in all their splendour in the Lessinia Regional Park, where the spectacle of nature transforms everything into a colourful tribute to the regal autumn. In Lessinia, the phenomenon of karst has created incredible forms, such as the Ponte di Veja, the largest natural arch in Europe, and the Spluga della Preta, an abyss that sinks for about a thousand metres. To admire the foliage, one of the best places is the Valley of the Sphinxes with its fascinating limestone monoliths similar to Egyptian sphinxes, surrounded by beech trees that shine in autumn with copper and golden nuances.