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Italy: Veneto

Overview

The Veneto region contains the provinces of Belluno, Padua (Padova), Rovigo, Treviso, Venice (Venezia, also the name of the regional capital city), Verona and Vicenza. It has a huge variety of terrain from mountainous to marshy plains and coasts, including the Venice lagoon. The north-eastern area takes in part of the Dolomite mountains (including the fashionable winter resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo) and the coastal resorts of Bibione, Caorle, Lido di Jesolo and Sottomarina (near Chioggia). There are also a number of popular resorts (such as Sirmione) on the eastern bank of lake Garda near Verona. The vast alluvial plain in the south is formed by many rivers (including the Po) that empty into the Adriatic and is cultivated with vineyards, cereals, fruit trees, sugar beet, tobacco, and potatoes. Dairy farming and fishing are also important industries (the unemployment rate is just 3 per cent).

The region’s many historic cities include Verona, best known as the setting for the Romeo and Juliet legend, with its Roman Arena (where opera is performed in summer during the Verona festival), and Padua (Padova) with its great basilica of Saint Anthony. The Marca Trevigiana boasts the beautiful towns of Conegliano and Asolo, the ancient hill town where Elizabeth Barret Browning and Eleanora Duse once lived, famous for its frescoed facades. Urbs Picta is a nickname for Treviso in the foothills of the Dolomites, containing a wealth of Renaissance palaces and arcades. Local culinary specialities include radicchio (red salad), risotto and polenta, and local wines include Cartizze, Merlot, Prosecco, Rabosa Cabernet and Recioto.

The pearl of Veneto is, of course, its capital Venice (population 300,000), considered by many to be the most beautiful and romantic city in the world, with its network of canals, bridges, car-free streets and small squares. The city is a living museum with its many splendid sites, including the Doges’ Palace, Saint Mark’s Square and the Bridge of Sighs. However, Venice has become a victim of its own popularity and is invaded by some 9 million tourists a year (there’s talk of limiting their numbers). Other problems include the winter flooding (acqua alta) that’s a constant threat to the city’s buildings, many of which are decaying and in danger of sinking into the sea, although in late 2002 work finally commenced on the flood barriers to the lagoon, the first stage of which will cost over €450 million. Venice is the most expensive city in Italy; the local population has fallen by around two-thirds in the last 20 years and the business community is shrinking due to the high cost (some 40 per cent higher than on the mainland) of transporting raw materials along the waterways.

Property: The wonderful Venetian architecture and sumptuous palazzi (of which there are some 5,000, built between the 15th and 19th centuries) built of pink Verona or Istrian stone have always been a strong attraction for wealthy foreigners, who happily pay between €3,200 and €8,000 per sq m for a unique home. There are also numerous apartments and converted ground floor storerooms (magazzini) on the market, although these are susceptible to flooding. Less expensive properties can be found on islands in the lagoon, such as Burano, Murano and Torcello, where prices start at around €2,000 per sq m.

Communications: The region has excellent road and rail links with Milan and central Europe, and Venice airport handles a number of international flights.

© Survival Books Limited 2003

“Buying a Home in Italy” 3rd Edition, David Hampshire.

Reproduced with the permission of Survival Books Limited.

Further information on this topic can be found in “Buying a Home in Italy” 3rd edition, by David Hampshire.

For extensive information about buying a property in Italy, you can purchase this book at www.survivalbooks.net

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