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The Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019 — recognised as a landscape shaped by human hands over centuries of wine cultivation. We have lived and worked here for generations. This is not a travel blog guide written from a city desk. It is what we actually tell our guests when they arrive.
Most people think of Prosecco as a generic sparkling wine. The Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG — the wine produced in the hills surrounding La Torre di Rua — is something entirely different. It is produced from Glera grapes grown on the steep, south-facing slopes of the Treviso hills, using a method (Charmat) that preserves the delicate floral and fruit aromas that distinguish it from Champagne.
The landscape itself is extraordinary — a mosaic of small plots on impossibly steep hillsides, maintained by hand because machinery cannot work them. Each family tends their own parcel. The wine from one slope tastes different from the wine produced 200 metres away on another. This is the story the UNESCO designation is protecting.
Poderi di Rua, the estate that surrounds La Torre, produces its own Prosecco Superiore DOCG. Your hosts can arrange a tasting at the estate. A bottle is waiting for you on arrival.
The Strada del Prosecco — the official wine route — passes through San Pietro di Feletto, directly past La Torre di Rua. Dozens of small family estates along the route offer tastings, usually without reservation, usually for free or for a nominal fee. This is not a commercial wine tourism operation — it is simply how the producers have always welcomed visitors.
The Prosecco hills are scattered with small medieval borghi — villages that have barely changed since the 14th century. Most visitors drive past them on the way to somewhere else. They are worth stopping for.
La Torre di Rua puts you at the centre of this landscape — 3 bedrooms, rooftop terrace with 360° views, private garden, and the estate's own Prosecco waiting for you on arrival.
View La Torre di Rua Calculate PriceThe cooking of the Treviso hills is among the most underrated in Italy. It draws on a tradition of cucina povera — simple, seasonal, honest — elevated by extraordinary raw ingredients. Radicchio di Treviso, Montasio cheese, wild mushrooms, polenta, game. The wines are poured by the carafe at prices that will surprise anyone used to restaurant wine lists in cities.
The Strada del Prosecco e Vini dei Colli Conegliano Valdobbiadene is officially recognised as Italy's first wine road, established in 1966. It runs for approximately 50 kilometres through the hills from Conegliano to Valdobbiadene, passing through vineyards, small villages, and estates. It is also an excellent cycling route.
The terrain is hilly — some sections are steep — but the roads are quiet, the scenery extraordinary, and at every point there is a cantina where you can stop. Electric bikes are available for rental in Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. We can arrange bike hire from La Torre on request.
Venice is 47 kilometres from La Torre di Rua — approximately 50 minutes by car. This makes it entirely possible to spend a day in Venice and return to the peace and quiet of the hills in the evening, avoiding the expensive and noisy Venice hotels entirely.
By train: Treviso has a direct train to Venice Santa Lucia (30 minutes, frequent departures). From La Torre to Treviso station is 25 minutes by car. Leave the car in Treviso, take the train, arrive in Venice relaxed. This is the best option.
By car: Drive to Mestre or Piazzale Roma, park (expensive — book in advance on apcoa.it), take the vaporetto into Venice. Less comfortable than the train but more flexible.
Treviso is 27 kilometres from La Torre — a walled medieval city on the Sile river, with porticoed streets, canals, a magnificent fish market (Pescheria), and excellent restaurants. It receives a fraction of Venice's visitors and offers a completely authentic experience of Veneto city life.
The Duomo contains frescoes by Pordenone and a Titian Annunciation. The Museo di Santa Caterina has a remarkable collection of medieval frescoes. The Pescheria — the fish market on a small island in the canal — operates Tuesday to Saturday morning and is one of the most atmospheric market spaces in northern Italy.
Treviso also claims to be the birthplace of tiramisù. The debate with Friuli over the original recipe is ongoing; the Treviso version is the better argument.
September and early October are the peak of the Prosecco harvest. If you are staying at La Torre di Rua during this period, you will witness the vendemmia — grape picking — across the estate and the surrounding hills.
The pace of life in the hills slows and quickens simultaneously during harvest: the mornings begin before dawn with workers in the rows, the afternoons smell of fermenting must, the evenings are long and warm. Your hosts at Poderi di Rua will be at their busiest — and most hospitable.
Several local sagre (village festivals) take place in September and October, celebrating the new vintage. Ask your hosts for dates when you arrive — they change each year.
By car: From Venice, take the A27 motorway north towards Vittorio Veneto, exit at Conegliano, then follow signs towards San Pietro di Feletto. La Torre di Rua is signposted from the village. Private parking for 2 cars is included. Total journey: approximately 50 minutes from Venice.
From Marco Polo Airport (Venice): Approximately 55 minutes by car. The most direct route is via the A27 motorway.
From Treviso Airport: Approximately 35 minutes by car. A small regional airport with several low-cost carriers serving European destinations.
By train + car: Train to Treviso Centrale (from Venice: 30 min; from Milan: 2h30), then hire a car at the station. Treviso to La Torre: 25 minutes.
We provide detailed arrival instructions, including GPS coordinates and photographs of the entrance, upon booking.
La Torre di Rua — medieval tower, UNESCO Prosecco Hills, private garden, rooftop terrace. Venice 47km. From €145/night.
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