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Enter the heart of Prosecco country on Saga’s discovery tour of the Veneto region in north-east Italy, where each town has its own wine or food speciality.

Staying in family-owned hotels, guests explore historic market towns and medieval fortified cities, sampling unique local produce and Prosecco along the way.

The tour starts with a flight to Venice for a two-night stay in Villa Pace Park Hotel (4Q), in nearby Treviso. A day’s tour of Venice and a visit to the 12th-century town of Castelfranco Veneto, are first on the itinerary.

Next is a three-night stay at Hotel Belvedere (4Q), in Bassano del Grappa, where guests can discover the old city and take free time to sample regional food, wines and of course no trip would be complete without sampling the alcoholic beverage that originated from the region - Grappa! There is also an optional tour to Vicenza, to uncover the legacy of architect Andrea Palladio and view the magnificent Teatro Olimpico, the oldest surviving indoor theatre in the world.

The tour moves on to the picturesque mountain town of Asiago, famed for the production of Asiago cheese which is made from cows’ milk. A vineyard tour to taste local wines is also on the schedule.

On Day Six, guests travel into the beautiful Dolomites and Veneto region to visit the provincial town of Feltre and its lively morning market.

In Valdobbiadene, there’s a two-night stay in Hotel Diana (3Q) and here in the heart of Prosecco country the tour passes vineyards before reaching Conegliano, a town that is famous for its wine school.

Guests can also visit the abbey at Follina where monks once spun wool into yarn, before a call at the mosaic school in Spilimbergo to learn how intricate artworks are made.

In Portogruaro, guests check in to Hotel Spessotto (4Q) for three nights. Once the main port for Venice, Portogruaro has a pretty high street where the shops are shaded under medieval limestone porticos – and perfect for buying home-produced cheese, salami and wine.

Guests can also join an optional tour of the Friuli province, for Prosciutto (dry-cured ham) and wine tasting, with lunch at a traditional trattoria in Cividale.

To round up the holiday there is a special trip across the border into Austria, to the market town of Velden on the shores of Lake Wörthersee, surrounded by distant mountain peaks.

ENDS

For details call free on 0800 300 500 or visit saga.co.uk/Italy

A Taste of Hidden Italy: 10 nights from £1,309 departing from London Gatwick to Venice on June 15, August 31 and September 21 or from Manchester on June 1 and September 7, 2017. (On June 1 departures the tour operates in a different order, but with all the same excursions and visits).

Price includes return flights, airport taxes, accommodation,18 meals: 10 breakfasts, one light lunch and seven dinners, welcome drink reception, porterage, tour manager, optional travel insurance and additional cancellation rights, or a discount if passenger has own insurance.

Editors:

Contact PR manager Naomi Thornton email naomi.thornton@saga.co.uk or call 01303 772499

Please note: On June 1, 2017 departures the tour operates in a different order, but with all the same excursions and visits.

Saga is a specialist in the provision of products and services for life after 50. The Saga brand is one of the most recognised and trusted brands in the UK and is known for its high level of customer service and its high quality, award winning products and services including cruises and holidays, insurance, personal finance and publishing