Valdobbiadene
Valdobbiadene is, together with neighbouring Conegliano, the heart of the Prosecco Superiore DOCG production zone, one of the best...
Updated 11 July 2026
The story
The story of Valdobbiadene
Prosecco Superiore DOCG
Together with Conegliano, Valdobbiadene lends its name to the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG denomination, the highest quality tier of Prosecco production, reserved for wines made in this specific hill area. Viticulture here has ancient roots, but it was over the course of the 20th century that the sparkling-wine tradition took shape, making the name of these places known worldwide. Dozens of wineries, from small family businesses to larger operations, work the Glera grape using the Martinotti-Charmat method, producing spumante, frizzante and the distinctive ancestral style re-fermented in the bottle, known locally as 'col fondo'.
The UNESCO Hills, a World Heritage Site
In 2019 UNESCO inscribed the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene on the World Heritage List, recognising the exceptional value of a historic agricultural landscape built up over centuries by local winegrowers on steep, complex terrain, still often worked by hand or with specialised equipment because mechanised cultivation is impossible. The 'ciglioni' terraced landscape, rows following the contour lines, and small rural hamlets set among the vineyards create a scenery with few equals in Italy for its combination of aesthetic beauty and concrete productive value.
The Cartizze Hill
Within the municipality, between the hamlets of Santo Stefano, Saccol and San Pietro di Barbozza, lies the Cartizze hill, an area of just a few dozen hectares considered the cru par excellence of Prosecco Superiore. Particular conditions of exposure, altitude and soil composition make this small area the most prized and sought-after within the entire denomination, with land values among the highest in Italy for vineyard terrain. Cartizze represents, in a sense, the essence of what makes Valdobbiadene's territory unique: a small patch of land condensing centuries of winegrowing knowledge.
San Pietro di Barbozza and Santo Stefano
The hillside hamlets of San Pietro di Barbozza and Santo Stefano, set among the vineyards just minutes from the centre of Valdobbiadene, offer some of the most striking viewpoints in the entire denomination, with country churches, small family-run wineries and narrow roads winding among the vine rows. This is where much of the territory's wine-tourism activity is concentrated, with opportunities to visit vineyards, take part in guided tastings and follow stretches of the Prosecco Road across the Treviso hills.
The Centre of Valdobbiadene and the Prosecco Road
The main town retains a compact historic centre, with the archpriestal church overlooking the main square and an urban fabric that developed in close relationship with the surrounding wine economy. Valdobbiadene is also one of the reference points on the historic Prosecco and Wines of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Hills Road, Italy's first officially established wine-tourism route, linking wineries, viewpoints and rural hamlets along a path that crosses the entire hill area between the two towns.
Not-to-be-missed Experiences
- Visitare una cantina storica e degustare il Prosecco Superiore DOCG
- Visit a historic winery and taste Prosecco Superiore DOCG
To see
What to see in Valdobbiadene
Routes · Trovido Route
