Destination Golf - June 2018 * | Page 19

Regional appetizers Pasta, the Italien way Rialto Bridge, Venice Band in St. Mark's Square, Venice When you take a golf holiday in Italy, the golf is almost incidental. It’s the culinary experiences, the wines and the conviviality that help to make it so memorable. Then there’s the cuisine. Like everywhere in Italy, this north-eastern part of the country is renowned for its food. Meals are to linger over, from lunch in a magnificent clubhouse after a round of golf to savouring gourmet creations in a fine-dining city restaurant. That is probably more true of the Veneto region than anywhere else. After all, it is Italy’s biggest wine-producing area and is home to the likes of sparkling favourite Prosecco, Soave white wine, Bardolino rosé and reds such as Valpollicella and Amarone. Add beautiful scenery, glorious cities full of stunning architecture and a liberal sprinkling of grand Palladian villas – classical Romanesque mansions by 16th century architect Andrea Palladio that spawned a style copied across Europe and America – and it’s easy to see how Veneto has come up such a winning recipe. Indeed, this beguiling region, stretching from the Adriatic to Lake Garda and up to the craggy peaks of the Dolomite mountains, is Italy’s most popular with tourists. Volume 4 • Issue 44 19