Sitting in the heart of northern Italy’s picturesque Prosecco Hills, Conegliano is a delightful small town well off the Veneto Region’s tourist trail. We came across it while driving the Prosecco Road through the surrounding area and were immediately enamoured with the interesting historic sites in town as well as the scenic setting amid the area’s many vineyards.
With the remains of a medieval castle, a fresco-covered Renaissance era meeting hall and some delightful small museums, Conegliano has enough attractions to warrant a couple of hours of your time. Apart from that, it also serves a good home base while exploring the unique cultural landscape of the Prosecco Hills.
Read on for everything you need to know about visiting Conegliano.
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6 Fun Things to Do in Conegliano
Take a Stroll Through the Historic Centre
Conegliano has a small, but very attractive town centre full of medieval town houses and Renaissance palazzos. You’ll find the highest concentration of these in the streets surrounding the attractive Piazza Cima. The latter is dominated by the 19th century Teatro Accademia and flanked by the town hall to the East and the 14th-century Palazzo da Collo to the West.
If you follow Via Venti Settembre to the East, you’ll come across the pretty Palazzo dell’ex Monte di Pietà (now a hotel), which is covered in well-preserved Renaissance frescoes depicting Puttos with a Pietà-Scene in the Tympanon above the door. Another building worth checking out is the arcaded Casa Sbarra at the intersection of Via Accademia and Via Cima, directly northwest of the theatre.
Castello di Conegliano and City Museum
Sitting on a hill above the town centre, you’ll find the remains of Conegliano’s 12th century castle. Only the walls and central tower are left standing, but the latter contains the City Museum, displaying artworks and archaeological artefacts from the area as well as some information about Conegliano’s famous sons and daughters.
The best part of a visit is the opportunity to climb to the viewing platform atop the tower and take in the sweeping views of the town and surrounding hills. Dotted by vineyards and cypress trees, this is the quintessential Italian Landscape. Entrance to the museum and viewing platform is 3€. The opening times are a bit erratic – You can check them here.
Sala dei Battuti
Next to the Cathedral sits the Scuola dei Battuti, a convent school whose star attraction is the beautifully decorated Sala dai Battuti. The latter served as a meeting place of the medieval religious brotherhood of the Battuti and is covered in intricate frescoes dating to the 16th century.
While the paintings certainly are beautiful to look at, some of them are unintentionally funny. Have a look for god creating the world, looking like he’s playing darts with the birds, and Jesus seemingly choking one of his disciples (perhaps he drank the last of the wine?).
While you’re there, don’t forget to glance up and take in the intricately carved wooden ceiling. The Sala dei Battuti is only open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to noon and from 4pm to 6pm. The entrance is free.
Duomo di Conegliano
Right next door to the Scuola dei Battuti sits Conegliano’s 14th century cathedral. The interior is rather austere, but features some altar paintings by Cima de Conegliano and other Renaissance Painters of the area, making it worth a quick peek.
Cima da Conegliano Museum
Conegliano’s most famous son is the 15th-century Renaissance artist Gianbattista Cima (dubbed Cima da Conegliano), and his former living quarters in Via Cima hold a small museum.
There are no original paintings here, but several prints and reproductions give you an idea of the painter’s oeuvre, and you can see the mostly preserved interior of the artist’s living quarters (without furniture, mind you).
When we visited, the caretakers were super excited and chatty. Apparently not many foreigners stop by here. The museum can be visited on Saturdays and Sundays from 4 to 7pm in Summer and from 3 to 6pm in Winter. Double-check the times here. There’s no entrance fee.
Explore Congeliano’s Wonderful Surroundings
Conegliano is located at the edge of the beautiful Prosecco Hills, and you shouldn’t leave without a short tour of the town’s wonderful surroundings. The best way to explore the area is by driving the Prosecco-Road, which circles from Conegliano to Valdobbiadene and back.
Driving the road gives you the opportunity to visit cute villages and enjoy countless picturesque views, as well as the chance to sample some Prosecco while watching the rolling hills where it originated.
You can check out my dedicated guide to Driving the Prosecco Road here.
Map of Conegliano
The sights mentioned above can be found on this map of Conegliano.
Practicalities
How to get to Conegliano
Conegliano Treviso sits on the train line connecting Venice to Udine (both about 1 hour/6€). There are frequent connections to both cities. Other cities in the Veneto region, like Padua, Vicenza or Verona can be reached with a quick change of trains in Venice.
The Best Hotels in Conegliano
Conegliano has plenty of hotels and guest houses. There are budget friendly options, like Locazione turistica la Casetta as well as more upscale options, like Hotel Canon d’Oro. Have a look at the map above for more places to stay at in the area.
See also
9 Wonderful Things to See and Do in Treviso, Italy – A Guide to the “Little Venice”