The Prosecco hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene
Nearly seven years after the inclusion of the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and six years after the establishment of the Association responsible for their management, the region has shared its journey of growth, protection, and shared enhancement. The Association for the Heritage of the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene presented the work carried out from 2020 to the present, compiled in a publication to be distributed throughout the area. This journey began with the goal of transforming the UNESCO listing from a formal recognition into a stable territorial system capable of integrating landscape protection, planning, cultural and tourism promotion, socio-economic development, and community involvement.
The significant growth in arrivals and overnights in the UNESCO World Heritage Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene confirms that Veneto is capable of providing a tourism offering that goes far beyond the great appeal of its beaches, the Dolomites, and Venice – commented Alberto Stefani, President of the Veneto Region – It offers environments where culture, human labor, traditions, and landscape merge; it is the identity of our land, which once again proves to have the ingredients for human-scale yet highly rewarding and valuable tourism under the banner of sustainability in its DNA. The Hills are a winning bet, thanks to major teamwork among all local stakeholders, which has allowed a community to mindfully communicate its land, protecting and promoting it with passion.
In recent years, the Hills have transitioned from being perceived predominantly as the production area of a wine that champions “Made in Italy” worldwide to becoming an internationally recognized cultural landscape. This identity is founded on the balance between humanity and the environment, as well as on its distinctive features, ranging from the ridges to the system of grass-covered hogbacks (ciglioni) and the mosaic landscape. The UNESCO recognition has proven to be a lever for sustainable development rather than a constraint. The collected data reflects a tangible transformation: between 2019 and 2025, tourist arrivals grew by 35.4%, rising from 186,592 to 252,553, while overnight stays increased by 28.8%, from 445,524 to 573,664. The international component was even more significant, with foreign arrivals growing by 48.1% and foreign overnights by 43.2%.
Growth also extended to widespread hospitality: tourist facilities increased by 45.4% and beds by 35.4%. The non-hotel sector, in particular, experienced strong development, aligning with a model of slow, sustainable tourism linked to the redevelopment of rural buildings, historic villages, and traditional architecture. Alongside the tourism figures, there was a strengthening of the region’s reputation: overall online sentiment rose from 86.2% in 2019 to 88.9% in 2025, slightly exceeding the regional average. The Hills have therefore grown not only in tourist flows but also in perceived quality, trust, and attractiveness.
Seven years ago, the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene entered the UNESCO World Heritage List, and six years ago, the Association was born. Since then, we have worked to transform a recognition on paper into a shared responsibility. Thanks to everyone’s commitment, from institutions to citizens who understood and seized this extraordinary opportunity, this has resulted in a concrete territorial system – declared Marina Montedoro, President of the Association for the Heritage of the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene – However, I believe the greatest value of this journey lies not only in the numbers, important as they are, but in a community’s ability to feel a sense of belonging and recognize itself in its landscape, to protect it, and to build its future together. For this reason, we have invested heavily in projects dedicated to people: youth, schools, citizens, operators, administrators, and volunteers. A UNESCO heritage site truly lives only when it becomes a widespread awareness, participation, and sense of belonging. Today, the Hills are better protected, better known, more accessible, and more aware of their identity. This is the result of teamwork carried out with institutions, businesses, schools, citizens, and everyone who contributes daily to safeguarding a heritage that belongs to the world, but first and foremost to the communities that live it.
Central to this was the work of the Association, which consolidated a method of shared governance among the Veneto Region, IPA Marca Trevigiana, the Province of Treviso, local Municipalities, the Consortium for the Protection of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG Wine, the Chamber of Commerce of Treviso – Belluno|Dolomiti, the Ministry of Culture, the Superintendency, entities, businesses, associations, schools, volunteers, and local communities. This model is based on coordination, listening, and shared responsibility, which also found expression in projects aimed at younger generations and major partnerships created with the world of business and tourism, such as Airbnb, and those of culture with Marsilio Arte and Le Stanze della Fotografia.
Among the most significant projects carried out in recent years are: the Prosecco Hills Trail (Cammino delle Colline del Prosecco), a 51-kilometer route through ridges, vineyards, and villages, already traveled by over 10,000 hikers from more than 40 countries; the network of 40 paths, designed to encourage an orderly and respectful enjoyment of the landscape; and the accessible trail “From Castle to Castle” (Da Castello a Castello) in Susegana. Additionally, the Visitor Center at Villa dei Cedri is currently under construction, alongside projects dedicated to sustainable water resource management, environmental innovation, youth training, and cultural promotion.
Art, music, literature, and sports have become tools for storytelling across the landscape: from the Art Prize to Martalar’s Leone Alato (Winged Lion), from the Armonie review to Una Collina di Libri, and from the International World Heritage Forum to the sporting events that cross the territory, the Hills are today a laboratory for cultural and sustainable enhancement.
Particular attention has also been dedicated to community projects and concrete interventions in support of the region, with the aim of making UNESCO recognition a tangible value for those who live in the Hills daily. From the participatory workshop “Colline in ascolto” (Listening Hills) to educational projects in schools, up to “Narratori della Bellezza” (Narrators of Beauty), a program patronized by UNESCO to train young heritage ambassadors, the Association has promoted listening, training, and participation. The same vision includes the Bridge of Humanity over the Campea torrent, inaugurated in 2023 between Farra di Soligo and Follina to complete the Hills Trail in safety; the update of the Technical Regulations, which made it possible to tackle the Flavescenza dorata emergency while balancing landscape protection and production continuity; and the AQUA and ECOLOG projects, dedicated to sustainable resource management, climate resilience, and the dissemination of good environmental practices. The enhancement, protection, communication, and promotion carried out have contributed to strengthening the national and international positioning of the UNESCO Site: since its inscription, thousands of articles have been published in Italian and foreign media, featuring over 30 national and international television broadcasts and incoming activities involving journalists from more than 20 countries.
The balance sheet presented in Conegliano – concludes Montedoro – thus reflects the meaning of a concrete journey: in six years, the Association has transformed UNESCO recognition into a shared working method capable of generating protection, planning, reputation, and new opportunities for the region. A trajectory that looks to the coming years with the same goal: to safeguard the landscape of the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, strengthen its identity, and make it increasingly accessible, sustainable, and alive for the communities that inhabit it and for those who visit it. There is still much to do, but today these Hills represent a source of pride for the entire Veneto region because they are a paradigm of territorial development that can be replicated with equal success in every part of our wonderful region, which still has so much potential to express.
