A small group adventure to the Prosecco Hills of Italy

Nicky Miles tells us about her first solo travel experience to Italy and what made her trip so special…

This year I decided it was all about taking opportunities and trying new things so when I saw the advert in the newspaper I thought this was a trip made for me…. Prosecco tasting in the Prosecco hills, Italy. Solo travellers age 30-40 ish! Fun travel company. This had to be done so I didn’t hesitate booking it.

I took a very early flight from Gatwick. Once at Venice airport, I was greeted by Gaby who worked for The Flash Pack, Ciara our guide for the day and the rest of the group. We were the Insider group checking this tour out.

We started our adventure in our smart air conditioned mini bus and headed up to the Valdobbiadene area and to the first of many winery’s we were going to visit. Toni Doro, is run by two brothers, one of which gave us a tour and told us about the ground, the grapes and the process from growing to bottling. Some vines were 6 years old, some 11. It was then time for the tasting, and it was made especially nice with fresh salami, breadsticks and cheese. I was in heaven, a nice glass of Prosecco in hand (and these weren’t small tasting glasses either). We got a good amount to taste!

This was definitely a lovely Prosecco. We were then off to our next stop – Osteria Senz’Oste but this one was different as it was “unhosted”. It was a lovely little farmhouse tucked away in the hills, off the beaten track.

No one behind the bar, you just help yourself to fresh bread, meats and cheese and leave some money in the pot and then you follow the Prosecco sign up to the Prosecco vending machine! How amazing.. Such a good idea. We headed up the hill to some old plastic chairs and an outside basic toilet! But this is the place to go as locals. Hang out here, anytime of day and night. Our guide told us about her first date she had here!

We again polished off another bottle of Prosecco and more bread and salami! We even had the chance to make our driver a salami sandwich – we thought it was best to keep him on side.

We were then off to our next winery Bisol. The early morning flight and daytime drinking had definitely caught up with me! I had a little snooze on the way there.

This winery was more industrial and here we saw thousands and thousands of bottles of Prosecco. This is where they even bottle Tescos finest Prosecco! Here we learnt the names of all the sizes of the bottles and how long it takes from start to finish. Again we tasted 4 different ones and learnt about DOC and DOCG and the labels to look out for.

It was a great first day! Rounded off with a Lovely meal. Followed by a few spritz Aperol. We had a fairly early night as we had to be up early for our trip to Venice.

We caught the train from Treviso which only takes 25 mins. It was a Lovely sunny day and was very busy in Venice but it was nice to get lost down some of the back streets. We did the normal touristy things:

Selfie on a Gondola – Tick

Gelato -Tick

St Mark’s square – Tick

It was lovely but it was nice to return to Treviso where it is a bit quieter with less bustle. We had the best pizza in town. It was a true authentic pizzeria and this is where all the locals seem to hang out and eat. Clearly a popular place.

We finish off the night with a few Aperol spritz at the buzzy bar by our hotel. I’ve clearly found a new drink!

Next morning we met for our bike ride along the canal, more Prosecco and also tiramisu tasting. Tiramisu means to be cheerful. We got equipped for our 20km bike ride along the Cale de Suile. The Ride along the canal was beautiful. Passing poppy fields, stunning villas and at half way we stopped for guess what? A glass of Prosecco! We then carried along on our bikes back to Treviso. Then it was time for traditional lunch and tiramisu tasting. What can I say? Delicious!!

This trip has been a lot of eating, drinking Prosecco, beautiful scenery and seeing things off the beaten track. Aperol spritz has definitely won me over as my new summer drink so let’s hope I find it when back in the UK! I’m on a mission. It seems such lovely way of life in Italy. Very relaxed and it was lovely to see the places I may not have found on my own! Highly recommended!

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Want to learn the secrets of prosecco-making in Italy? Join us on a solo adventure with Flash Pack for exclusive access to the sun-dappled vines; plus, a foodie foray in Venice

Photos: Nicky Miles

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