Walking in the Venetian Hills

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We enjoyed the walk very much. We are in our early 70's so were looking for an enjoyable rather than an extreme experience. The walks were through lovely countryside; the accommodations were very good and in keeping with a little "out of the way: experience; the navigation app worked well at all times; and, the Headwater staff and Hotel staff were consistently very helpful. Very happy to recommend.

Mr Schneider, 17 Sep 2024

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We really enjoyed our exploration of the Euganean Hills and discovering a new part of Italy, despite its closeness to Venice.

Ms Austin, 16 Sep 2024

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Excellent service. Prompt and helpful communication.

Mrs Brown, 13 Sep 2024

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An excellent experience despite one vey poor hotel.

Andrew Dey, 2 Jun 2024

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Very well organized and great places to stay

Ruth Kukla, 28 Sep 2023

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Your representative, George, together with the hotel staff we met along the way, were without exception pleasant, friendly and efficient.
On our walks, the app worked very well and the printed route notes were an excellent back up. The walks themselves (apart from the second half of the walk to the Sporting Hotel) were enjoyable.
We were not happy with the Sporting Hotel - a hotel closer to the walking area would be better, and the motor bikes at Teolo spoiled our enjoyment of the Villa Lussana. As we have mentioned we had paid for a superior room with balcony at this hotel and would appreciate a refund for this.

Lesley Church, 10 Sep 2023

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We had a very pleasant holiday where concerns and questions we had before travel, particularly re the navigation app, were addressed beforehand. All arrangements worked smoothly

William Bowie, 10 Sep 2023

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Overall, we were quite happy. Villa del Poeta, really made the holiday. The staff there were amazing! They made me feel like a friend, not just a walking wallet. We felt Headwater could have done a little more to make us feel welcome and take any concerns away, such as 'How to catch a bus/train in Italy'. More advice on places to visit and their opening hours, even if it has to be revised regularly. Although I'd have thought once a year enough.Lists of nearby restaurants would be good and local customs. We didn't realise dinner generally isn't eaten till 7.30 ish. Our intro felt rushed and fitted around the guides other work, as nice as he was. There were some great stops on some of the routes (Villa Beatrice). The routes were a bit tougher than we were expecting but there were some great views and it definitely felt like a slice of Italy.

Paul Hamilton-viall, 8 Sep 2023

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This was an outstanding holiday in every respect. The Euganean hills are a lovely place to walk and virtually undiscovered by tourists from outside Italy itself: you feel like you are in the real Italy, while still enjoying the stunning views, food, and culture you would get in more popular parts. The weather got pretty hot making some walks more challenging, but generally there was enough shade so it didn't feel unsafe. The accommodation was nicely varied and excellent throughout. We especially loved the pool at the Hotel Sporting and the food at Villa del Poeta. We had a great day out in Padua by bus from Teolo - highly recommended. And we had a perfect city break in Venice at the end. What more could you want! Headwater team was excellent throughout, with George and Carmen on the end of the phone if needed. One suggestion for future guests is to make sure you bring enough food and water with you every day, as (despite what the trip notes say) we found shops and restaurants were closed or non-existent most of the time. On day 1, there was no packed lunch available from Il Feudo, and we had to make do with some stuff from the breakfast table. It's a good idea to bring plenty of snacks (perhaps from the airport) and you really need to carry 2L water per person per day in the summer.

Sarah Lord, 4 Jul 2023

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Headwater proved to be a reliable company, courteous and helpful when booking and during the trip. George and Carmen were supportive representatives. Accommodation and hosts were mostly very good in particular Gabriella (Il Feudo) and Julia ( Borgo Petrarca ) Walks were sometimes challenging in parts .We had to negotiate difficult, steep and rocky sections. The Navigation App guiding us was good. One final stretch was on the road and tedious, however the Spa we arrived at more than compensated! Plenty of sightseeing on days off, using taxi or cheap local transport. Giottio Frescoes in Padua were wonderful and we managed to buy tickets on the day.Good cheap wine, lovely meals and lovely people.Managed a trip to Venice on last day as we had a late flight home. Overall, Fabulous experience, loved every step and will do more with Headwater.

MACDONALD, 14 Jun 2023

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Walking in very attractive wooded/hilly countryside, on a mixture of tracks and minor roads. May was a good choice - not too hot, but mainly sunny - although this meant some potential restaurant stops were closed. Estimate that about 5% of the itinerary is Level 2, with some scrambling required. Used the Navigation App, but glad that we had printed notes as backup when the satellite signal seemed to drop off. Second half of walk on Day 4 is tedious along roads, but Hotel Sporting Terme with its thermal swimming pool and copious buffet made up for it! Recommend a direct road transfer (at extra cost) from Venice airport to Cortela and back. We used the excellent local agents for this and they also provided day transport to/from Padua for a good day out there (Scrovegni Chapel etc). Overall a very good week.

CROSS, 17 May 2023

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We had an enjoyable week. The walking was, very good, although perhaps slightly more hilly than we had anticipated. The latter part of the holiday was in hotter weather about 20 to 23°, but much of it took place in dappled shade, and was a pleasant, walking temperature. We took a taxi to Padua from Galzignano a fabulous day out. I would recommend a visit to The Villa Barbarigo at Valsanzibio and also take the suggested walk and restaurant from Teolo on the day off. We chose the longer route to Cortela as it was our last walk, the terrain was quite demanding and on reflection wished we had cut out the zig zag on the way down.



COOK, 17 May 2023

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This was an excellent holiday. Northern Italy had just suffered a deluge on our arrival and the weather was unusually mixed during our stay. The local contacts Carmen and George were extremely helpful, and with the useful and thorough notes provided by Headwater we were able to adapt the walking. The app was very good and reliable. Villa Poetica was the stand out hotel, high on a hill in a pretty village, our host Carla was excellent . All hotels were very clean and comfortable in good locations. We added two nights in the nearby city if Vicenza to our tour, a beautiful relaxing city. This was our first walking holiday, we hope to do more with Headwater in future.

MAIDMENT, 13 May 2023

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Holiday was very good expect for staying in Belvedere Hotel

It could help if we had maps and app

Mrs Yaniv, 26 Sep 2022

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September was a wonderful time to walk in the Euganean Hills. The countryside was beautiful and the walking interesting and scenic.

Mrs Ramsay, 22 Sep 2022

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We had never heard of the Venetian Hills, before spotting the trip on the Headwater website, and we are delighted to discover to this beautiful and unspoilt area. It seems almost unknown to British tourists, and the visitors seemed mainly to be locals. It is perfect walking country - clear paths, lovely countryside, very quiet and peaceful. We often walked for hours without meeting a soul, enjoying stunning views.

The scenery is lovely - steep and (sometimes) rocky wooded hills, olive groves, vinyards, isolated farms, pretty villages and interesting historic villas, historic towns. The walking is good, on very quiet lanes, tracks and footpaths. The directions were almost always very clear and reliable.

Although the distances are relatively short, hills are steep and some paths are rough and rocky - especially the full option on the final day (which is well worth it). Hotels are all lovely - excellent dinners, welcoming staff. The excellent wine (very cheap) is a bonus.

Prof Browning, 25 Aug 2022

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We had a wonderful holiday in the beautiful Venetian hills with excellent walking routes and directions, lovely views and good hotel locations on our itinerary. It was the first holiday of this type we had done, and our first Headwater holiday, but we would definitely do a similar trip again. Headwater were really prompt and helpful at all times when we needed anything or had minor changes to request, and also incredibly efficient - they managed to sort our holiday when our booked holiday was cancelled at short notice, so were really so helpful on this occasion.

Mrs Baird, 5 Aug 2022

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We very much enjoyed our self guided walking holiday in the Venetian Hills. The area is beautiful, quiet and unspoilt and the scenery and views during our walks were both impressive and attractive in equal measure. The hotels and B&Bs were varied in style and nature and were all very good. In particular the staff were invariably very friendly and accommodating, the food and wine were first class and the service provided everywhere was excellent. The local agent, George, has very good English and he was very helpful, reliable, friendly and informative. We combined the walking trip with a really enjoyable city break to Verona where Headwater arranged an excellent city centre B&B for us. All in all another first class and ver well organised Headwater holiday.

Mr Macdonald, 22 Jun 2022

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The Eugenic Hills were unknown to us, but provided a beautiful area for walking, abounding with flowers and wildlife, with endless views over the Venetian Plain.

Mrs West, 10 Jun 2022

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Walking in un-spoilt/un-touristy countryside, with many interesting places to visit along the way. A refreshing tonic from over-crowded Italian hot spots.

Mr Learmont, 31 May 2022

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Walking was very good. Villa del Poeta was how all your accommodation should be for a holiday in this price bracket.

Mrs Swallowe, 15 May 2022

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Lovely, varied walking in an unspoilt, lesser known area of Italy. It was good being able to intersperse visits to beautiful villas and the historic city of Padua. The rep, James, was very professional and friendly and very well-organised.

Mrs Lancaster, 26 Sep 2019

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A joy to walk in vineyards, olive groves and wooded areas in anunspoilt untouristified area.

Mr James, 24 Sep 2019

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Holiday made perfect by care .commitment and expertise of James . It was very reassuring to have his constant but unobtrusive help throughout our holiday Excellent in every way .Thank you

Mrs Cotton, 22 Sep 2019

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This kind of holiday was a first for us, and we loved it. It was great to walk from one place to another and have our luggage moved for us. The hotels were well chosen and comfortable. The area is beautiful and the views from the hotels were lovely. If we were to do this again, we would probably go early summer in order to have more daylight when you can sit outside at the hotels in the evenings and appreciate the views. For the last Walk we did from Teolo to Il Feudo, we chose the longer option but cut it short at the point where you could do so. With hindsight we would probably have preferred the shorter walk on the hard surfaces, as the walk we undertook meant that we were in forest for most of the time with no views at all and the paths were not just steep, but very uneven with lots of loose stones, which meant that we spent more time than we would wish having to concentrate on getting a foothold. Notwithstanding this, we thought it was a great holiday and will look forward to planning another one for next year.

Mrs Jones, 20 Sep 2019

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Our first trip with Headwater, and we were very impressed. We liked being in charge of our day (unlike when walking with a group) - we can leave when we like, and walk at our own pace. Walk instructions were (mostly!) very clear, accommodation very comfortable and well-located, with plenty to do on the 'rest' days. Overall organisation good, and all involved very helpful.

Mr Wood, 12 Sep 2019

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We thoroughly enjoyed the hills. What a relaxing place to go. Everyone we met were very friendly. The hotel staff couldn’t do enough to please us. James the Headwater rep went out of his way to ensure everything went smoothly. The only downside for us was American Express was not accepted at any of the hotels. This was our fourth Headwater walk and I am sure there will be many more.

Mr Perry, 6 Sep 2019

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We just wanted to thank Headwater for another fantastic holiday experience. We are very grateful to the helpful Headwater team for helping us to put together a 14 day holiday in Venice and the Venetian Hills that combined a 3 night city break in Venice, the 8 day ‘Walking in the Venetian Hills’ walking holiday, followed by 3 days to relax at a nearby Agriturismo with a pool.

All the arrangements went well and we had good support from James, the local Headwater Rep who was helpful and knowledgeable. We travelled during the first two weeks of August and enjoyed excellent weather throughout our stay with daytime temperatures around 28 to 32 degrees.

Venice is such a beautiful and extraordinary city to visit and we had sufficient time to explore the city and visit several of the islands. The beautiful little islands of Torcello and Burano were particularly memorable. Our hotel in Venice, the Hotel Kette, was ideally placed to explore the city, less than 5 minutes walk from San Marco.

The walking tour in the Euganean Hills completely lived up to our expectations. We found the walking notes straightforward and the 1+ activity level for the walks was about right. Often we were walking through wooded hills but we also enjoyed wonderful views of the surrounding Venetian countryside and saw some interesting wild flowers. Please note that carrying plenty of water on the walks is essential.

The accommodation at Cortela was simple, but comfortable and Gabriella made us feel very welcome. The Prosecco produced on their vineyard was delicious! We particularly enjoyed the beautiful little village of Arqua Petrarca and the food and accommodation at hotel Villa del Poeta were excellent. On our rest day there we took the opportunity to walk to the pretty nearby town of Monselice.

The hotel at Galzignano (Belvedere Resort Ai Colli) was very comfortable and our room enjoyed a lovely outside garden area. The food and wine there were excellent. At Teleo we stayed in the B & B Tito Livio in accommodation that was to a very high standard and there are plenty of opportunities to eat at local restaurants in the evening.

For the final part of our holiday, we transferred to a nearby agriturismo, the l’Albara, Villaganzerla. This was a great opportunity to relax and unwind after our walking holiday before returning home. Our room at l’Albara was very comfortable and the pool was lovely set in a pleasant large garden area … a perfect place to read and relax. Everybody was so welcoming there and the food and wine were both excellent. Dinner is served in one sitting on trestle tables (with choices and the offer of second helpings!). The wine produced on their own vineyard is superb, reasonably priced and highly recommended.

We are looking forward to choosing our next Headwater holiday next year!



Mr Goscomb, 1 Aug 2019

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As usual, very well organised and with first class assistance from the Rep on the ground. The walks were rather more challenging than the rating suggested under 37 degree temperatures. An unusual and interesting location but not one to be recommended for walking at the height of the summer season. This would probably explain why I saw not one other walker on the entire time (though many on bikes). But excellent overall.

Mr Lloyd, 24 Jul 2019

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We were only away for eight days but it felt like eight weeks. The walks were wonderful, we never met anyone and reading the notes and hiking the wonderful Eugenian Hills made me clear my brain and relaxed my mind. The locations of the hotels and inns we stayed at were in beautiful surroundings. We would never have found these places had it not been for Headwater's ingenious way of finding them. Having a tour representative is such a good idea. Other walking companies do not offer this.

Mrs Smartt, 6 Jul 2019

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My self guided holiday in the Venetian was a perfect holiday for me, as my friend and I had never been to Italy before. A good introduction the people, food and wine, and of course the region. The itinerary was quite leisurely for us, but really enjoyed it, plenty of time to explore the area on our days off. Public transport is very good and the people very helpful.

Mr Baigent, 28 Jun 2019

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The booking and arrangements were overall excellent with good choice of hotels, catering very well for our pescatarian diet. The route instructions were mostly accurate and easy to follow. The local rep was very helpful and knowledgeable. We have now travelled with Headwater on a number of occasions and will happily do so again in future.

Ms Jackson, 28 Jun 2019

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Just like the promotional material says -- discover an overlooked part of Italy. One the whole holiday we only saw one other group of English-speaking tourists, except when we went into Padua. An excellent holiday -- the walks were a bit more challenging than we had been expecting, but manageable, and we were well rewarded with excellent food and wine every night. A very interesting mix of hotels, and each was very comfortable with it's own personality. We very much enjoyed this trip.

Ms Leblanc, 6 Jun 2019

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This holiday was as advertised in the brochure. The countryside was beautiful, the food in the hotels was very good (we were given vegetarian options in all the hotels). We appreciated having the rest days which one of our party used to do watercolour painting, whilst others visited nearby towns, including Venice.

Ms Witt, 25 May 2019

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The weather wasnt brilliant because we went in early May. However, we did enjoy the walking, which was a challenge but not too difficult.

Mr Jones, 1 May 2019

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For us this was the perfect combination of quite challenging walks and the opportunity to visit villas, gardens, monasteries en route. The Euganean Hills were a delightful landscape of vineyards ,woods and olive groves. We also particularly enjoyed visiting Vicenza on the way back.

Mrs Aston, 2 Oct 2018

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A quiet but attractive area of Northern Italy well worth discovering.

Mr Kell, 30 Sep 2018

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Overall we had a really good week in the Euganean hills; the weather in late September was a bit warmer than we had expected and this made the walking slightly more strenuous and the insects were numerous - take plenty of repellent! The accommodation does vary quite a lot; the Villa Lussana is excellent, everything works and the food and service are all you could hope for. Il Feudo is fairly basic, though the staff are friendly. Villa del Poeta was very good, excellent food and service however they do often host weddings at the weekend which can be noisy. Our least favourite was the Belvedere.

The walking is very good and the directions generally ok though we found having a GPS device useful at times. James our rep was extremely helpful with transfers, advice and updates on routes. There were plenty of suggestions for rest days - our favourite was visiting the Villa di Vescovi from Teolo.....where we were able to use our National Trust cards; the villa is magnificent - but check opening hours as its not open every day.

Mr Magirr, 14 Sep 2018

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A lovely combination of stretching but not impossible walking, lovely unknown countryside, and fine food.

Mr Thornton, 10 Sep 2018

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First time with Headwater, didn't know what to expect , had a fantastic time, thought the moderate title was a little under exaggerated , there were some steep climbs but overall we had a laugh getting lost a few times but always found our way to the next hotel, didn't feel guilty eating all the lovely food and drinking the best procecco as we had earned it. Will be booking again in the future but

With less hills.

Ms Hoggan, 8 Sep 2018

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Another excellent holiday with Headwater. Our Manager James was one of the best we have experienced with Headwater. Nothing was too much trouble and he provided very useful information at our introductory meeting. Hopefully we will be fit enough to embark on another walking holiday with Headwater in future .

Mr Duncan, 4 Sep 2018

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Excellent holiday in beautiful countryside. Even though we walk regularly the walks were on the tough side for two people over 75,! The plus sign after the 1 was obviously very significant! There was however scope for visiting nearby cities or exploring the countryside by bus instead of doing all the walks. We appreciated a short alternative walk for the last day. This holiday was recommended to us by a couple we met on a previous holiday. It took us 3 years before we booked it but were very glad that we eventually did.

Mrs North, 6 Jul 2018

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We enjoyed our holiday in the Euganean hills. Even at the end of May/first few days of June, the temperatures were pushing 30 degrees most days, which made the walks a little more demanding than we had expected, but as occasional walkers there was nothing that pushed us too much, however we used walking poles and would not have wanted to be without them. The scenery was magnificent and the views were always worth the effort of any climb.

Accommodation and food was of a good standard, particularly Hotel Villa del Poeta, where Carla and the restaurant staff provided outstanding service to match the excellent food. The only downside to Villa del Poeta is that the restaurant is closed on a Monday and if James hadn’t been kind enough to ferry us to and from the (very good) local restaurant that provided dinner that night, I don’t believe we would have enjoyed the walk back in the dark, as the hotel is a little way outside of town.

A mention should also go to Villa Lussana for excellent comfort, food and hospitality. As others have mentioned it is a pity about the motorbike noise from the cafe opposite, although we were there on a public holiday weekend, so perhaps our experience was not typical.

Route notes were generally very good but it was a pity that the route shown on the map provided was not totally accurate, causing a little doubt and confusion during one of our walks.

Mr Weaver, 27 May 2018

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Beautiful hilly countryside and plenty of variety of terrain on the walks. The best Prosecco ever! We recommend an extended stay in Venice.

Ms Pilgrim, 19 May 2018

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We had a very enjoyable walking holiday in Northern Italy which was absolutely stunning. The walks were varied and interesting and notes clear.

Miss Deadman, 11 May 2018

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Lovely walking - challenging enough without being exhausting - in a delightfully different landscape surrounded by vineyards, orchards, olive groves, farmland and woodland. On one of our free days we enjoyed a splendid day in Padua (travelling by bus from the bus stop two minutes walk from the hotel!) as well as a gentle Saturday morning strolling around the market in Este, punctuated by coffee and lunch stops in the cafes around the Square - so relaxing. We started the holiday with an amazing two day stay in Venice, which made the quiet lanes and wooded paths of the Euganean Hills a wonderful contrast to busy tourist packed streets! Thank you Headwater and well done.

Mrs Holmes, 28 Sep 2017

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A well described holiday in terms of the scenery, walks etc. Particular high points are the chances to visit the gardens of Villa Barbarigo, Villa dei Vescovi and the cities of Padua and Vicenza

Sarah is an outstanding rep. making sure that everything worked smoothly.

Miss Wesley, 22 Sep 2017

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Well thought out walking routes with meticulous notes to ease the way. Individual hotels with character and good service and food. The Representative's briefing was thorough and very helpful.

Mrs Feely, 14 Sep 2017

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Sarah was an excellent rep and we felt like friends from our first meeting. We liked this area very much. The walking was not too challenging, but varied. We can highly recommend Padua by local bus.

Mrs Allen, 12 Sep 2017

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We enjoyed the walking and the general ambience of our holiday experience in the Venetin Hills. Sarah, our guide/rep was particularly helpful and patient. She was prompt and attentive. The only thing we would suggest changing is the order of the walking, to do the holiday day in reverse rather than starting with the longest day's walking.

Mr Martin, 8 Sep 2017

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very well organised

Mr Willis, 11 Aug 2017

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A magical week exploring this tranquil and refreshingly untouristy area of Italy, with the added bonus of being able to spend city days in Padua and Vicenza. Torn between wanting to tell everybody and wanting to keep it a secret so it remains unspoilt!

Mrs Thornton, 14 Jun 2017

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Good...as usual. Walking was significantly, though intermittently, above grade one.

Mr Hughes, 6 Jun 2017

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Lots of fun and good exercise with a reward of a lovely meal at the end of the day!!

Mrs Hayfield, 6 Jun 2017

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Summary: beautiful area for walking with vineyards, olive groves and wooded hills to explore, totally unspoilt, no tourists and very friendly locals. Interesting villages and nearby historic towns to visit. We would love to return to this little known region.









Mr Garrood, 4 Jun 2017

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We didn't receive the trail instructions in advance. Sarah had a spare copy which she updated for us and rearranged our return rail journey to a more friendly time. Since we couldn't get a flight on a standard join day, and the Venice hotel was unavailable we stayed In Venice Mestre for a night. Not a sparkling town. I am not a fan of Venice, but my wife hadn't visited before. The Italians are rebuilding Marco Polo airport and there was heightened security--a modern travel story. The peace, and relaxed way of life in the Euganean Hills plus a very good rep made the holiday.

Mr Hendry, 21 May 2017

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Excellent Experience. Charming area. Very unspoilt - had a real italian feel.

Mr Higginson, 19 May 2017

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Quiet, sunshine, heat, beautiful countryside and small towns - wildflowers and birds, hills, views - good food, good local wines, friendly people all in a hidden corner of Italy. What's not to like? It was a real treat.

Mr Richardson, 15 May 2017

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This was a great way to explore the Euganean Hills , we travelled in late September and the weather was perfect for walking. The holiday is a great combination of walking and rest days and our rep ,Sarah, had plenty of good advice on what to see and do.

Ms Rodgers, 24 Sep 2016

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Beautiful verdant area to walk in. Fantastic views. Lots of options for rest days.

Mis Horkan, 2 Sep 2016

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We had a very good relaxed holiday, with Sarah giving alternative choices and lifts on days that were too hot to walk the whole distance

Sarah is an exceptionally good rep

Thankyou

Mrs Anderson, 22 Jul 2016

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Another excellent self-guided walking holiday from Headwater. Everything was up to the very high standards we expect from them. The entire 8-day holiday was a delight including the visits we chose (Padova, Monselice) on our days off. We chose to walk the suggested options for our last day off. The weather was poor but we had a fabulous 'extra' day of walking.

This area of the Vento is so beautiful and the walking around the Euganean Hills was terrific. Sarah our lovely rep was superb. Thank you Headwater.

Mr Duggleby, 29 May 2016

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The walks are strenuus enough that we felt a glow of achievement on finishing each one, but not so difficult that we sruggled as occasional hikers. The mix of agriculture and woodland walking surrounded by birdsong is wonderful.

Adding an extra 3 nights in Venice staying at the Hotel Kette made the whole holiday one to remember for many years.

Mrs Butterworth, 23 May 2016

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It was great to have such a complete break and while we didn't it the support available from the rep it was reassuring to know that assistance was only a call away. We particularly enjoyed moving on from town to town and having the rest day in between walkis created a great deal of variety as we got to see other towns. We particularly liked Villa Lussana and the food was really good there - it was also the first walk we didn't get lost on so there was a great sense of achievement in arriving there!

Ms Poole, 15 May 2016

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Can't speak too highly of Sarah - Headwater is fortunate to have someone with such high standards, thoughtfulness and warm personality.. She was very attentive and concerned about a couple on the cycling holiday,one of whom had sustained an eye injury while cycling.

Villa Lusanna was particularly good in terms of welcome, food and friendliness.

Some years ago we did the walking in the Loire valley holiday. The standard of food, accomodation and route notes were much better in the Venetian Hills holiday. .

Mrs Jones, 6 Oct 2015

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Lovely area, very peaceful with enjoyable walking. Great to visit Padua on our rest day. Added on a day and night in Venice at the end of the holiday which would highly recommend.

Mrs Moseley, 2 Oct 2015

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Our holiday was the perfect combination of supported and independent: you do have to be prepared to sort out a lot of things for yourself, which we really like. Yet, Sarah was always available if we needed help. The itinerary was thoughtful and had great variety every day. We got a lot of satisfaction from completing all the suggested walks. Our rest days were extremely busy days as there is lots to do in the region - we enjoyed the chance to have these days to explore and do something different.

Ms Melliship, 30 Sep 2015

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A wonderful opportunity to have a 'safe adventure!'. Euganian Hills are a beautiful, unspoilt area to explore, the vineyards and olive groves were a delight, and the views amazing.

Mrs Dimond, 13 Sep 2015

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We walked through a beautiful quiet unknown part of Italy meeting friendly people in small hotels and rural towns and felt welcomed everywhere.

Mrs Aitken, 16 Jun 2015

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A really relaxing and enjoyable holiday giving us the opportunity to visit some lovely areas of Italy.



The Headwater representative was well informed and really helpful allowing us to enjoy our holiday to the full.





Mr Murray, 12 Jun 2015

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It was a brilliant holiday - everything was well organised and went according to plan. The scenery was superb, the walks were more challenging than expected because of the extremely hot weather (38F one day!) but loads of shade and wonderful views helped us through. Our local rep was brilliant and there was more than enough information from Headwater for us to find interesting things to do on our rest days. All the accommodation was good but Villa Lussana was a holiday highlight. Thoroughly memorable. Thank you!

Ms Hopkins, 8 Jun 2015

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This holiday took us to a lovely area that we'd never have known about if we'd not come across it through the Headwater website.We wondered how we'd cope with our first mobile holiday, but it all went so smoothly that we had no problems; rather, we found it interesting to stay in 6 very different hotels in 9 nights! Having read other comments and seen the weather forecast, we went prepared for all conditions. Yes, it rained a bit, but it was warm rain without wind - nothing like the Scottish variety and we were lent a giant Italian umbrella in Este for our visit to the market and the rest of this lovely wee town. Because of the Giro d'Italia our first [non walking] day was a bit disrupted but Sarah was able to drop us off in Téolo to see the race [and it's vast entourage] go by. As my husband is a very keen cyclist who normally watches this on TV at home, this was a real treat and much appreciated. We also appreciated that one of her first acts on collecting us from Vicenza station was to offer us each a bottle of chilled water.

Mrs Main, 20 May 2015

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The holiday exceeded our expectations. Our rep, Sarah, was extremely helpful and friendly. We enjoyed discovering this beautiful part of Italy.

Mr Raffay, 19 May 2015

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Good walking, good accommodation , food and wine. Interesting cities and towns to visit.

Pro Beevers, 10 Sep 2014

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The welcome & help we encountered from local people was phenomenal.

Mrs Potthurst, 8 Sep 2014

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Although not far from the bustling city of Padova, the Euganean hills seem to be an undiscovered gem and we saw far more butterflies than walkers! We enjoyed all of the walks and there were plenty easily accessible attractive places to visit on our rest days. Our holiday was enhanced by a night in Venice at the start and at the finish.

Mr Boyd, 5 Sep 2014

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An excellent walking trip with the added extra of a few days in the superb city of Venice. Excellent support from headwater Rep and good to be 'off the beaten track' in a lesser known and unspoilt area of Italy.

Mr Page, 24 Jul 2014

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We topped and tailed the walking with two nights in Verona and two nights in Venice which gave a nice contrast. The walking was enjoyable with a variety of terrain and the route descriptors good. We were lucky with the weather but it can be unpredictable so you need waterproofs and/or a brolly just in case. Good insect repellent is worth the investment. The area is unspoilt and there seem to be very few tourists. Accommodation was good though air-con is either poor or doesn't exist so it is hot at night. On our rest days were able to visit Montagnana and Padua which were both very enjoyable. However, if you can try to organise the holiday so that you are walking on a Sunday you will avoid being marooned on a rest day - no buses run on Sundays! We found the locals to be friendly though most had as much English as we had Italian - very little! The rep - Sarah - was charming and very helpful! Italian beer is good but expensive - local wine is good and good value! Overall a great experience. We enjoyed the holiday and would recommend it.

Mr Humphreys, 16 Jul 2014

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Sarah is an excellent asset to Headwater, knowledgeable and friendly.She was thorough in going through the briefing notes and was on hand if we needed. The walking notes were accurate, at times it felt like a higher grade walk than billed, but that just added to the achievement after each one. Views spectacular, hotels and food excellent. Rest day in Padua to see Giotto Frescoes and then the Anatomy Theatre at the University was fantastic. Sarah gave us opening times and suggestions, so that was really time saving and useful. This was our first HW holiday, and we are already looking where our next one could be.

Mrs Todd, 6 Jul 2014

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Excellent representative. Belvedere hotel a gem. Our overall perception is coloured by the fact that we hit a heatwave of mid-thirties degrees in the shade which, given the steepness of the hills, was exhausting. Excellent suggestions for the days off from walking.

Mrs Wass, 6 Jun 2014

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Update the walk notes, they are very out of date and unusually for Headwater quite irritating

Mr Joyce, 27 May 2014

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The Venetian Hills holiday was a truly enjoyble experience. This is a little-known, unspoiled part of the country and ideal for walking. The welcome and service at all the hotels was second to none.

Mrs Elliott, 23 May 2014

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il feudo is rather basic and rustic .Steep stairs no lift.Shower unit in bathroom fell off wall.,not a lot of pressure. Welcome was good though.

Villa Lussana all confection ---no lift Headwater customers on second floor. shower unit cracked and water only just warm enough.

For walkers some paths i found quite tough walking over tumbling rocks in the hills which could easily have been dangerous so you had to be vigilant. Having done a fair few walking hols i found this one quite tough . but may be age had something to do with it . i would have graded it a little higher i think.

But enjoyable all the same .Well its Italy ---whats not to like!!!!!!!

Mr Ballantyne, 15 May 2014

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Well organised and enjoyable holiday

Mr Savage, 11 May 2014

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Excellent holiday! The office staff were very helpful and patient and helped us choose the right holiday. We greatly enjoyed the walks, they were varied and interesting, with lots to see on the way. All the hotels were lovely and welcoming with great Italian food. On our days off we did a bit of 'culture'

we visited Padua and Monselice. At the end of our holiday we tagged on a few days in Venice, as it was virtually on the way back anyway and that was great as well. We just would like to add our sincere thanks to Sarah our rep. She gave us lots of interesting information about the region, and seemed to know all the walks in great detail because she gave us very good advice about finding our way. It gave us a good start to our holiday!

We are looking forward to our next holiday with Headwater.

Mr Howell, 2 Sep 2013

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Enjoyable walking in beautiful scenery combined with very comfortable hotels.

Mr Beale, 21 Aug 2013

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A great introduction to this little known area of Italy. The itinerary meant that we could easily combine walking with sight-seeing.

Mrs Norris, 21 May 2013

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We were most impressed with the welcome and hospitality at all the hotels, as well as the great service offered by Sarah, our rep. However, we were surprised at the challenging terrain of the walking, especially on the last day (Teolo to Il Feudo) and our overall enjoyment was spoiled by having to cope with shinning up rocks, then traversing knee-deep mud, then a slide down a rock strewn path. It was not the enjoyable countryside walking with views we had envisaged.

Mr Arnatt, 13 May 2013