Golf in Veneto: Courses, Wine & Spa

Golf on the hills, the lake and a private island

Asolo Golf Club’s 27 holes sit inside the UNESCO Prosecco hills, the only iconic course in the Prosecco corridor. Lake Garda has the deepest bench: Gardagolf Country Club, consistently ranked top-10 in Italy beneath the Rocca di Manerba, and Chervò Golf San Vigilio, 36 holes among the Lugana vineyards at the lake’s southern tip, with Golf Club Verona filling out a bench of eleven courses within reach. The Euganean Hills’ curiosity is Albarella Golf Club, 18 holes on a private island in the Po Delta, the only Italian course surrounded by river lagoon, a 55km detour from the the Euganean thermal towns anchor.

Amarone, Prosecco and a smaller Colli Euganei

Valpolicella around Lake Garda produces some of Italy’s most serious reds: Giuseppe Quintarelli and Dal Forno Romano sit at the top, Masi’s Costasera Amarone and Allegrini’s La Poja just below them, and Zenato working both Amarone and the Lugana whites, alongside smaller, visitable producers such as Ca’Lojera near the anchor course. The Prosecco Hills are exactly that: Bisol 1542’s Cartizze Dry and Nino Franco’s Primo Franco in Valdobbiadene, Villa Sandi in Crocetta del Montello, plus Jermann and Livio Felluga across the regional border in Friuli, a deliberate day trip rather than a local stop. The Euganean Hills’ wine is smaller and local: Il Pianzio, 4km from the anchor course, makes Jenio, a Colli Euganei DOC Cabernet Sauvignon.

Abano’s thermal water, and none in Prosecco

The Euganean Hills are built around Abano Terme, one of Italy’s oldest spa towns: GB Thermae Hotels Abano anchors a cluster of thermal pools within walking distance of each other. Lake Garda has its own thermal peninsula at Sirmione, Aquaria Terme di Sirmione, plus Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda, the region’s flagship eco-luxury spa. The Prosecco Hills have no thermal water at all in this guide: it is the one leg of a Veneto trip built purely on golf and wine.

When to go, and which base

April ranks first in the Euganean Hills, October at Lake Garda, September in the Prosecco Hills. Airports favour Lake Garda, 14km from Verona, while the Euganean Hills and Prosecco Hills are both roughly 50km from Venice. Pick Euganean Hills & Abano for the thermal town and easy Venice access, Lake Garda & Valpolicella for the widest course choice and the Amarone estates (it also reaches into Lombardy), and Prosecco Hills & Asolo for the UNESCO vineyards if you are prepared to skip the spa.