Ville Venete: identity, under tourism and AI

The Associazione per le Ville Venete - APS, together with the Istituto Regionale Ville Venete (IRVV) and the Regione del Veneto, successfully promotes the heritage of the Ville Venete (over 4,300 catalogued) through the Giornata delle Ville Venete. Now in its fifth edition in 2026 (scheduled every year on the third weekend of October – 17 and 18 October 2026), the event has established itself as a consolidated best practice in experiential tourism.

Over four years, the event has attracted more than 75,000 visitors, engaging over 100 Villas across Veneto and Friuli, which open their doors offering unique and immersive thematic experiences. It is not simply a matter of rediscovering a heritage, but of experiencing it authentically: from overnight stays to wine tastings, from costumed historical re-enactments to guided visits with the owners, and from landscape storytelling (a new cluster introduced this year) to admiring the autumn foliage.

Born from the will of the Doges, the Ville Venete continue to narrate Venetian history in an authentic yet still largely unknown way. For this reason, the initiative positions itself as a virtuous model of under-tourism, communicating to the traveller the lesser-known face of the city of Venice: La Civiltà di Villa. Hence the tagline 'You cannot truly know Venice if you do not know the Ville Venete'. The focus will also touch upon the theme of digital innovation: this year, the discussion will centre on the Algoritmo Villa Veneta, artificial intelligence, travel content creators, and how these tools can help to influence and promote the tourism of the future in an ethical and positive manner.