Americans have quite a fondness for prosecco, with statistics from a leading beverage industry data firm showing that 42% of U.S. consumers had drunk the sparkling wine in 2023. But American tourists by and large aren’t heading to Conegliano or Valdobbiadene, where prosecco comes from. So of course those towns were on the itinerary a few months ago when two of my best friends from Wisconsin visited me in Vicenza.

Conegliano and Valdobbiadene form one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world. On the roughly 90-minute drive from Vicenza, the pretty scenery starts about an hour into the journey. For this day trip you’ll want a designated driver, a role that we delegated to my husband.