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Italy.qxp_St Enodoc 20.07.2016 14.03 Side 1 NORTHERN ITALY Verdi,daVinci and GREAT GOLF F. Gallina F. 80 GREAT GOLF MAGAZINE 81 Italy.qxp_St Enodoc 20.07.2016 14.03 Side 3 F. Gallina F. M. Crivellari M. Crivellari Archivio PromoTurismoFVG Friuli Venezia Giulia veneto or far too many British tourists, the experience of The highlight of the Par 72, 6,051m course are the four par lacking the beauty of Grado, but with a similarly well-stocked GLORIOUS VILLAS. Around Venice and Treviso, courses include northeast Italy ends at Venice. There may be a hearty fives, all different, all scenic and all tough. The toughest hole on clubhouse. This one is not to be missed. Golf Jesolo, close to the sea, the Arnold Palmer-designed Golf Ca’ band of skiers heading further afield during the winter the course awaits us on only the second hole, a 520m beast where della Nave where huge bunkers and extensive artificial lakes make Fmonths but few travellers and even fewer golfers head the fairway swings right, crosses a lake at 200m and gradually VENETO. Long a visitor magnet, the Veneto region is Italy’s most for a challenging round, and two courses laid out around glorious east along the silver-grey waters of the lagoon. If only tapers towards the distant green. popular tourist destination, thanks to historic cities such as 18th-century villas: Golf Club Ca’ Amata, with its clubhouse they knew how much they were missing. What was the first hole, a terrifying island par three, modelled on Venice, Verona, Treviso and Padua, the spa town of Abano Terme, flanked by a 300-year-old villa, and Golf Club Villa Condulmer, Some 70 miles away on the road to Trieste lies the historic old the equally daunting 17th at Sawgrass in Florida, is now the last, numerous surviving classical villas designed by Andrea Palladio which features a Par 71 course alongside a grandiose villa, now city of Grado and its even more ancient neighbour, Aquileia, both giving high handicappers a chance to get into their stride before and a landscape that incorporates 110km of Adriatic coastline, converted into a five-star hotel where famous guests have included of which predate seventh-century Venice. As well as producing facing its horrors. Lake Garda and the lofty Dolomites. US President Ronald Reagan. the finest white wines in Italy and some hearty rustic cooking to Grado is easy walking, with a most welcoming clubhouse, as It is also foodie heaven, with risotto, white asparagus, polenta, Padua and nearby Abano Terme have golf amidst hilly enjoy, not to mention the exceptional fish dishes, there is also are the other two most picturesque courses that should be enjoyed bigoli pasta, tiramisu and Gran Padano cheese typical of the region’s backdrops. The 27-hole Golf della Montecchia boasts a classically some terrific golf to be played. whilst in the region. First is the delightful Castello di Spessa some cuisine, washed down by local Prosecco, Amarone or Soave wines. designed clubhouse noted for its Michelin-starred restaurant, And none more so than at Golf Club Grado, a favourite of 30 minutes away. Had Walt Disney designed a golf course, it Its golf courses are spread across the region and even include Alaimo, and the adjacent Conte Emo Capodilista castle. Golf Ryder Cup player Costantino Rocca who can regularly be seen would most certainly have been this one with its beautiful castle one within Venice itself – the 80-year-old Circolo Golf Venezia, Club Frassanelle is laid out in the grounds of a 500-acre, 19th- playing and joking with members over a glass of Friulian wine. and bountiful vineyards as a backdrop. or Venice Golf Club, which lies partly within a Napoleonic fort century country park, its clubhouse offering grandstand views. Owner, Ivan Marzola, and his director of golf, Marko Prekic, Enjoy a wine tasting here every bit as much as the golf, as well at the southern tip of the Lido island and which can be reached The picturesque, landscaped fairways and greens of 27-hole Golf have transformed the course since taking the lease back from a as an excellent meal in the welcoming clubhouse. This is not a by vaporetto water bus from right by the Doge’s Palace in the Club Padova border the 17th-century Villa Barbarigo. hotel chain. long course, but perfect for a relaxing and enjoyable round. city’s heart. Verona Golf Club, an eco-friendly club near the city famous Play there and you follow in the spike marks of the good, the great for Shakespearean lovers Romeo and Juliet, has an established, ALPINE BACKDROP. Now the fairways are lush and the greens LIGNANO. The designer of Grado, Marco Croze, also built and the bad; Hitler, Mussolini and the Duke of Windsor all walked parkland course that launched the professional career of Italy’s true with some treacherous breaks and subtle roll-offs. With the Lignano, the third course to play at some 50 minutes away. Big its fairways, while three Italian Opens and other tournaments have most successful golfer, Constantino Rocca, when he won his first lagoon setting against an Alpine backdrop, a fine day makes for a hitters should score well here provided the ball is kept in play, drawn golf greats Henry Cotton, Arnold Palmer, Tony Jacklin, Seve tournament there in 1989. wonderful, if challenging round where placement is much more otherwise overhanging trees can make shots into the greens all but Ballesteros and Lee Trevino, besides home favourites Costantino In the north lie Asolo Golf Club, with 27 holes bordering important than power. impossible. At 6,345m off the back tees, Lignano is a tough test, Rocca, Edoardo and Francesco Molinari and Matteo Manassero. forested hills, and the spectacular Asiago Golf Club, a 82 GREAT GOLF MAGAZINE 83 Italy.qxp_St Enodoc 20.07.2016 14.03 Side 5 emilia romagnA mountain course set on a 1,000m plateau in the shadow of the of low dunes with groves of trees, water hazards and elevated tees Dolomites and designed by Peter Harradine. Golfers can stay on a site surrounded by the Po Delta regional park. on site at the luxury Meltar Boutique Hotel, which features its Modena Golf & Country Club was designed by Bernhard Langer Mountain Spa. and provides golfers with a technical challenge encompassing bunkers and water hazards galore on its championship course as EMILIA ROMAGNA. Straddling the ancient Via Aemilia Roman well as a nine-hole executive course. Modena’s off-course road that is now the A1 and A414 highways, linking the coastal attractions take in historic edifices such as its UNESCO-listed resort of Rimini with the north-western town of Piacenza, Emilia cathedral, the newly crowned best restaurant in the world, Osteria Romagna is a region of gastronomy, fast cars, medieval towns and Francescana, and the Enzo Ferrari Museum – he was born in the cities, wine, beaches…and golf. city and founded the Ferrari marque there. Nearly 20 courses offer the chance to play on a variety of layouts Modena is known as the world’s supercar capital, with the likes when not enjoying the region’s other pleasures. There are three of Lamborghini and Maserati produced in the area and nearby courses by the Adriatic, among them the American-style Adriatic Maranello the home of Ferrari and its F1 team. Golf Club Cervia, the front nine holes of which are links-style, and Parma needs no introduction for its delicious ham. Courses in Rimini Golf Club, overlooking the principality of San Marino. the area include the hilly San Valentino, Matilde di Canossa and Imola is famous for its Formula One race track and the historic Del Ducato golf clubs. town was home to Leonardo da Vinci. Further inland, regional Between Parma and Piacenza, Salsomaggiore Golf & Thermae lies capital Bologna is known for its famous spaghetti dish and boasts 360m above sea level, while Croara Country Club is halfway one of the world’s oldest universities. It also has golf close by in between the River Trebbia and Apennines foothills and hosted the the shape of the long Le Fonti Golf Club course at Castel San first Ladies Italian Open, in 1987. GGM Pietro Terme, featuring an island green, and Bologna Golf Club, designed by Henry Cotton and John Harris in 1959 and later updated by Peter Alliss. GOOD TO KNOW ARGENTA AND MODENA. North-east of Bologna, between For further information on Italy Golf & More, please download the brochure Ferrara and Ravenna, Argenta Golf Club features a rolling terrain at www.italygolfand.more.com 84 GREAT GOLF MAGAZINE.