Cison di Valmarino and CastelBrando: Visitor Guide
Cison di Valmarino is a small village in the north of the Prosecco hills, one of the 15 DOCG communes and part of the UNESCO core zone. Above it stands CastelBrando, a castle owned by the Brandolini counts until 1959 and now a hotel. Its gardens are open without booking; guided tours run on Sundays and holidays (€13–15). The vineyard hamlet of Rolle is about 5 km away.
- Time needed2–3 hours, with Rolle
- MapOpen in Google Maps
On this page
What it is
Cison di Valmarino is a village of about 2,400 people at 261 m, in the north of the Prosecco hills (Wikipedia, Italian). It’s one of the “Borghi più belli d’Italia” and has held the Touring Club’s orange flag since 2019 (same source). It’s one of the 15 DOCG communes and part of the UNESCO core zone.
Most visitors come for CastelBrando, the large castle on the hill above the village.
CastelBrando
All history below comes from the castle’s own history page.
- Origins: the castle says the first fort was Roman, guarding the Via Claudia Augusta. In the Middle Ages it belonged to the da Camino lords.
- Venice: the Republic gave it as a fief to Marin Faliero, then to the captains Brandolino da Bagnacavallo and Erasmo da Narni, known as Gattamelata.
- The Brandolini: the family enlarged it in the 16th century. The 18th-century horseshoe-shaped wing is by Ottavio Scotti of Treviso. They owned it until 1959, when they sold it to the Salesian fathers.
- Today: a private company bought and restored it in 1997. It’s now a four-star hotel with a spa, restaurants and a conference centre.
Visiting. The gardens and outer terraces are open without booking. The castle’s 260 rooms can only be seen with a guide (CastelBrando FAQ). The visits office, next to the hotel lobby, is open on Sundays and holidays: October to March 10:30–12:00 and 14:00–18:00, April to September 10:30–12:00 and 14:30–18:30. A guide leaves once 4 people are waiting. Tours are in Italian or English (CastelBrando).
| Tour | What it covers | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Inside and outside the castle, the arms exhibition and the old prisons (“Potere e Giustizia”) | 1 h | €13 |
| B | Tour A plus the historical costumes and the Church of San Martino | 1 h 15 min | €15 |
Children up to 5 go free; ages 6–11 pay half. Prices checked 14 October 2026. A panoramic funicular runs up from a station in the valley, where the castle shop is (CastelBrando). We couldn’t confirm its hours or fare.
The village and Rolle
- The Loggia: built in 1647–1648 to a design by Michel Zambianco. Restored between 1993 and 2002, it now holds a theatre (Wikipedia, Italian).
- The parish church of Santi Giovanni Battista e Maria Assunta: begun in 1683 and consecrated in 1746 (same source).
- Bosco delle Penne Mozze: a memorial wood with more than 2,000 steles by Simon Benetton for the Alpini of the province of Treviso who died in war (same source).
- Rolle: a tiny hamlet among the vineyards, about 5 km by road. It’s on the list of places protected by FAI, Italy’s national trust (Visit Prosecco Hills).
Events. Artigianato Vivo is a craft fair in the village streets; its 45th edition ran 8–16 August 2026. The Christmas event, Stelle a Natale, runs on 5–8 and 12–13 December 2026 (Pro Loco, Artigianato Vivo).
How to get there
| From | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Venice, Piazzale Roma | Car | About 1 h 14 min, 88 km |
| Vittorio Veneto | MOM bus 117 (Monday to Saturday) | About 25 min |
| Conegliano | Car | About 29 min, 22 km |
| Valdobbiadene | Car | About 21 min, 17 km |
| Follina | MOM bus 117 | About 7 min |
Car times are OpenStreetMap routing estimates without traffic, checked 14 October 2026. Bus times are from the MOM timetables for the 2026–2027 school year.
There’s no railway station. The easiest public-transport route is the train to Vittorio Veneto, then bus 117: on weekdays it runs roughly once an hour, with some gaps, to the “Cison Via Italia” stop. MOM publishes no Sunday timetable for line 117. Line 139 from Conegliano via Tarzo runs only a few times a day on weekdays.
Time needed
Allow an hour for the castle gardens, or two with a guided tour. Add an hour for Rolle. It pairs well with Follina, 7 minutes away by bus.
Tours that include Cison di Valmarino
Ride
Valdobbiadene: Prosecco Hills Horseback Riding Tour
Guided horseback ride through the Prosecco Hills with equestrian equipment, with views of the hamlet of Rolle.
From €58on GetYourGuide →
Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 23 September 2026; they change, so check the live page. We earn a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you. How this works.
Frequently asked questions
Can you visit CastelBrando without staying there?
Yes. The gardens and outer panoramic terraces are open without booking. The castle's rooms can only be seen on a guided tour: tours start from the visits office on Sundays and holidays, with a minimum of 4 people, and run on other days by booking (+39 0438 9761, visite@castelbrando.it). Tour A takes 1 hour and costs €13; tour B takes 1 hour 15 minutes and costs €15 (CastelBrando, checked 14 October 2026).
How do I get to Cison di Valmarino from Venice?
By car it's about 88 km and 1 hour 14 minutes (OpenStreetMap routing, no traffic, checked 14 October 2026). Without a car, take the train to Vittorio Veneto (1 h 14 min direct, or about 1 h 26 min with a change at Conegliano, €7.90, Trenitalia), then MOM bus 117 to Cison (about 25 minutes, Monday to Saturday).
Is Cison di Valmarino in the Prosecco area?
Yes. It's one of the 15 communes of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, and its hills are in the core zone of the UNESCO World Heritage site (UNESCO site management).
Where is Rolle?
Rolle is a hamlet of Cison di Valmarino, about 5 km by road from the village (OpenStreetMap routing). The poet Andrea Zanzotto called it a "postcard sent by the gods" (Visit Prosecco Hills).