Italy’s Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, north-east of Venice, were on Sunday declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The hills, which have been cultivated for centuries, gained their new status at UNESCO’s meeting following a nomination process that took more than 10 years.
The Prosecco sparkling white, which has the highest classification available to an Italian wine, is produced in a territory spread over nine provinces.
While the region spans over 500 towns, only 15 make Prosecco Superiore DOCG, the top-quality bubbly produced in Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, where complex geology is thought to make for a more diverse, flavourful taste.
The new World Heritage Site status is expected to promote awareness, encourage tourism and boost the local economy.
The Prosecco Hills are the eighth UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Veneto region, the 55th site in Italy, and the 10th site in the world to be registered under the category of “cultural landscape”.