The Venissa Wine Resort, located on the island of Mazzorbo in the Venetian Lagoon a mere 40 minutes by ferry from Venice, offers an abundance of options for travelers looking for a unique and entirely off-the-beaten-track experience. The estate's charming 6-room guesthouse is the epitome of laid-back, minimalist elegance. Located on the bottom floor of the guesthouse is a casual osteria serving delicious local fare, while across the grounds is Venissa's Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurant, which has become a sought-after destination for local and international foodies thanks to the chefs' creative, innovative take on the hyper-local ingredients used in their dishes, many of which come from the estate's beautiful heirloom garden. There is also a fascinating walled vineyard on the property: in fact, Venissa is best known for the white wine it produces from the Dorona varietal, native to the Venetian Lagoon but long forgotten until Gianluca Bisol, Venissa's owner, discovered and planted an abandoned vine on Mazzorbo nearly fifteen years ago. In addition to tours of the vineyard and guided wine tastings, visitors to Venissa have the rare opportunity to completely immerse themselves into Venetian Lagoon culture by way of boating excursions, rowing lessons with the Rowing Club of Burano, photography exhibitions, and private tours of largely undiscovered sites on the most ancient islands of the Venetian Lagoon.