While the Veneto as a whole is building less, the province of Venice is bucking the trend. According to the 2026 regional outlook by Ance Veneto, the regional builders' association, presented in Venice on 3 October, the metropolitan city of Venice recorded in 2024 a 13.9% rise in permits for new homes compared with the previous year: the strongest growth in the region.

The numbers in the report

The regional picture is mixed. Alongside Venice's +13.9%, Padova (+5.8%) and Verona (+1.7%) also grew, while Rovigo held steady. Treviso (-5.2%), Vicenza (-19.2%) and above all Belluno, where permits fell by 32.4%, all declined. The result is a regional average that has practically stalled: 7,142 homes authorised, 0.7% fewer than the previous year.

Overall, however, the sector is doing well. Construction investment in the Veneto is expected to grow by 5.9% in real terms in 2026, above the national average, and building accounts for 12.4% of regional GDP and 6.5% of employment. Some 591 projects funded by the PNRR, Italy's post-pandemic recovery plan, are nearing completion. “The sector is proving central to the economic and social resilience of the area,” said Ance Veneto president Alessandro Gerotto.

Why the Venice area is growing

The report attributes the metropolitan city's growth to two drivers: demand for housing in urban centres, and tourism and hospitality. It is the second that matters most for the coast. The province of Venice is home to some of Italy's busiest seaside resorts, and a significant share of the new-build market consists of second homes, holiday apartments and accommodation facilities.

Jesolo and growth upwards

In Jesolo this trend takes a specific shape: the town is growing vertically. In piazza Le Corbusier, between the hospital and piazza Milano, the Richard Meier Tower, 85 metres and 25 storeys designed by American architect Richard Meier, is nearing completion: it is the centrepiece of the Jesolo Lido Design District. Behind piazza Brescia, on via Domenico Modugno, the Wave Twin Towers, two 88-metre, 25-storey twin towers, have their structures and façades finished: work now focuses on interior finishes and building systems, with handover expected by the end of 2026.

It is a development model that builds upwards to free up space at ground level, and it is changing the Lido's skyline: from a stretch of low-rise apartment blocks to a line of towers visible from the beach.

A provincial figure

Ance's report works at provincial level: the +13.9% refers to the entire metropolitan city, which includes Venice, Mestre, Chioggia, eastern Veneto and the whole coastline, Jesolo included. The available data are therefore provincial. What can be said is that the province building the most is also the one where tourism weighs most heavily. And looking at Jesolo, beyond the new homes, what stands out above all is its vertical growth: the new tower sites are the most visible part of this growth.

Frequently asked questions

How much did building permits grow in the province of Venice?

By 13.9% in 2024 compared with 2023, according to Ance Veneto's 2026 regional outlook: the highest growth in the Veneto.

And in the rest of the Veneto?

The regional average is essentially flat: 7,142 homes authorised, 0.7% fewer. Padova and Verona grew, while Treviso, Vicenza and Belluno declined.

Does the +13.9% refer to Jesolo alone?

No. The report's data are on a provincial basis: the +13.9% covers the whole metropolitan city of Venice, Jesolo included.

What are Jesolo's major construction projects?

The most visible are the Richard Meier Tower, 85 metres tall in piazza Le Corbusier, which is nearing completion, and the Wave Twin Towers, two 88-metre towers behind piazza Brescia, where work is under way on finishes and building systems.

Who wrote the report?

Ance Veneto, the regional builders' association, which presented it in Venice on 3 October 2026.

*Photo: Abdulvahap Demir / Pexels*