Treviso is a major town 30km north of Venice. I came for just two nights in October 2020 but used it as a base for a visit to Maniago in Fruili (future post), so this is just a very brief survey. All the places mentioned and more can be found on my Google map. My food and drink experiences in Treviso are in the following post.
Treviso is sometimes known as Little Venice due to its canals. The most famous of these is the Canale dei Buranelli, named after the merchants from Burano whose warehouses were next to the canal.
Click on this gallery to expand the pics.
The city centre is very picturesque and a pleasure to walk around. The main focal point is Piazza dei Signori where you can find the historical seat of the municipal council, the Palazzo dei Trecento, built in 1185.
Another important landmark is the Loggia dei Cavalieri (Lodge of Knights), historically another meeting place for the upper classes but now used for concerts and exhibitions. Dating from 1276, it’s an example of Treviso Romanesque architecture, with Byzantine influences.
More recent is the impressive neo-Gothic Palazzo Littorio in Piazza San Vito.
And there are many other lovely old buildings and porticoed streets.
Another sight to seek out is the Fontana Delle Tette, a marble fountain created in 1559 depicting a topless woman squeezing her breasts. Each year, to celebrate the election of a new Podestà (mayor), the fountain flowed with free wine for three days (red wine from one breast, white from the other).
The original, damaged by Napoleonic soldiers who saw it as a symbol of local power, is now on display in the Palazzo dei Trecento.
And that is all I saw during my short stay. It is a lovely town, but one word of caution about personal security at the train station. My phone was stolen from my back pocket as I was walking down the platform stairs with a heavy bag in each hand. I actually noticed the theft straight away and chased and caught up with the pickpocket but when he denied taking it there was very little I could do other than fight him for it which I wasn’t prepared to do. The police couldn’t do anything, although they did go out to look for the guy, but it didn’t matter too much as the criminals couldn’t open it (fingerprint security) and it was an old phone anyway. Hopefully a salutary lesson nonetheless.
Moving on, eating and drinking in Treviso next!