Treviso, Italy. Cityscape image of historical center of Treviso, Italy at sunrise. Photo / 123rf
Treviso, Italy. Cityscape image of historical center of Treviso, Italy at sunrise. Photo / 123rf
Venice has been spoiled by tourists – so head to its unheralded neighbour instead. Treviso offers the same combination of canals and culture, with cheaper hotels and fewer visitors, writes Sarah Lane
Venice in the summer months resembles a city-wide game of sardines, withhotels and restaurants booked up, scrums at the entrance to every major church or attraction, and human traffic jams that stretch from St Mark’s to the Rialto. But peace and quiet is just a 30-minute train ride away, in the form of Treviso.
Ironically, hundreds of thousands of tourists already flock to Treviso every year. They then immediately board a shuttle bus and leave again. That’s because Treviso Airport (artfully rebranded “Venice-Treviso”) is used by penny-pinching, low-cost airlines – most notably Ryanair – as a cheaper gateway to the Floating City, some 20 miles away.
The northern Italian town of Treviso in the province of Veneto, it is located close to Treviso, Padua and, Vicenza. Photo / 123rf
But Treviso is much more than just an airport. Its charming walled centre is full of surprises, with something to see at each corner: it has its own canals, as well as postcard-pretty rivers overhung with greenery, plus frescoed facades and intriguing art. Food and wine take a lead role – one of the world’s favourite desserts, tiramisi, originated here, there are plenty of characterful osterias and the Prosecco hills are nearby. Despite 400 years as part of the Venetian Republic, the town displays a strong personality of its own – all with the added benefits of cheaper hotels and fewer visitors.
Treviso has long been a colourful place. Between about 1200 and 1400 facades throughout the centre were painted with bright frescoes, some resembling tapestry designs, others depicting legends or religious themes, and numerous patches of faded yet delicately decorative colour remain.
Fourteenth-century artist Tomaso da Modena also left his mark, with impressive paintings in several churches including detailed portraits of 40 Dominicans at San Nicolo and the vibrant Saint Ursula cycle on display at Museo Santa Caterina.
Treviso is Italy’s other city of water…
Water is a graceful and almost constant presence in Treviso. The Sile and Botteniga rivers edge the historic centre between grassy, tree-lined banks and the wide 16th-century town walls (ideal for running, walking or cycling) and weave through the town itself via a series of canals punctuated by ancient waterwheels and contemporary sculptures. Ponte Dante, the bridge spanning the confluence of the Cagnan canal and River Sile, was known in the past as Ponte dell’Impossibile for the seemingly hopeless task of building a crossing at that point.
In 1389 Treviso chose to join the thriving Venetian Republic, and one of its most curious monuments, Fontana delle Tette (the fountain of the breasts) was given to the city by Venice in 1559 to celebrate the end of a drought. From then until the fall of the republic (1797) the statue would spout wine instead of water – red from one breast, white from the other – for three days each autumn, with all citizens able to drink for free. Sadly the tradition no longer continues, but you can see the fountain in the Casa da Noal Museum.
…and Italian wine in Prosecco country
Treviso is very much tied to its surrounding territory, or Marca, which includes the vine-covered hills of the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG (Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin) area, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Wineries offer tours and tastings and multiple events are held each spring for Primavera del Prosecco.
Prosecco’s other DOCG area, Asolo, around the attractive historic town of the same name, overlaps with the small Montello wine area, whose forests were once the exclusive source of wood for boat-building in Venice. While Montello DOCG wines are cabernet and merlot-based, the Giusti winery is also investing in a forgotten local grape, recantina, which makes seductively smooth, fruity red wines. Along with accommodation (see below) the winery has the striking ruins of an 11th-century abbey on its estate with an on-site wine bar (open Friday-Sunday).
Back in Treviso, join the locals for an aperitivo – a daily ritual here – with a spritz, prosecco, or other local wine such as the still white Incrocio Manzoni. A popular place for a glass and mini-panino is Vecia Hostaria dai Naneti, a laid-back deli-style bar dating from 1896. Osteria Muscoli’s, one of many simple, long-standing wooden-tabled wine bars also serving meals, sits opposite the pretty, tree-lined Pescheria island, created in the 19th century to house the fish market. The panino al Prosecco is a classic snack here: bread soaked in prosecco and filled with mortadella, aioli and cheese.
A taste of Treviso
Thanks to Treviso’s position, the cuisine offers a good balance of seafood, meat and vegetables. A prime product is the red-leaved radicchio trevigiano and risotto al radicchio is a regular on menus, while bigoli in salsa (thick spaghetti with anchovy and onion sauce) is the most typical pasta dish. Jars of the tasty sauce, together with preserved radicchio and countless other speciality foods, are on sale at the boutique-style Fermi by the Pescheria.
But the city’s real claim to fame in terms of gastronomy is the tiramisu, which first appeared on a restaurant menu in 1972 at Le Beccherie (see below) and is celebrated each October with the Tiramisu World Cup competition for amateurs.
A slice of Tiramisu from the Restaurant Alle Beccherie; Treviso claims that Tiramisu was invented in the 1970s by Ada Camp.
A destination for any time of year, Treviso makes an ideal base for exploring the nearby wine areas, countryside and coast, for visiting Venetian villas and escaping crowded Venice, but most of all it’s simply a lovely place to be, with an understated elegance and charm that gets under your skin. All those Ryanair passengers who flock straight to La Serenissima are missing a trick.
