The province of Treviso has been known in Italy since time immemorial. It is here on the Alpine plateau of Cancillo that a beech forest grows, from which gondolas have been made since the days of the Venetian Republic. Bosco della Serenissima or the forest of the Most Serene Republic of Venice is not the only attraction in the province. Its administrative center is located in the city of the same name and when asked what to see in Treviso, local guides answer in detail and in detail. The fortified city has preserved ancient walls with historic gates, museum exhibitions showcase archaeological values found in the vicinity of Treviso, and local churches are decorated with paintings by Titian and Lotto. If you add to all the advantages of the province, the absence of huge crowds of tourists, as in neighboring Venice, Treviso can be an excellent option for spending a small Italian vacation.
TOP 10 attractions in Treviso
City walls and gates
Treviso city walls
In the XIV century. Treviso came under the auspices of the Venetian Republic, leaving the Lombard League. For several decades, he participated in the wars waged by the doji, became dependent on Austria and was ruled by the Duke of Carraresi. Finally, in 1388, the Venetians regained power, and the construction of city ramparts and fortifications began in Treviso.
The walls were renewed in the next century, and have survived to this day very well, given their venerable age. Today in Treviso you can look at the fortress gates and towers - St. Tomazo, Altinia and Forty Saints. They all lead to the historic center, which was surrounded by walls, protecting the inhabitants of Treviso from the attack of foreign invaders.
Church of St. Francis
Church of St. Francis
One of the most famous churches in Treviso was built in the first half of the 13th century. monks of the Franciscan order. Their community, which appeared in the city in 1216, grew so much after a couple of decades that the holy fathers had to build their own monastery.
The temple is a building in which the features of two architectural styles are clearly guessed - late Romanesque and early Gothic. The only nave is supplemented by five chapels, the walls of which were painted by Italian masters of the 13th-14th centuries. The most significant paintings belong to Tommaso da Modena, an outstanding painter of the early Renaissance. His work was influenced by the Sienese school, and in the church of St. Francis the frescoes "Four Evangelists" in the Great Chapel and "Madonna and Child and Seven Saints" stand out.
Another important attraction of the temple is the graves of the children of Dante and Petrarch. Pietro Alighieri and Francesca Petrarca are buried in the church.
Cathedral of Treviso
Cathedral of Treviso
The place where the bishop's chair is located in Treviso, according to Italian tradition, is called the Duomo. The local cathedral was consecrated in honor of St. Peter. The temple was first built on this site in the 6th century. on the foundation of an ancient Roman sanctuary. Then it was reconstructed and redesigned many times. The most significant changes took place in the 11th-12th centuries, when the church received distinct Romanesque features, and then in 1768. This reconstruction left almost nothing of the previous building, and the cathedral turned into a neoclassical building. The latest innovations were made in the appearance of the temple after the end of World War II - restorers liquidated the consequences of the bombing of Treviso.
The most significant relics to be seen in the Treviso duomo are paintings by Titian and his student Paris Bordone. Titian's painting "The Annunciation of Malchiostro" is in the chapel to the left of the altar. The master wrote it in the first third of the 16th century.
It is noteworthy that the bell tower of the cathedral remained unfinished. Construction was halted by the Venetian government. The Doges did not want the Campanilla to be higher than the bell tower in St. Mark's in the city of canals.
Church of San Nicolo
Church of San Nicolo
The largest temple of the 13th century, surpassing even the Duomo in size, in Treviso bears the name of St. Nicholas. Built in a mixed Roman-Gothic style, the church has the shape of a Latin cross on the plan, which is traditional for religious buildings of Catholics. The central part of the main facade of the temple is decorated with a rosette, and the interior is lit with natural light pouring from tall lancet windows. On the northern façade, there are six medallion-shaped windows, into which the sun's rays fall simultaneously on the winter solstice at noon. This effect was achieved by the peculiarities of the design of the temple, oriented strictly to the cardinal points.
The interior is decorated with frescoes by Tomazzo da Modena and sculptures depicting saints. The organ of the temple was made by Gaetano Callido, the greatest craftsman who worked in the second half of the 18th century. The doors covering the organ are decorated with paintings by Giacomo Lauro depicting scenes from the life of Pope Benedict XI.
Signori Square
Signori Square
Piazza dei Signori is the heart of Treviso. The medieval square in the historic center of the city is a great place to see the sights and learn about the history of one of the most beautiful cities in northern Italy.
The square got its name from several palaces of the lords built on it during the Middle Ages. Since then, the square has preserved not only the palazzo, but also sculptures depicting lions. They read the Gospel and symbolize the Venetian Republic, of which Treviso was a part in the Middle Ages.
On the Piazza dei Signori you will also find the Municipal Library, founded in the middle of the 19th century, and an art gallery with dozens of pictorial masterpieces by the masters of the Italian school.
Palazzo dei trecento
Municipality of Treviso
The municipality of Treviso, as is often the case in Italy, occupies a historic mansion in the heart of the city. The mayor and his colleagues sit in the Palazzo dei Trecento, erected between the 13th and 14th centuries. for the needs of the administrative council of medieval Treviso. Then the city government was called the Supreme Council.
The palazzo is built of bricks and has two main floors. The lower tier of the building is decorated with arched passages, the top of the facade is decorated with battlements. On the second floor, there is a row of openwork windows, consisting of three narrow arches, bounded by columns.
The interiors of the palace are decorated with frescoes and paintings made by Venetian artists in the XIV-XVI centuries. The themes of the paintings are civil power and justice, as well as religious subjects.
During the allied bombing of Treviso in 1944, the Tresento Palace was significantly damaged and reopened after restoration at the end of the 40s of the last century.
Fontana delle tette
The fountain
The famous Trevisi fountain, depicting a naked-breasted woman, appeared in the city in 1559. The Fontana Delle Tette was installed in the Praetorian Palace by order of Alvis de Ponte, the former head of the Venetian Republic. The reason for the creation of the sculpture was drought, and wine flowed from the nipples of the statue. The idea was to bring rain to local vineyards and fields.
Over the next few years, the townspeople traditionally took the opportunity to drink free wine during the Venetian Serenissima festivities. Drinks were poured for three days in honor of each new harvest.
The original sculpture is now in the museum, and a copy has been installed in the courtyard of the house on Canova Street.
Monte de Pieta
The former pawnshop building in Treviso is a famous architectural landmark. It began to be built in 1462, and the monks of the Franciscan order also actively participated in the work, wishing to put an end to the predatory business of local usurers. The pawnshop existed unchanged for 200 years, after which the premises were completed, and the warehouse area increased. At the beginning of the 19th century, they tried to turn the former pawnshop into a bank, but a savings financial institution only started working almost a century later.
For tourists walking around Treviso, Monte de Pieta is a particularly interesting site. On one of its inner walls, you can see a stone cross - a remnant of ancient masonry, testifying to the adjoining Saint-Vito temple to the pawnshop. The font, preserved in the former sacristy, dates from the middle of the 16th century, and a fresco depicting the Mother of God with the Child adorns the wall behind which was the storage for the treasures accepted as collateral.
Capella dei Rettori
Capella dei Rettori
The central office of the former pawnshop in Treviso is called the Capella dei Rettori. In this part of the complex of buildings, the pawnshop itself and the adjacent temples of Santa Lucia and San Vito converged. The chapel is decorated with numerous frescoes painted in the middle of the 16th century. masters of the Venetian school. The murals illustrate biblical stories and themes of abundance and poverty, which looks quite logical within the walls of a pawnshop. Attentive visitors will see the scenes of the "Miracle with five loaves and two fish" created by Jesus, the feeding of ravens by Elijah the Prophet and the well-known story about the return of the prodigal son. One of the authors who decorated the dome of the chapel is the artist Ludovico Fiumicelli, who was born in 1500 in Venice and who devoted most of his creative career to painting churches in Treviso.
Pescheria island
Pescheria island
The island of Pesqueria on the Botteniga River is famous for its fish market, which has also become a popular attraction in Treviso. It has existed since time immemorial in the central square and brought characteristic aromas to the daily life of the city in the morning. Unpleasant smells bothered the nobility, and they decided to remove the market from the main square. This is how Isola della Pescheria appeared, for the creation of which it was necessary to carry out difficult reclamation work. The municipal engineer Francesco Bomben directed his own project, which resulted in an island in the city, partly filled, partly assembled from three smaller ones. The distance from residential buildings increased significantly, and the running water of the river carried unsold goods away from the delicate noses of the local nobility.
In the vicinity of the market you will find many souvenir shops and authentic seafood restaurants on the menu, and it is best to watch the most vivid scenes from the life of Treviso fishermen and traders in the early morning.
