Treviso is like a small Venice with fewer tourists and crowds. Its historical walled centre is dotted with medieval churches, cobblestone streets, red-brick palaces and tiny old canals that connect buildings, gardens and piazzas. This is a pleasant, prosperous town of parks, rivers and 81,000 inhabitants – friendly inhabitants they are too. Treviso markets itself as the city of water and though not exactly Venice it does have a very pleasant river and attractive canals - a sort of mini-Venice in a way.
Being the home of Benetton it is also a very prosperous place and the shops you find are mostly of the quality designer/very expensive variety. The main shopping axis extends from Corso del Popolo through Piazza dei Signori and into via Calmaggiore.
For those who love antiques the Mercatino D'Antiquariato, held on the fourth Sunday of each month, has some real gems and a whole lot of rubbish too. It is a great way to spend a day and even if you don’t buy much you'll experience really genuine Italian hustle and bustle - I love it!
The main historical sights that are worth seeing include the Piazza dei Signori and the Palazzo dei Trecento behind the Piazza – both are of 15th century origin.
The simple yet moving 13th century Church of San Francesco is a particular favorite of mine and is a place in which a sense of peace prevails, a nice place to sit quietly when no one is around .
A few of the other notable places include the St Peter's Cathedral of Treviso (originally built in the 6th century but completely rebuilt in the 18th century) and the Loggia dei Cavalieri which was once a 13th century club for the rich.
Don’t miss the famous Prosecco wine route (Strada del Prosecco). This is Italy’s oldest wine route and provides the opportunity to sample local produce and the slightly sparkling Prosecco white wine. Read more about this route and others in our Veneto wine route guide.
