A guided tour to discover Treviso, “the most frescoed city in Italy.” Treviso is a city that has always left its visitors enchanted: impossible to forget its lively and clear waters, ploughed by the wheels of mills , overlooked by ancient frescoed buildings — even today there are about 500 of them! And indeed Treviso is a real urbs picta, a painted city. It was precisely the beauty of this setting at once urban and natural, as well as the joy and lightheartedness of its living, that made Treviso famous in the Middle Ages: the Marca Gioiosa et Amorosa Has inspired many poets: “Treviso that of clear fountains all laughs, and of the pleasure of love that here is fine” wrote Fazio degli Uberti. Also. Dante remembered Treviso in the Divine Comedy.
The best way to fall in love with Treviso is to walk around paying attention to your surroundings: for centuries legions of fresco painters have filled Treviso’s facades and porticoes with images. So our tour will be a journey through art, history, architecture, but also eroticism, faith and literature. Indeed, over time Treviso’s facades have welcomed painted tapestries, geometric motifs (such as those in imitation of the Doge’s Palace in Venice), faux architecture, old-fashioned friezes, putti, saints, sensual nudes, scenes of courtly love, from the romances of chivalry, from the poems of Petrarch…
Seen from the outside, Treviso is a fortress city, enclosed since the 1500s in the mighty Venetian walls. But inside, the urban fabric is still medieval, and the walls of the houses are a veritable code book, which I will help you decipher.
But in addition to art and history, there is another reason to visit Treviso: the city is a cornerstone of Italian food and wine: from wine to cheeses, from cured meats to the famous radicchio… Treviso is the capital of prosecco and… the home of Tiramisu!
Proposed itinerary
This tour can be adapted to the visitor’s needs. Ideal starting point is the St. Thomas Gate, surely the most representative building of the Venetian period, but for the convenience of those arriving by train, it is also possible to start from thetrain station.
Whatever our starting point, the walk to the very elegant Piazza dei Signori, the political and vital heart of the city, is a true journey through history. Along our route we will see some of the recurring subjects in Treviso exterior painting, faux tapestries, plant and architectural elements, as well as scenes of courtly life and paintings from the Mannerist era. Also from an architectural point of view, the tour explores all the historical phases of Treviso, from the early centuries to the present day. The bombing of Treviso during World War II, inflicted various damages to the city’s historical and artistic heritage, so next to the ancient buildings, there are numerous examples of 20th century architecture. But much else has been saved, including in the Palazzo dei Trecento, where it is still possible to read some original frescoes from the 13th century. The area surrounding the square, bustling with stores and typical taverns, contains a wide variety of artistic styles. Many transitional frescoes between the Gothic and Renaissance periods can be found in the porticoes that line the Calmaggiore, the city’s main historic artery, but we will also see those in the magnificent Ca’ dei Ricchi, a building masterpiece of the florid Gothic period.
We will visit the Loggia dei Cavalieri, whose frescoes, taken from the Romanzo di Troia cycle, will immerse us in the refined culture that the city experienced during the Middle Ages. We will then reach some of the most evocative and romantic corners of the city, such as the ancient Ospitale di Santa Maria dei Battuti, theFish Market Island overlooked by the Ca’ dei Carraresi, the Buranelli canal, the apses of the Cathedral…
And if it’s aperitif time, I’ll be happy to show you some of my favorite osterias, where you can enjoy immersed in beauty delicious cicchetti accompanied by a spritz, or an excellent glass of Prosecco di Valdobbiadene DOCG.
Customizable
The Treviso itinerary can focus on different aspects of the city’s history, and include visits to various artistic sites such as:
- Cathedral Cathedral of St. Peter
- Church of St. Nicholas
- Church of St. Francis
- St. Catherine Museum
- Luigi Bailo Museum
This itinerary is proposed by:
Manuel Meneghel – tour guide
Qualifications: Italian, English
Tel. +393493078255
Email: manuel.meneghel@goguide.it
Website: venezialibertina.com
P.IVA: 04561760275
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The itineraries in this guidebook:
