Veneto
Hike among awe-inspiring and noble limestone peaks, meander in a fairyland of scenic villages, alpine flora and green meadows which descend the wine-producing tranquil plains and gentle hills laced with vineyards, colourful orchards, and explore the flat landscapes dotted by elegant Palladian villas ready to reveal their many cultural treasures.
- Treviso, originally built by the Romans, is a delightfully authentic and very prosperous provincial capital splitting into three gleaming canals, which flow between the buttressed and corbelled houses. The heart of the city is Piazza dei Signori, which resembles an outdoor sitting room flanked by magnificent pink brick palazzo, where beneath its porticoes noblemen often played chess. The Cathedral houses works by Titian, the churches of San Nicola and Santa Caterina offer stunning 14th Century frescoes by Tommaso di Modena. Visit a local ‘Osteria’ and try the famous radicchio rosso salad, originating from this town.
- Route 53 leads west towards Vicenza, a Mecca for lovers of great architecture. Here too water plays a part in the urban style, but is more as a backdrop to spectacular buildings and their impeccably proportioned facades, Vicenza is a showcase for Andrea Palladio, nevertheless, the town offers many spectacular monuments preceding Palladio, a not to be missed rarity is the Casa Pigafetta, playful example of Gothic style.
- Verona (found on our website under 'Cities'), the stunning opera venue, the city of Romeo, whose house is on Via Arche Scaligere, and Juliet, whose balcony is on Via Cappello. Sant’Anastasia is a must see, with its impressive baptismal font; this Romanesque cathedral embodies an exquisite art, as does the unforgettable San Zeno Maggiore, a masterpiece of northern Italia. This vibrant little city must definitely be visited, particularly during the opera festival period, from the middle of June to the beginning of September.
- The lesser known treasures of the Veneto are: Chioggia, replete with a vast cathedral, fine palazzo and a warren of canals.
- Rovigo, home to the great Accademia dei Concordi, an ornate belltower
- Follina’s Romanesque abbey of San Pietro di Foletto
- Padua, the second oldest university town in Europe, with its 16th Century anatomy theatre in the Bo, the palazzo which house the Law School and the desk from which Galileo gave his lectures.
- Just a quick run north to Bassano del Grappa, home to the delicious and heady after-dinner spirit, and picturesque location of a wooden bridge built in the 16th Century by Palladio.
