Top 8 Things to do in Treviso, Italy! Explore the Best Sights.

Thank you for joining us at “Focus on the Journey” with Wild Meadow Studio where we hope to inspire you to get out there and explore and experience the world and have some fun, while creating your own lasting memories. We want to help make things easier for you by sharing our detailed, well planned, and researched itineraries, recommendations and must-see sights. Travelling to us is more than just a vacation, it’s the chance for an adventure, filled with new experiences!

In this post we will be introducing Treviso, Italy, discussing a brief history and revealing our top 8 things to do! This beautiful town was such a pleasant surprise for us, it was originally a simple overnight on the way up to the Dolomites, but the more I researched, the more excited I got, and it did not disappoint. We hope you’re as excited as we are about these must-see sights. This less-touristy town of Treviso is definitely worth a stopover, whether it’s an overnight or a day trip from Venice, we’re sure you will love it here as much as we did. We stayed at the B&B Hotel Treviso, amazing location, a 4-minute walk to the Duomo and a 10-minute walk to the train station. It was clean, looked recently renovated, had local scenes wallpapered on the walls, which looked nice, had a 9.0 out of 10 review rating and a very reasonable rate! We used Expedia to book, which made it a little cheaper! You can also book tours and activities with Expedia or Viatour and train travel on OMIO app, all very easy to use, reliable and what we recommend. Once you’ve read this post you can check out our other 3 post on the unique city, “1-Day Itinerary for Treviso, Italy – An Easy day trip from Venice.” and “Tips and Recommendations, Your Travel Guide to Treviso, Italy” and for a great recipe, “How to make the Famous Italian Dessert, Tiramisu from Treviso.”

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that I would get a small commission if you decided to make a purchase through one of my links, at no extra cost to you!

    Table of Contents:

1. Introduction to Treviso
2. Treviso’s Historical Run Down
3. Top 8 Things to do in Treviso
4. References
5. The Wrap up

1. Introducing Treviso, Italy:

Treviso is located in the Veneto Region of Northern Italy, 30 mins north of Venice. It’s a walled city with approx. 3,000 inhabitants within the walls and 80,000 in the surrounding municipality. Treviso is known as “Little Venice” because of a series of canals and rivers that run through it. It is definitely a hidden gem, as it’s not overly touristy, but full of historical, beautiful and delicious things to explore. Treviso also has a claim to fame, it is said that Prosecco wine was first produced in the surrounding hills and the popular Italian dessert, tiramisu originated from here! So why not try both!

2. Treviso’s Historical Run Down:

• Treviso first became a municipality, in 89 BC, after the Romans added the area to its domain, at this time it was known as Trevium and was an important centre for trade due to its location on the Sile River.

• During the Roman period Christianity spread to Treviso. St. Prosdocimus a Greek, Bishop, who was ordained by St. Peter, brought the Catholic Faith to Treviso and by the late 300’s AD, the Christian population grew significantly to warrant a resident Bishop, John the Pious.

• During the 12^th century, it became a free community, leading to its political and economic importance.

• By the 15^th century it was under the control of the Republic of Venice. This continued for several centuries. During this time the Venetians fortified the city by building the walls and gates that surround it, which still stand today.

• In the 19^th century Treviso became part of the Austrian Empire until 1866 when it became part of the Kingdom of Italy, after the 3^rd Italian war of Independence.

• A number of Treviso’s building were affected by bombing in both world wars, including the Palazzo dei Trecento and the Duomo.

• Today, it combines its historical intrigue with its modern Italian life, making it a charming place to visit.

3. Top 8 Things to Do in Treviso:

1. Canale dei Buranelli:

This beautiful canal is by far my favourite place to explore in Treviso! North of the town, still within the walls, there is a river called the Bottenia which has 3 canals flowing south from it, towards the southern Sile River, the middle one is the Buranelli canal. The canal got its name from a family of important traders from the island of Burano, close to Venice. Besides the tranquil beauty and relaxing atmosphere of the canal, there are pretty, pedestrian bridges, little shops and restaurants, serving local dishes, medieval and Renaissance palaces, willow trees, porticos and mills alongside it. And it’s located in the historic part of town. If you’re coming to Treviso, this is a definite must-see, a photographer’s paradise!

2. Piazza dei Signori:

Piazza dei Signori is the main town square and its name translates to Lords Square. It got its name because of the Lords Palazzos or Palaces that surround it, including the 13^th century Palazzo del Podesta, the Palazzo Pretorio, with its 17^th century façade and the Palazzo dei Trecento built in the 13^th and 14^th centuries. The square also features several sculptures of the Lion of Saint Mark, which is a symbol of the former domination of the Republic of Venice. There are also lots of cafes and restaurants, a perfect place for a meal, glass of Prosecco, or to people watch. The popular shopping street, via Calmaggiore runs through this area as well.

3. Treviso Duomo (Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle):

This Cathedral is an impressive sight to see, it’s located on the corner of Piazza del Duomo and Via Calmaggiore, not far from Piazza dei Signori. This is a Roman Catholic Cathedral dedicated to Saint Peter. It originated in the 6^thcentury and was built over top of an ancient roman temple, theatre and baths. In the 11^th and 12^th centuries the church was remodeled in the Romanesque style. In 1768 it was demolished and rebuilt in the Neoclassical style, only the original crypt remained. The current façade dates from 1836. On April 7^th, 1944, the Cathedral was involved in the Good Friday bombing and had damage done to its library. Interesting fact, the church has an unfinished bell tower, because the Venetian Government stopped the construction, preventing it from becoming taller than the campanile of St. Mark’s Basilica. Beside the Duomo is the Baptistery of St. Giovanni, which is dedicated to St. John the Baptist, who is the patron Saint of Treviso. It was built in the Romanesque-style in the 12^th century and has beautiful frescos depicting the life of Jesus, both inside the baptistery and out. The impressive wooden doors also dated back to the 12^th century and are an example of medieval woodworking in the Romanesque-style with amazing intricate carvings. If you don’t have time to go inside these buildings, just walking around them is worth it.

4. Via Calmaggiore:

Via Calmaggiore is the historic main street of Treviso. It runs from the Duomo to the Piazza dei Signori. A lot of the sidewalks are covered with beautiful porticos. It’s lined with stately houses, cafes, restaurants and high-ends shops including the United Colours of Benetton, which is where the company originated from. This is a great place to stroll, shop check out some historical places, then end up in the main Piazza for a glass of Prosecco and some Tiramisu!

5. La Fontana delle Tette:

La Fontana delle Tette is an unusual fountain, it translates into English as the Fountain of ….. well, you can see by the picture above! It was originally built in 1559 and features a topless women holding her breasts with water coming out of them, representing a mother’s milk. It was built on the orders of Alvise Da Ponte, the mayor of Venice at the time. He did this during a severe drought in Treviso and every Autumn during the reign of the Venetians, they would have red wine flow out of one breast and white wine out of the other and for 3 days and all citizens would drink this wine for free, celebrating the Venetian mayoral elections. The original fountain was placed inside the Palazzo Pretorio but was damaged during the Napoleonic war and went missing until the end of the 19^th century. It is now kept in the Loggia dei Cavalieri and the newer version built in 1989 that again has water flowing from it, is located in a courtyard off of Via Calmaggiore at 11 Vicolo Podesta, a definite must see in Treviso, it’s quite a sight!

6. Palazzo dei Trecento:

The Palazzo dei Trecento is located in the main square, Piazza dei Signori off of Via Calmaggiore. This building is home to the Treviso Municipal Council. This Palazzo or Palace was built between the 12^th and 14^th centuries and the interior still has remains of some of its painted frescoes. In 1944 the palace was bombed and partially destroyed. The upper level is a single large hall and used as a prestigious venue for parties and exhibitions. The ground floor is a Romanesque portico, there are little shops and cafes on one side against the wall and seating underneath, this is a great spot to enjoy some Prosecco and take it all in, worth the experience! This is actually where we had dinner and Prosecco on our very first night in Italy, so this will always be a special place to us!

7. Delfino Fish Market:

This fish market is one of the city’s most iconic spots. The market has been in operation for over a century, serving high-quality, fresh seafood, including fish, shellfish, and other very interesting looking creatures, they are largely coming from the nearby Adriatic Sea. The Delfino family (from which it got its name) has been running it for generations. It is located on an island in the Cagnan canal. It’s not only a great place to experience the hustle and bustle of the fisherman and locals in the morning, but also a great place to soak in the vibrant atmosphere. In addition to the interesting seafood, the market also has some traditional shops offering fresh local produce and delicacies. Another must-see spot to explore!

8. Mosaico Paleocristiano:

This early Christian Mosaic is an important archaeological site that shows an amazing piece of ancient art from the 5^th century AD. These mosaics were discovered in 1935 and believed to be the flooring from an early Christian church or baptistery. The mosaics feature intricate geometric patterns and early Christian motifs such as crosses and fish. These mosaics can be found at Via Canoniche 9, to the south side of the Treviso Duomo. They are located outside and have a railing around them for protection. This is something that we actually stumbled upon on our way back to our hotel, it was truly amazing to us, seeing this beautiful work of art from so long ago, definitely worth a look while you’re there!

4. References:

All of this information, research and suggestions came from our own experiences we had while exploring this little-known gem. As well, countless hours were spent reading travel books, like DK Eyewitness, Italy and DK Eyewitness Venice and the Veneto and DK Eyewitness Backroads, Northern Italy. We also read multiple Travel blogs and tourism websites like, Visit Treviso and The Veneto.  

5. The Wrap up:

After reading this, we hope you feel inspired to visit this less touristy town, it is truly a beautiful and interesting place, with incredible history and lots to experience.

At Focus on the Journey, we love everything travel: planning, research, maps, books, itineraries, tours, trying local foods, meeting new people, hiking, cooking classes, relaxing and of course creating memories and artwork, through our photos! We enjoy talking travel too, whether it’s sharing our experiences or hearing about yours. So, comment, ask questions, give advice, join our mailing list, like, follow, pin, share with friends, anything goes, let’s talk travel!

Thank you,

From Focus on the Journey,
with Wild Meadow Studio
A Travel and Photography Blog

By: Beth de Verteuil