Treviso: A little like Venice

Stephen's sister Monica, her husband Paul, and their son Xavier, visited us a couple of weeks ago.  Last year we caught a train together for a weekend in Verona, but this time they hired a car so they could see more of the countryside.  Although we couldn't join them for a whole week, we wanted to catch up for a long weekend.  Stefano asked his colleague, Elisabetta, for a recommendation.

"Treviso.  You must visit Treviso.  It's a bit like Venice as it is built along canals.  The town is small, and quiet, but very pretty," exclaimed Elisabetta.

After a three and a half hour train trip from Milan, we wheeled our bags over the small canal bridges and through the main square, which hosts the flagship store of the Benetton chain.  Weaving our way through the crowds of locals on their way to lunch we quickly agreed with Elisabetta's recommendation.  Treviso is lovely.

It is situated in the Veneto region which provided plenty of options for beautiful country drives through vineyards where they grow the famous prosecco grapes.

And, Padua was less than an hour's drive from our base in Treviso, so we also spent a day there.  

Paul guided us on a walking tour following his trusty Steinbecker guidebook.  From every angle, the famous basilica of Sant Antonio was magnificent. 

After wandering the streets we had to stop for a refreshing gelato before we drove back to Treviso.

In the evening there was no shortage of bars in Treviso where we joined the locals enjoying a glass of sparkling prosecco before dinner.

So while the neighbouring city of Venice is always in the headlines with movie star weddings, cruise ship controversies and most recently, the rumour of a new law that will ban tourists from pulling 'noisy' wheelie bags across the canal bridges, we enjoyed our weekend in a very different canal city.   Treviso is charming in its own way, but without the crowds, movie stars or strange laws.

Ci vediamo prossima volta. Forse andremo a Venezia in Gennaio.

We recommend:
Avogari BnB
A renovated BnB, close to the centre of Treviso and an easy walk from the train station.
We enjoyed the spacious, beautifully decorated renovated rooms and were made feel very welcome by the kind owners.  The home cooked fresh apple torta deserves a special mention.
Excellent value at 90 Euro per room.