Treviso is certainly a town that deserves a visit, but his province also knows how to offer natural sceneries and cultural visits not to underestimate. If you are planning a weekend in the province, here is our advice: after having dedicated one day to the capital, enjoy the northwest corner of the province with our itinerary.
Start of the itinerary: Montello, between nature and war memories
We begin our journey leaving Treviso heading north up to Nervesa della Battaglia to reach the Montello. It cannot be defined as either a hill or a mountain. It hosts however a luxuriant forest where to take a nice walk, perhaps among the monuments dedicated to the First World War, which was fought up to there. On its northern flank flows the Piave river, which in those areas was the scene of a clash with the Austro-Hungarian army. The upper Treviso area is full of stories related to the Great War. One of the most spectacular and evident is located right on Montello and is theAbbey of Sant'Eustachio. An important monastic center from the year XNUMX, it was founded by the Collalto counts. Heavily bombed during the war, it remains as a splendid warning to the horrors of discord, selfishness and the will to abuse.
Possagno and the memory of Canova
We continue the itinerary in a westerly direction, touching the mountainous slopes of the Prealps, admiring a verdant landscape. Thus we come to Possagno, a very small town famous for being the birthplace of one of the most important artists of our cultural history: Antonio Canova.
Your stop in Possagno will therefore be short but very specific to the house museum and plaster cast gallery dedicated to the great master of neoclassicism. Since the term gipsoteca indicates a plaster museum, don't expect to find works in marble. However, you will be able to know in depth the history and genius of the master and, thanks to the plaster casts, you will be able to discover its ingenious process of artistic production. The touch of the great architect Carlo Scarpa will win you over as you admire the setting up of the three dancing graces. Leaving the museum a must is also the so-called Canovian temple. It is a neoclassical church designed by Antonio Canova on the model of the Parthenon in Athens and the Roman Pantheon. Inside, the master finds his eternal rest.
Asolo, the village of a hundred horizons
Lunch time is approaching and the advice is to take the car back to reach in a few minutes Asolo, historic village called by Carducci "from a hundred horizons". This is because the village is perched on the top of a hill and from there the view can run from the slopes of Mount Grappa to the Venetian lagoon.
The advice is to take a walk through the narrow streets and go up in civic tower, to the castle of Queen Cornaro, to enjoy the magnificent panorama. Stop in one of the taverns in via Browning to taste typical cuisine and products. Then set off for a digestive walk along via Canova to the little church of Sant'Anna, in whose cemetery you will find the tomb of two important women: Eleonora Duse e Freya Stark. Returning to the main square, visit the cathedral with two works by Lorenzo Lotto and Jacopo da Ponte. Do not forget the visit to the civic Museum, a rich treasure chest of history and culture of the city that will know how to amaze you.
The country villas of the Venetian nobles
Based on the time you have left and their respective opening hours, consider whether you can visit both the villas we offer or add just one to your itinerary. These are two villas designed by the great Vicenza architect Andrea Palladio for two families of the Venetian aristocracy around the middle of the sixteenth century. The closest to Asolo (5-10 minutes by car) is Villa Barbaro in Maser, the second is Emo villa to Fanzolo (10-15 minutes by car from Asolo).
As country houses they were the fulcrum of a productive agricultural estate, for which purpose the longer wings of the building, the lateral ones, which take the name of boats. The central body, on the other hand, is that of the house and its appearance is strongly influenced byclassical influence in both villas, which have an elegant colonnade on the front. The sobriety and simplicity of the architectural volumes is accompanied in both cases by the richness of the internal frescoes, which bear the signature of Paolo Veronese for Villa Barbaro and Giambattista Zelotti for Emo villa.
Off the beaten path, but always interesting
Our itinerary includes a return to Treviso from here. In case you want to make changes to our proposal, you could introduce a small jewel of the Treviso countryside, the tomb of the Brion family designed by Carlo Scarpa in San Vito d'Altivole (a few minutes away from Villa Emo). Or even the small town of Castelfranco Veneto, which houses a delightful museum dedicated to the great artist Giorgione. Alternatively also Montebelluna it offers an excellent museum dedicated to natural history and archeology. Trespassing outside the province you can also evaluate a visit to Citadel (Padua), a fortified town that allows a walk on the top of the historic walls. As a last proposal we mention Bassano del Grappa, in the province of Vicenza, which houses splendid museums, a civic tower and the famous bridge of the Alpini. We just have to wish you a good weekend!
