Veneto and Venice lands - Girolibero Greens cycling guide

CYCLING GUIDE

Venice Lands Sights, history, wining and dining tips, useful information

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Venice Lands

Photography: Diego Caldieraro, Claudio Gioseffi, Enrico Giro, Sven Aage Madsen, Oswald Stimpfl, Pixabay, Wikipedia. All other photos by Girolibero and no.parking.

Girolibero, Vicenza 2019 Maps, concept and design: www.noparking.it Printed in Italy www.girolibero.it

Venice Lands

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This guide will accompany you in your trips and excursions through Venice Lands. The guide not only provides commentary to the scenery and artistic heritage of each of the places you will encounter on your way, but also provides important historical information and practical suggestions that will make your trip and any stopovers you plan more enjoyable and safer.

And, last but not least, the guide also provides information on wining and dining, with recommendations for anything from a hefty meal to a quick snack.

Index Venice Lands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Veneto Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Vicenza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 History of the city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 The best in brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Eating and drinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Events in the Province of Vicenza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 From Vicenza to Bassano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Marostica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Bassano del Grappa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 History of the city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 The best in brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Eating and drinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 From Bassano to Treviso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Asolo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Treviso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 History of the city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 The best in brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Eating and drinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 From Treviso to Venice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Mestre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Venice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 History of the city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Getting there . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Small Venice phrase book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 The best in brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Eating and drinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Events in the Province of Venice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 From Venice to Chioggia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

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Chioggia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

History of the city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The best in brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Eating and drinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

From Chioggia to Padua thermal district . . . . . . . . . . . .

Padua thermal district . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Euganean Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The best in brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Eating and drinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Padua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

History of the city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The best in brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Eating and drinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Events in the Province of Padua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

From Padua to Vicenza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Useful information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

110 112 114 118 121 123 130 130 132 141 144 146 149 156 159 161 169

MAPS OVERVIEW OF THE TOUR . . . 8 STAGES OF THE TOUR From Vicenza to Bassano . . . . . 30 From Bassano to Treviso . . . . . . 49 From Treviso to Venice. . . . . . . . 71 From Venice to Chioggia . . . . . . 98 From Chioggia to Padua thermal district. . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 From Padua thermal district to Vicenza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

CITYMAPS Vicenza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Bassano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Treviso. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Mestre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Venice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Chioggia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Padua thermal district . . . . . . . 128 Abano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Battaglia terme . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Padua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Venice Lands

Ve n i c e L a n d s

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Cycling this sophisticated corner of Italy is a real pleasure: here you can admire the elegant villas of the Venetian nobility, scattered in the whole region.

The tour starts from VICENZA, a nice and cosy historical city centre characterised by the buildings of the famous architect Andrea Palladio (16th century) and part of the World Heritage List since 1994.

You cycle towards MAROSTICA, famous for its castle and the chessboard in the main square, and BASSANO DEL GRAPPA with its covered wooden bridge and the famous “grappa”.

Then you reach ASOLO, one of the most beautiful villages of Italy, and through the land of Prosecco you reach TREVISO. The river Sile shows the way to the Venetian Lagoon and once in MESTRE you head into VENICE pedalling on the bridge “della Libertà”.

Once in Tronchetto you take a ferry along the canal Giudecca to LIDO. This is the most exciting day, pedalling on the two narrow islands that divide the sea from the lagoon: the island of Lido, with the ancient hamlet of MALAMOCCO, once capital of the Serenissima Republic, and the island of PELLESTRINA, with its long wild beaches.

From the charming CHIOGGIA, affectionately known as “Little Venice”, you continue along the river Bacchiglione until the EUGANEAN HILLS and largest European thermal district.

On arrival in PADUA, you will find the great basilica dedicated to St. Anthony, the historic Caffè Pedrocchi and the largest square in Europe, Prato della Valle.

Again the Bacchiglione river points the way out of the city and leads you at the foot of the BERICI HILLS. The bike path passes in front of Villa Rotonda, the most famous of the Palladian villas. Just before entering VICENZA you see the Villa Valmarana ai Nani with its marvellous frescoes by Tiepolo.

Enjoy your ride through this outstanding area!

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THE VENETO REGION

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Ve n i c e L a n d s

The Veneto Region Veneto, also historically known as Venetia, is an administrative region in north-eastern Italy. The region includes part of the Alps and the Po Valley and is bounded by the Adriatic Sea in the east. Veneto is the official name for the region, and it consists of seven provinces: Belluno, Padua (Padova in Italian), Rovigo, Treviso, Venice (Venezia in Italian), Verona and Vicenza.

It has a population of about 5 million. Until about 50 years ago it was a poor agricultural area which provided emigrant labourers, but now, thanks to the hard work of its inhabitants and the solidity of its small and medium-sized enterprises, it has become one of Italy’s richest regions. Its beautiful scenery and art treasures from many different periods also make it the Italian region with the most dynamic tourist industry, with 14 million visitors and 60 million overnight stays per annum.

Without a doubt, the biggest tourist attractions are Venice, the lagoon city, Verona with its Roman past, the Adriatic beach resorts of Jesolo, Bibione and Eraclea and the celebrated skiing areas in the Dolomites, the most famous of which is Cortina d’Ampezzo.

A potted history Origins Precise origin of the Adriatic Veneti uncertain but towns

like Padua, Treviso, Belluno and Vicenza ultimately developed from their settlements.

200 BCE When the region is peacefully taken over by the Romans, the Veneti ally themselves with Romans to fight against the Gauls.

VENETO IN FIGURES AREA: 18,390 square kilometres INHABITANTS: 4,938,000 THE SIX LARGEST TOWNS (IN TERMS OF POPULATION) ARE: Venice: 270,880, Verona: 264,000, Padova: 214,099, Vicenza: 115,930, Treviso: 82,800, Rovigo: 52,800.

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89 BCE Inhabitants enjoy benefits of Roman law and declared fully fledged Roman citizens in 49 BCE. Province given the name Regio X Venetia et Histria and Aquilea made its capital.

Adda River, near modern Milan, constitutes region’s western border. Christianity expands to rest of region from Aquileia in the first centuries CE. 169 CE After attacks by Germanic tribes from east, Oderzo (50 km north-east of Venice) is sacked by the Marcomanni.

Fifth century After the Huns, Theodoric and his Ostrogoths occupy area and rule Venetia from 493. Mainland inhabitants take refuge in inaccessible islands of the lagoon. Following skirmishes between Longobards and Byzantium (Eastern Roman Empire), the region is partitioned. Coastal strip brought under Byzantine domination and forms Venetia Marittima, Marittima whereas mainland subsumed into Kingdom of the Longobards.

Late eighth century Franks under Charlemagne enter Lombardy and gain control of mainland. The lagoon and its capital Venice initially a dukedom (821) loosely allied with Byzantium until its independence (c. 1000). Dukedom ruled by elected Doge (from the Latin dux,, “leader”).

THE VENETO REGION

Ve n i c e L a n d s

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Ve n i c e L a n d s

THE VENETO REGION

962 Emperor Otto I assigns mainland to the Duchy of Bavaria

and Earldom of Görz. For 200 years, power exercised from beyond the Alps and German feudal lords and bishops become local rulers. The Este, da Romano, Caminesi, Carrara, and Scala families become increasingly powerful; Ferrara, Padua, Treviso and Verona become city states.

Thirteenth century Venice extends power to entire upper Adriatic and further west. Individual city states conquered or granted special rights to persuade them to spontaneously join the Venetian Republic.

1404–1405 City states of Vicenza, Belluno, Bassano, Feltre, Verona and Padua join Venetian Republic.

1428 Brescia, Bergamo and Crema become part of Venetian Republic, which at the height of its power rules the Adriatic and large parts of the Eastern Mediterranean. Silk and spice trade firmly in the hands of Venetian Republic, now styled Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia (Most Serene Republic of Venice). After fall of Constantinople (Byzantium) and Eastern Roman Empire, Ottomans increasingly make inroads into Venice’s sea power; the Italian mainland now considered more important. Venice’s winged-lion standard flown over large parts of northern Italy, as far as southern Trentino and the very gates of Milan.

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Early sixteenth century Republic at war with Papal State under Pope Julian II, the French Kings Louis XII and Francis I and the Habsburg Emperor Maximilian I; forms alliance with England and Spain. Venice loses large parts of mainland only to win them back. Wealthy Venetian patricians invest wealth in vast estates and build sumptuous villas, the celebrated “Ville Venete�.

Eighteenth century Venice is one of the most refined cities in the world at that time, exerting influence on art, architecture and literature. After more than 1,000 years of independence, Napoleon forces last Doge, Ludovico Manin, to abdicate in 1797.

January 1798 Austrians occupy Venice; the Serenissima is no more.

1815 Following Congress of Vienna, Venetia becomes part of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia and is governed by a viceroy of the Austrian Empire.

1866 After last Italian War of Independence, referendum held in Venetia resulting in decision to join newly created Kingdom of Italy.

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Vicenza Vicenza is, first and foremost, the city of Palladio, the great Renaissance architect whose studies and revolutionary achievements have had a lasting influence on world architecture. It is no wonder that this city with a population of 116,000 has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1994. It is just 39 metres above sea level and lies between the Berici hills to the south and the foothills of the Alps (2,340 metres above sea level) to the north. The Brenta river valley is the gateway to the neighbouring province of Trento and the Dolomites. The territory to the east and west is flat, heavily populated and intensively

THE PROVINCE OF VICENZA IN FIGURES AREA: 2,722 square kilometres INHABITANTS: 872,000 THE SIX LARGEST TOWNS (IN TERMS OF POPULATION) ARE: Vicenza: 116,000 Bassano del Grappa: 43,000 Schio: 38,600 Valdagno: 30,900 Arzignano: 25,800 Montecchio Maggiore: 23,900

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cultivated, with an increasing amount of industrial areas being developed between the fields and vineyards.

Alongside the works of Palladio, Vicenza has a host of further treasures from the Middle Ages and the Gothic period. The old city centre with its thriving business life, elegant shops and popular cafés is a real gem. Its streets and squares have greatly benefited from traffic calming measures and are enclosed by thirteenth-century city walls, forming a backdrop that nestles attractively against the green Berici hills. The province of Vicenza is one of Italy’s most important industrial areas and home to many small and medium-sized firms and companies from the engineering, textile, tanning, ceramics and jewellery sectors. Vicenza accounts for a third of Italian goldsmithing and is thus Italy’s undisputed gold capital. The international Gold Fair, Vicenzaoro (www.vicenzafiera.it, Tel. 0444 969111), which takes place three times a year (the biggest of the three is in January), is one of the industry’s most important and attracts exhibitors and visitors from all over the world.

SERVICE VICENZA 12 Piazza Matteotti, 36100 Vicenza Tel. 0444 320854, www.visitvicenza.org

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History of the city

VICENZA

THE BEGINNINGS Vicenza is one of northern Italy’s oldest cities.

It is thought to have been founded by the Euganeans between 1100 BCE and 700 BCE. In 700 BCE the Veneti settled in the area, and in the following centuries they joined forces with the Romans, who called the place Vicetia. In 49 BCE Vicetia became a Roman municipium, which automatically granted its inhabitants Roman civil rights. After the fall of Rome the Longobards established a dukedom here. As Vicenza flourished, the Benedictines moved in and settled in the city, building monasteries and draining the plains. In 773 CE the Franks under Charlemagne conquered the area. After the assault by the Magyars in 899 and the destruction of the town, the first wall was built around what is now the city centre.

FROM CITY STATE TO THE SCALIGERI 1001 is considered the year

when the independent city state of Vicenza was founded.

Vicenza was besieged and captured by neighbouring towns and their rulers several times, for example by the Paduan Lords of Carrara, the Veronese Scala family, and Ezzelino III da Romano in the thirteenth century. After the death of Ezzelino in 1259, Padua extended its rule over part of the territory until it submitted to the Scaliger lords of Verona in 1311.

LATE MIDDLE AGES TO THE PRESENT Towards the end of the

fourteenth century Vicenza fell under the influence of Milan’s ruling family, the Viscontis, for a short time. In 1404 Vicenza was annexed to the Venetian Republic, where it remained until the Napoleonic conquest of 1797. It shared its subsequent history with the Venetian Republic, and thus became part of the Habsburg satellite kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. In 1848 the struggle for unification with the Kingdom of Piedmont was ferociously crushed by the Austrian field marshal Radetzky. In 1866 Vicenza was finally incorporated into the new Italian state. During World War II the city was heavily bombarded by the Allies (there were over 100 casualties on 18 November 1944 alone). After the war, the historical buildings were rapidly rebuilt and Vicenza grew into a flourishing city.

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VICENZA ON THE INTERNET WWW.TEATROLIMPICOVICENZA.IT A very attractive website on the Teatro Olimpico, Palladio and his other significant WWW.ILGIORNALEDIVICENZA.IT works, with video clips; Vicenza’s daily newspaper on the Internet. also in English.

WWW.ULSSVICENZA.IT Hospital and health system, with the numbers of the guardia medica (medical service replacing GPs outside normal consulting hours).

WWW.SAPORIVICENTINI.IT This site tells gourmets all they need to know about wine, cheese and other local specialities with recipes, addresses, and dates of exhibitions, wine tastings and fairs; only in Italian.

WWW.VISITVICENZA.ORG Official tourist guide, with links to the individual areas of the whole Province; only in Italian.

WWW.CONSORZIOVINICOLLIBERICI.IT Detailed information about the wines of the Berici hills; also in English.

WWW.VICENZA-UNESCO.COM Everything about Vicenza’s world heritage monuments. Detailed description of all important monuments and Palladian villas; only in Italian.

WWW.VICENZAE.ORG Platform of the Chamber of Commerce and Tourism with a great deal of information and links to the town and province; also in English.

The best in brief TEATRO OLIMPICO 2 In the sixteenth century, a group of cul-

tural enthusiasts built a theatre along the walls of a prison and parts of the site of the San Pietro castle belonging to the Carrara family. The theatre, called the Teatro Olimpico and the only work built by Palladio in his latter years, was the Renaissance interpretation of a Roman theatre. It is the first permanent theatre in the modern period, and was intended for the performance of classical plays. Work on the theatre began in 1580 (the year of Palladio’s death), and were carried on by his son Silla. The theatre was eventually opened when Vincenzo Scamozzi completed the famous perspective wooden backdrops, which are the only surviving Renaissance stage sets. Today, the theatre pre-eminently hosts classical performances and concerts.

Piazza Matteotti, Tel. 0444 222800 Tuesdays–Sundays 9am–5pm, www.teatrolimpicovicenza.it entry with Vicenza Museum Card (see under Museums)

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The following Internet pages provide all sorts of information about Vicenza:

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VICENZA

VILLA VALMARANA AI NANI 3 This villa is in the

south of the town, very near the villa La Rotonda.

It is called “Ai Nani” (nano is Italian for “dwarf”) because of the seventeen dwarf statues decorating its outer wall. According to one moving legend, the daughter of the house was of restricted growth, and in order to console her her parents surrounded her with a household of dwarves and commissioned dwarf statues for the garden. When the daughter secretly left the house one day, she came across people of normal size, realised her deformity and in desperation threw herself from the wall. The main house and the guest house are decorated with wonderful frescoes by Gian Battista Tiepolo and his son Gian Domenico, and are some of the finest examples of eighteenth-century Venetian painting. www.villavalmarana.com 8 Stradella dei Nani, Tel. 0444 321803 Reservation recommended, open 10 March–4 November Tuesdays–Sundays 10am–12.30pm, 3pm–6pm; € 9

VILLA LA ROTONDA 4 On the south-eastern edge of the town on

a gentle rise there is the famous Villa La Rotonda, the epitome of the Renaissance villa and one of Palladio’s masterpieces.

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Building started in 1566, but the roof with cupola was only completed by Vincenzo Scamozzi after Palladio’s death. The villa’s uniqueness lies in its symmetrical shape. The four pronaos supported by Ionian columns and the staircase in front of the hall open the villa to the town and to the landscape. When Goethe travelled through Italy he was impressed

by Palladio’s works, and by La Rotonda in particular. He was so rapt by the villa, in fact, that, after describing it in some detail, he stated that it was by far the most magnificent architectural construction ever erected. www.villalarotonda.it 45 Via della Rotonda Open 15 March–5 November, 10am–12pm, 3pm–6pm Gardens and exterior: Tuesdays–Sundays, € 5 Interior: Wednesdays and Saturdays, € 10

PIAZZA DEI SIGNORI 5 The commanding Basilica on the Piazza dei Signori and surrounding squares (Piazza delle Biade, delle Erbe and the little Piazzetta Palladio) constitute Vicenza’s monumental centre. Historically, the Roman forum was almost certainly here, and in the Middle Ages this was undoubtedly the political and social heart of the town, containing the most important public buildings. Palladio gave the late Gothic Palazzo della Ragione (known as the Basilica) a two-storey colonnade, reminiscent of ancient temples and gathering places.

The enormous copper roof is truly impressive and resembles the upturned hull of a ship.

AROUND THE BASILICA 6 Rising up next to the basilica, the city tower, known as the, "Torre civica“ or "Torre Bissara“ is, at 82 metres, one of the highest buildings in the town. The tower and the vast basilica are a demonstration of worldly power. The clock in the tower was installed in 1378 and is a masterpiece of engineering and astronomy that also shows the phases of the moon. Opposite the Basilica there is the Loggia del Capitaniato, which Palladio designed in 1565 as the official residence of the military head in charge of Vicenza on behalf of the Venetian Republic. The building is incomplete: only three of the originally intended five or seven arches were built. The size of the four gigantic half pillars indicates that the intended building would most probably have occupied the entire block of houses.

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CORSO ANDREA PALLADIO 7 You cannot visit Vicenza without strolling down the Corso Palladio A popular shopping avenue, it is also the main axis along which the town developed over the centuries. This pedestrian zone is thus a kind of open-air museum that is first and foremost dedicated to Palladio and his time, with monuments, palazzi and churches at every turn. Coming from Piazza Castello in the west, on the left in the Stradella dei Filippini there is the church of Santa Maria e San Cristoforo. At number 47 of the Corso you can admire the Gothic façade of the fifteenth-century Palazzo Thiene and its loggia. At the corner of Contrà Cavour you will find Palazzo Trissino-Baston (sixteenth–seventeenth century), one of Vincenzo Scamozzi’s masterpieces and now the town hall, which is built around a square inner courtyard. At number 147 of Corso Palladio there is Palazzo Dal Toso-Franceschini-Da Schio (1477) better known as Ca’ d’Oro (literally “golden house”), the portal of which is embellished with fine plant motifs. Just before the road turns into Piazza Matteotti you will find the wonderful church of Santa Corona, which houses the natural history and archaeological museum in its cloister.

DUOMO (CATHEDRAL) 8 The Duomo di Santa Maria Annunciata

is Vicenza’s episcopal church. The earliest traces of a basilica date back to the fifth century. Its brick structure and marble façade were built in 1267; the churched was subsequently refurbished in the late Gothic style in 1444–80. The Romanesque campanile to the right is eleventh century, whereas the cupola of the apse was designed by Palladio (1574). The cathedral’s single nave was richly decorated by important Venetian artists of different periods (fourteenth to eighteenth century), though sadly the frescoes were lost when the church was seriously damaged in World War II. The Bishop’s Palace with the diocesan museum is a plain neoclassical building that was built in the first half of the nineteenth century, replacing a medieval Palazzo. The fifteenth-century Loggia Zeno survives in the interior. Next to the Palazzetto Roma (1599) there is the entrance to the Roman cryptoportico, or covered passageway, below a house from the first century BCE.

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MUSEUM CARD VICENZA This combined ticket is valid for three days and gives admission to the following important museums: Teatro Olimpico, the Art gallery in Palazzo Chiericati, Museo di Santa Corona, Museo del Risorgimento e della Resistenza, Museo Diocesano and the Art gallery in Palazzo Leoni Montanari: € 8.50, The card can be bought at the museums, can be ordered by telephoning 0412 719044 or via olimpicovicenza.it.

9 MUSEO DI SANTA CORONA www.museicivicivicenza.it 4 Contrà Santa Corona, Tel. 0444 320440, Tuesdays–Sundays 9am–5pm This museum was opened only in 1991 in the cloister of the church dedicated to the Santa Corona, or of the Holy Crown of Thorns, and is divided into two sections: a natural history section displaying fossils, flora and fauna that are typical of the Berici Hills, and an archaeological section tracing the history of the area from the Stone Age to the Longobards which focuses particularly on Roman Vicenza. Owing to

its important holy relic (a thorn allegedly from Christ’s crown of thorns), the church once attracted a great number of faithful. It now contains remarkable works by Bellini, Veronese, Montagna and others.

10 MUSEO CIVICO-PINACOTECA www.museicivicivicenza.it 37 Piazza Matteotti, Tel. 0444 222811, Tuesdays–Sundays 9am–5pm At the eastern end of Corso Palladio you will find Piazza Matteotti with its imposing Palazzo Chiericati,This palazzo, designed in 1550 by Palladio and intended as a nobleman’s residence, was not completed until more than a hundred years later. It has been the city’s museum since the mid nineteenth century and houses a picture gallery and collection of documents, engravings, coins and sculptures by important eighteenth- and nineteenth-century artists, including Montagna, Veronese, Tintoretto, Bassano, Maffei, Carpioni, Pittoni, Piazzetta and Tiepolo.

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MUSEUMS

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VICENZA

ANDREA PALLADIO Andrea di Pietro della Gondola, known as Palladio, was born in 1508 in Padua and died in 1580 in Maser, near Treviso. The son of a miller, Pietro della Gondola, Andrea moved to Vicenza as a young man in 1523, where he worked for more than ten years as a mason and sculptor. In about 1537 he met the humanist Giangiorgio Trissino and collaborated on building his villa on the outskirts of the city. Andrea also accompanied Trissino on journeys to Padua and Verona, which made a deep impression on the young artist and introduced him to local humanist circles. In 1541 he travelled with Trissino to Rome, where he discovered classical architecture.

He thus completed his education in the space of just a few years and was transformed from a craftsman to an architect named Palladio. It was Trissino who gave him this name as an allusion to the Greek goddess of wisdom, Pallas Athena.

Palladio’s first works already reflected the intelligence and facility with which he assimilated and enhanced the teachings of the Venetian architects with his passionate and analytical study of antiquity and his knowledge of the most interesting contemporary architecture, which he had gleaned during his stay in Rome. Fame arrived in 1549, when he was commissioned

by Vicenza’s Council of One Hundred to rebuild the loggias of Palazzo della Ragione, which would become known as the Basilica.

Palladio brilliant solution was to give the existing structure a magnificent outer shell of classical forms that were brought to life by the play of light and shade provided by the

Serliana, or Venetian window. From that moment on Palladio became the favourite architect of Vicenza’s aristocracy. After Trissino’s death in 1550 he found a new mentor in the Venetian Daniele Barbaro, the Patriarch of Aquileia. Palladio’s greatest works in Venice include the churches of San Giorgio Maggiore and Il Redentore. In 1570 he was appointed first architect of the Venetian Republic. In the same year he published The Four Books of Architecture, the treatise on which he had worked since his youth and in which he described most of his works. Palladio’s late works in Vicenza reflect his restless quest, the most emblematic of which is arguably his unfinished Loggia del Capitaniato with its noticeable disproportion between the façade and the sides, which refuse to conform to classical models. His last work, the Teatro Olimpico,also reflects the enduring expressive force and unwavering exploratory drive that inform Palladio’s architecture. Many of his works remained incomplete on his death. Some were brought to completion by Vincenzo Scamozzi whilst other projects, including Palazzo Chiericati were not finished until many years later (using plans contained in The Four Books of Architecture).

HOMAGE TO TULLIO CAMPAGNOLO

If you cycle to Vicenza you should spare a thought for Tullio Campagnolo, one of the pioneers of bicycle construction. The founder of the Vicenza company of the same name still plays a leading role in developing components for cycling.

Campagnolo gears for road bikes are amongst the best in the world.

Campagnolo invented not only the derailleur but also quick releases for racing wheels. He has patented more than 135 inventions, and many cycling champions rode to victory on Compagnolo bikes, including Merckx, Hinault, LeMond, Indurain, Ullrich and Pantani. www.campagnolo.com

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Eating and drinking VICENZA CUISINE The most famous local dish is baccalà alla Vicentina, which is steamed salt cod with polenta. But there is also the speciality bigoli co’ l’arna, thick homemade spaghetti with a sauce made of duck meat, or pasta e fasoi alla vicentina which is fresh pasta made from soft wheat and eggs and brown borlotti beans, risi e bisi, locally grown rice and peas, risotto coi bruscandoli, made from tender hop shoots, risotto with white asparagus from Bassano and torresani, doves from a dovecote roasted on a spit, a Breganze speciality.

The Berici hills produce excellent DOC wines and boast black truffles that are used in pasta sauces and in stuffing for poultry dishes. The fruit of the olive groves of these sunny hills is used to make highly priced olive oil.

EATING AND DRINKING

11 ENOTECA BEREALTO 55 Contrà Pedemuro S. Biagio, Tel. 0444 322144, closed Sunday evenings and all day Mondays.

One of the best wine bars in the province, with an excellent and carefully chosen selection of wines.

RISTORANTE SETTE SANTI 7 Piazzale della Vittoria, Tel. 0444 235470, closed Mondays This restaurant-pizzeria on a wonderful hill in the middle of Vicenza enjoys unique status. It is distinguished by its atmosphere and the quality of the service.

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13 RISTORANTE ANTICA CASA DELLA MALVASIA 5 Contrà delle Morette, Tel. 0444 543704, closed Mondays This is probably Vicenza’s oldest hostelry. It is first mentioned as early as the fourteenth century and

is just a stone’s throw away from Piazza dei Signori. It is not just the atmosphere but also the regional cuisine with typical sausages, and cheeses, and local and international wines (over 70) and excellent Grappa that make this a must.

14 RISTORANTE AL PESTELLO 3 Contrà S. Stefano, Tel. 0444 323721, closed Sundays, www.ristorantealpestello.it A cosy, simple trattoria in the heart of the city, with local cuisine and a menu in the local dialect (but your hosts are only too happy to translate and explain it). As the restaurant is not very big, you are well advised to book.

15 OSTERIA IL CURSORE 10 Stradella Pozzetto, Tel. 0444 323504, closed Tuesdays Just a hop, skip and jump away from Piazza delle Erbe you will find this pleasant little osteria, which is especially popular with young people. The typical regional menu is good value for money and can be washed down with a rich selection of excellent wines.

Outdoor seating also available in summer.

16 AL BERSAGLIERE 11 ContrĂ Pescaria, Tel. 0444 323507, closed Sundays In the city centre, just a few steps away from the Palladian Basilica, there is this small, excellent restaurant with just a few tables, homemade bread and marvellous desserts. The owners really do believe that food is a labour of love.

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17 SELF RESTAURANT RIGHETTI 3 Piazza Duomo, Tel. 0444 543135, closed Saturdays and Sundays, www.selfrighetti.it This self-service restaurant on the cathedral square, near Piazza dei Signori, is housed in an old palazzo and therefore has an atmosphere all its own. It is very popular at lunch time and offers a good selection of house wines.

Open-air tables also available.

Good value indeed.

18 GELATERIA BRUSTOLON 23 ContrĂ Pusterla, Tel. 0444 321816, closed Tuesdays Here you can taste the best hand made gelato of Vicenza, crafted with high quality ingredients and coming from an ancient family tradition.

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EVENTS IN THE PROVINCE OF VICENZA

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, May: In Arcole, just a few kilometres south of San Bonifacio, the asparagus festival has been held for over fifty years on the weekend nearest 1 May. Tel. 045 7639611, www.comunediarcole.it (in Italian). , May: New Conversation Vicenza Jazz – Jazz Festival in gorgeous settings, including the Teatro Olimpico. Tel. 0444 221541, www.vicenzajazz.org (in Italian) , June: Settimane Musicali al Teatro Olimpico – Chamber Music Festival in Vicenza in the historical Palladio theatre. Information and ticket office: Tel. 0444 324442, www.olimpico.vicenza.it (also in English) , September, first Saturday of the month: Giro della Rua in Vicenza – Procession with a wooden tower decorated with statues. Shops, restaurants and museums stay open till midnight. Tel. 0444 320854, www.visitvicenza.org (in Italian) September, third weekend of the month: Soave celebrates the wine festival,, one of the oldest in Italy. Culture and folklore in honour of the Garganega grape, the object of the district’s pride. The water in the village fountain is replaced by wine! For more information: Pro Loco Soave, Tel. 045 7680648, www.comunesoave.it/uva.php (in Italian) September, last Monday of the month: Luci e suoni sotto le mura – Son et lumière under the town walls, street party into the wee small hours.. Tel. 0444 320854, www.visitvicenza.org (in Italian) October: Culture & Music by Night – Hot nights in Vicenza with music, culture and shopping until late at night, in the streets, squares and in many bars and restaurants. For further information: cultural affairs department of the town hall.

Tel. 0444 222169, www.comune.vicenza.it (also in English) Flea and antiques markets: Every fourth Sunday of the month in San Martino Buon Albergo, Piazza Del Popolo Every third Sunday of the month in Soave Every second Sunday of the month in Vicenza, Piazza Signori Via Cavour - Piazzetta Palladio Weekly markets: Colognola ai Colli, Thursdays, Piazzale Trento - Via G. Marconi Monteforte d’Alpone, Saturdays, Piazza Venturi San Martino Buon Albergo, Saturdays, Via Adamello Loc. Borgo Della Vittoria San Bonifacio, Wednesdays, Corso Italia - Viale Trieste Via Camporosolo Montebello Vicentino, Wednesdays, Via IV Novembre, Via Gen. Vaccari, P.zza Italia

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From the station the wide Viale Roma goes north, past Campo Marzo on the right to Piazzale De Gasperi. On the right-hand side you will see Porta Castello, the old town gate and all that is left of the old town walls. Opposite, behind a stone gateway, there is the large Giardino Salvi park, a small river and two decorated loggias with columns. If you can walk through the city gate to Piazza Castello you will find yourself in the exclusive bank district, right at the start of the old city centre. Corso Palladio goes straight through the centre but you should turn right into Stradella Loschi, which takes you to the cathedral square. Here you will find the cathedral, the bishop’s palace, and the underground excavations of the cryptoportico (supporting semi-subterranean passageway) under the Roman house in the same place. You can then take Via Cesare Battisti back onto Corso

Andrea Palladio and then turn into Via Cavour at the magnificent Palazzo Trissino, the official seat of the town council. Via Cavour brings you to Piazza dei Signori, the town’s magnificent civic square.

You are now surrounded by palazzi and colonnades, jewellers’ shops display gold and jewellery... You should treat yourself to an aperitif in one of the fine cafés (we recommend Pasticceria Sorarù) at one of the tables on the piazza. Contrà Santa Barbara brings you back to Corso Palladio. Just a few more steps and you are in front of the stone door of the Teatro Olimpico.

Opposite, in Piazza Matteotti, you will see Palazzo Chiericati and the town’s museum. The return route takes you back via Corso Palladio again; you just need to cross the street.

With all the fine shops and historical façades you will not be bored!

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VICENZA AT A GLANCE

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Along the roads of Vicenza province, sometimes invisible to the hasty traveller, there are many buildings which contain echoes of the past, when spending time at home and in the countryside was a joy: the Villas of Vicenza. Some of them are of incomparable splendour, others were modestly built, some perfectly restored to their original beauty, others neglected with visible signs of passing time and decay, all of them contributing towards the original diversity of the province of Vicenza. Andrea Palladio has left an undoubtly impressive sign of a lost age when the generosity of some great families met the genius of the great architect.

1 CRICOLI – VILLA TRISSINO. Included in the Mankind Heritage list since 1994, this villa is certainly not a work by Palladio, but it marks the origin of his myth. Cricoli is one of the northeastern suburbs of Vicenza, located where a roundabout marks the start of the “Marosticana” route. The villa is particularly remarkable, standing on the side of the street, on the edge of a large agricultural estate. The building is named after the Earl Giangiorgio Trissino, humanist and cultured gentleman, fond of architecture and for this reason personally involved in its renewal. And this was when he met Andrea di Pietro della Gondola, at that time a simple stone-cutter employed to work on the villa; Trissino detected a particular talent in him that induced him to become his patron, to educate him in Classical Culture and initiate his interest in architecture; it was Trissino who introduced the young artist to the aristocracy of Vicenza by the name of Palladio. The villa has a traditional layout, castle-like, with the façades closed between four corner turrets.

The construction was carried out in 1538. The originally Gothic style main front, underwent some Palladian transformations at the end of the 18th and the early 20th c.

FROM VICENZA TO BASSANO

From Vicenza to Bassano

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FROM VICENZA TO BASSANO

2 ANCONETTA – VILLA IMPERIALI LAMPERTICO. Built in 1681, it has been attributed to the architect Carlo Borella and has survived in excellent condition. It is composed of a central building and two rear wings. Four ionic pilasters on the first floor support a triangular pediment showing the coat of arms of the House. The two wings were added in the 18th c. It is surrounded by a large, beautiful park. The villa cannot be visited.

MONTICELLO CONTE OTTO – VILLA VALMARANA BRESSAN. The first recorded information concerning this villa, characterized by its unusual façade, date back to 1560, but its construction date seems to be uncertain, even though some official documents date it back to 1544. In the 1980s, during one of the most recent restoration works carried out by its owners, two local historians ascribed its original design to Palladio, due to its layout identical to that of another small villa designed by him. It is quite probable that it was built by an architect who knew Palladio and took inspiration from his project. Today the villa is included in the UNESCO heritage list.

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SANDRIGO/BACCALÀ and in particular Sandrigo and Rost, a Lofoten island twinned with Sandrigo.

4 SANDRIGO – VILLA SESSO SCHIAVO. The complex stands along via San Lorenzo, leading to the medieval centre of Lupia and covers a fenced quadrangular space. It is composed of various elements. A 16th century section, the 18th century main building, the labourers cottage, a barchessa with a Doric portico and the chapel dedicated to St Lawrence. Particularly important is the 16th century section, with its wide portico built in 1570 by the Earl Silvio Sesso, inspired by Palladio’s style, and its four rooms frescoed by different painters, mainly Venetian. The main building dates back to the early 18th c. while the chapel is dated 1696.

5 LONGA DI SCHIAVON – VILLA CHIERICATI LAMBERT. Shortly after crossing Longa village, on the right you can see the romantic park of Villa Chiericati Lambert (1590), a Renaissance dwelling whose restoration, dating back to the mid-19th c., gave the present façade a late Neoclassical aspect. Four ionic pilasters support a triangular pediment. Surviving various decay and restorations, there is a small room decorated with landscape frescoes of unknown paternity, although the pageboy with dog has been attributed to Paolo Veronese.

FROM VICENZA TO BASSANO

Sandrigo is considered the hometown of baccalà due to its friendship, cultural and commercial ties with the Lofoten Islands (Norway). The Baccalà Festival is celebrated the last weekend of September every year, with various shows performed in the squares of the town and gastronomic stands serving dishes based on stockfish and polenta. Thousands of people attend the event every year, including a Norwegian delegation.

In the odd-numbered years the ”Italian-Norwegian week” is held, with shows, exhibitions and meetings about the two countries

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Marostica Situated on the slopes of the Asiago Upland, Marostica dominates the plain up to Vicenza, while in the background the territory is animated by the first hills, creating a soft landscape rich in vegetation. In the Middle Ages this strategic position made it a considerable target for the control of the area, and it now offers visitors pleasant panoramic views over the countryside. The original town stood more to the east, but under the Scaligeri rule (1311-86) it was redefined with the construction of the Lower Castle and of the Upper Castle which, placed in two strategically complementary positions, gave a simultaneous defence from enemy attacks and control of the access ways.

6 PIAZZA CASTELLO. Immediately past the 14th century town walls, you reach this square surrounded by arcades. In the centre of it, the chess board where the traditional game of chess is played, overlooked by the Lower Castle (1320), which was the site for the podestĂ since the XV c. The castle, with a rectangular plan and completely battlemented, is a typical walled castle built close to an impressive Donjon and is a great example of military architecture. A drawbridge protected the access to the castle courtyard, inside which there is a porch surmounted by a continuous arcade standing on brick supports. In 1935 it underwent radical restoration and today hosts a small museum with the costumes used in the traditional game of chess.

7 S. ANTONIO ABATE CHURCH. Despite its Baroque appearance, it dates back to 1383, was renovated in 1730 and now is without its monastery. The apse contains a 16th century altarpiece by Jacopo and Francesco Bassano. A 17th century scenic flight of steps leads to the Church of the Carmine, built in the same period, starting point of the path ascending to the Upper Castle.

8 UPPER CASTLE. The site of Marostica has been fortified ever since the Roman age. In the VIII c. it was the site of a Longobard castle; between the XII and XIII c. it was ruled by the Ezzelini

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and then by the Signorie of Vicenza and Padua. The present fortification was built by the Scaligeri. The construction of the two castles was started in 1312, while the enclosing wall bounding the Pausolino hill and the plain immediately under it thus connecting the two fortresses, was completed in 1372. The Upper Castle, with its square plan, had four corner turrets and a big tower in the middle. It was the site of the Venetian podestĂ until 1510 (after the Cambrai war he moved to the safer Lower Castle) and was equipped with a big well, still existing inside the large courtyard, a church and a windmill. On the left side of the castle, there is the gate leading to the hill slope. The recent restoration has exposed the remains of these charming walls, without becoming excessive with the reconstruction. Do not miss taking the charming Sentiero dei Carmini, a path ascending from the Lower to the Upper Castle, to enjoy the wonderful view of the town and the spectacular Venetian horizon.

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MAROSTICA - GAME OF CHESS The emblem of Marostica is the living chess game played in September every even year, with over 550 characters recalling the challenge that took place here in 1454. The event dates back to the age when Marostica was one of the most loyal of the Venice Republic. Two noble gentlemen fell in love with Lionora, the beautiful daughter of the podestà and, as was the practice in that age, they challenged each other to a duel to the death. But the podestà, who didn’t want to fall out with either of the two pretenders, forbade the duel following an edict by Cangrande della Scala and ordered the two competitors to challenge each other to a match of the noble

chess game: the winner would have the right to marry Lionora, while the loser would have the hand of his youngest daughter. The event was to take place on a feast day in the Lower Castle square, with living characters dressed in traditional costumes and armour, before the podestà, Lionora (secretly in love with one of the two rivals), the nobles and all the people of the area. There were to be parades, fires and lights to celebrate the event. Still today the show is just like the original. It lasts approximately 2 hours and the orders for the moves are still given using the ancient Serenissima language.

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, Last Sunday of May: Cherry Festival in the Chess Square and other streets of the historical centre. , Second weekend of September (even years): Historical event featuring a parade with people in 15th century costumes and the famous Game of chess played with living people in the square overlooked by the Lower Castle.

EATING AND DRINKING CASA DEL PARMIGIANO Piazza Castello, 24 Tel. 0424 75071 Since 1969 the Gastaldello family has represented the gastronomic excellence in Marostica. Selectioners and refiners of local, national and international cheeses, they offer more than 200 types of cheese. Also salami, wine, champagne, traditional balsamic vinegar, Silvella sauces and much more... Closed on Wednesdays and Sundays.

OSTERIA LA MADONNETTA Via Vajenti, 21 Marostica (VI) Tel. 0424 75859 Historical restaurant close to the Chess Square. Typical regional cuisine. Its past times atmosphere, the excellent meals, the friendly and welcoming staff, together with the moderate prices, have made this place very popular with young people. In the past it was a destination of wayfarers and a refreshment point for famous people, such as the writer E. Hemingway. Here you can also

stop for a snack or a glass of wine, maybe joining in with a game of cards. In the summer a little terrace is also available. The kitchen is open till late, but reservation is highly recommended due to the popularity, especially in the peak hour. Excellent selection of wines and desserts (do not miss the delicious Apple Crumble!). Closed on Thursdays.

FROM VICENZA TO BASSANO

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Monuments and historical sites Ponte Vecchio Chiesa di San Donato Villa Veggia Bonauguro Castello degli Ezzelini Duomo Palazzo Sturm Piazza Libertà Chiesa di San Giovanni Loggia Del Municipio Piazza Garibaldi Torre Civica Chiesa di San Francesco

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Bassano Bassano stands at the foothills of Vicenza’s Prealps and at the outlet of the river Brenta onto the plain. Its landscape, especially in springtime, offers views of uncommon beauty. One particular example is the road running along the foot of the hills between Mason, Molvena, Pianezze and Marostica, renowned for the cherries and for the variety of scents and colours that can be enjoyed there. Besides the medieval charm of Marostica and the historical value of Bassano, the surrounding area is full of evidence of countryside tradition, fundamental here long before the advent of the modern society of industries and services. This town is mainly known for its bridge over the Brenta river, dating back to the early XIII c., the present shape and wooden structure of which were designed by Palladio; it has been destroyed and rebuilt many times, and finally renamed the “Bridge of the Alpini” (the mountain regiments of the Italian army) these being the people who carried out its last reconstruction and because it was the scene of decisive battles during the Second World War. But Bassano is also the hometown of the famous Grappa, a sort of brandy with innumerable variations, always much appreciated by connoisseurs.

APT BASSANO (TOURISM PROMOTION AGENCY) L.go Corona d’Italia, 35 Tel. 0424 524351, iat.bassano@provincia.vicenza.it, www.vicenzae.org

History of the city ROMAN PERIOD AND MIDDLE AGES

There is evidence dating back to the XI-IX c. B.C. of a human settlement in this area before the advent of the Romans, who conquered this land in the II c. B.C. and made it cultivable. After being dominated by the Longobards and the Franks, during the Middle Ages the town passed under the rule of Vicenza (1175) and then of the wealthy Ezzelini family. At Ezzelino III’s death, the town was ruled by Vicenza, Padua, Verona until the end of the XIV c., when Bassano was able to enjoy a relative autonomy under the Visconti’s. In 1404 it joined the Serenissima Republic of Venice, which granted the land peace and prosperity over four centuries, to the benefit of the textile and gold jewellery sectors.

MODERN PERIOD AND PRESENT

In 1796 Napoleon defeated the Austrians in Bassano and Venice fell the following year. In 1814 Bassano passed under the Austrians and after the Third War of Independence it finally joined the Kingdom of Italy in 1866. During the two world wars, the town was an important battle and conflict zone. Today Bassano has approximately 65,000 inhabitants. Due to its borderline position between the plain and the mountains, it has been able to develop an economy based on its manufacturing and trade tradition (first with wool and silk and afterwards

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ceramics and paper) along with a purely agricultural one, thanks to the natural abundance of fruits and flavourings here. Among the typical products of the area are the cherries, the white asparagus, and also the renowned grappa.

BASSANO

The best in brief The whole town is studded with elegant buildings enriched with precious ornaments and quiet little squares. In the central square of Monte Vecchio stand the impressive Monte di Pietà (1494) and the Casa Dal Corno Bonato, whose façade was frescoed by the Renaissance painter Jacopo da Ponte, called “the Bassano”. A few steps away, you can admire the Neoclassical San Giovanni Church (dated 1300) and the 15th century Town Hall Loggia. But the most famous work of art in town is certainly the Wooden Bridge, designed by Palladio in 1569, which has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. Climbing gently towards the hills, in the middle of a charming landscape rich in vineyards, stands Villa Angarano.. It was conceived by Palladio by the mid-XVI c., but only the side wings were built according to his plans. The main body of the villa was built successively, in a typical 17th century style. Now the complex is the site of a vineyard business. Finally, worth mentioning is the magnificent Villa Rezzonico,, which was built just out of the town between the late 17th and the early 18th c., hosting paintings and sculptures

by Antonio Canova.

On the other side of the bridge, there is via Angarano named after the Roman “Angaranus”, the site where some important

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The WOODEN BRIDGE 1 (1569), connecting the two banks of the Brenta at the point where the river is narrower; Palladio planned to use this material because flexibility of wood was able to counteract the force of the River Brenta. It suffered a great deal of damage, from both the river and war-time bombing, but each time it was rebuilt according to Palladio’s designs. The last reconstruction dates back to the post-Second World War period by the Alpini. There is a Museum of the Alpini at the Taverna al Ponte.

Over the square of Terraglio, which once ran along the moat, stands the UPPER CASTLE 4 , a fortress registred back in 1175, but perhaps even older than that. It is surrounded by a double wall circle. The entrance is through a portal surmounted by the Ser Ivano Tower, built in the XIII c. Inside the wall circle stands the CATHEDRAL 5 . It was originally the parish of St Mary, already established in 988, which was repeatedly remodelled starting from the reduction to just one aisle dating back to the 15th c., till the last renovations of the XVII c. The bell tower was built above the basement of a 13th century tower.

BASSANO

archaeological finds have been discovered (now preserved in the Civic Museum). Here there are Medieval and Renaissance houses and churches, such as the little church of SAN DONATO 2 dating back to the XIII c. and the 15th/16th century VILLA VEGGIA BONAGURO 3 which hosts some frescoes by the Veronese school.

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PALAZZO STURM 6 . This 18th century building which stands

BASSANO

vertically above the Brenta, is the reworking of previous buildings; since 1992 it has been hosting the Ceramics Museum, dedicated to one of the productions that made Bassano famous until the 18th c., ranging from medieval ceramics to contemporary production. Inside the palace, of interest are the alcove and the rococo boudoir, rich in stuccos and mirrors.

Since 2007 the palace has also hosted the Remondini Museum, which illustrates all aspects of the 18th/19th-century industrial phenomenon of the family of printers of the same name who became famous all over Europe.

On the southern side of the PIAZZA DELLA LIBERTÀ 7 there is the façade of the SAN GIOVANNI BATTISTA CHURCH 8 , which was founded in 1308 together with the now disappeared monastery and widened during the XV c.; it was completely renewed in the second half of the XVIII c. On the opposite side of the square, close to the palace of the Town Hall (XVIII c.), stands the LOGGIA DEL COMUNE 9 (1405-1582) with a late 15th century clock, fragments of fresco decorations and the coats of arms of the first 120 Venetian podestà. On the same side of the square, there is the Casa Treviso, which still has some traces of late 15th century frescoes.

PIAZZA GARIBALDI 10 took on its present form in the second

half of the 18th c., when the moat surrounding the first wall circle was filled in; just the TORRE CIVICA 11 of the XIII c. has remained from the ancient wall circle, whose height was increased in the following century up to the current 42 meters.

The southern side of the square is occupied by the Romanesque-Gothic church of SAN FRANCESCO 12 ( XIII-XIV c.).

EVENTS

, Second half of April: White Asparagus Fair and Contest. Folk shows, exhibition of the famous asparagus and of locally produced ceramics in Piazza della Libertà; restaurateurs offer meals based on rice with asparagus. , October: Fireworks Contest. Spectacular fireworks competition.

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Bassano’s excellent grappa, white and aged in oak barrels, resulting from a hundred-year tradition, is one of the town’s main symbols.

The origin of this product dates back to ancient times: The Italian grappa is a sort of brandy resulting from the distillation of the residue of pomace and grape, i.e. the solid part of grapes, mainly skin and seeds, left over from wine making after pressing. So it’s a product of popular and rural origin: countrymen used the pomace, left after the wine had been drained off and destined to the wealthier classes, to obtain a heavy and strengthening drink. In Bassano, the grappa tradition started in 1779, from the passion of a family of local entrepreneurs. Distillation became one of the skills of the people from

Bassano; since then, they have been developing different types of distilled products such as the famous tajadea, a mixture of different products among which the grappa gives the predominant taste, widely appreciated both as an aperitif and a digestive. Five categories of grappa can be distinguished: young, aromatic, refined, aged and flavoured. Each bottle, after closing, is affixed with the state seal which grants the consumer the accordance with quality standard. Today, Bassano’s grappa is exported all over the world. The importance of this great product is such that the town has dedicated an interesting Museum to it, inside a 15th century palace near the Old Bridge.

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EATING & DRINKING

BASSANO

13 RISTORANTE PIZZERIA BELLA CAPRI Via Jacopo da Ponte, 47 Tel. 0424 524916 The nice, cheerful atmosphere of this restaurant is always well appreciated and the wide range of dishes will meet all your demands.

Closed on Wednesdays.

14 RISTORANTE PIZZERIA SARACENO Via Museo, 60 Tel. 0424 522513 The family-run management bring care, simplicity and experience to their range of meals and service, which are always excellent and well appreciated. Closed on Mondays.

15 BIRRARIA OTTONE Since 1870 – Historical place of Italy, Via Matteotti, 48 Tel. 0424 522206 Typical and elegant beer house, it was founded by the Austrian master brewer Otto Wipflinger who was the first to produce, import and distribute the Austrian and German beer, unknown in Italy up to that time, matching them with Tyrolean dishes. Set in the 15th century Navarrini Wipflinger palace and still run by the founder’s grandchildren, its elegantly decorated halls have witnessed the presence of some of the best Italian artists and intellects ever since the time when the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed. Closed on Monday evenings and on Tuesdays.

16 GRAPPERIA NARDINI Since 1779 – Historic place in Italy Via Ponte Vecchio, 2 Tel. 0424 227741

The “Grapperia” is not only a place to pass on to others, to love and to admire. Today, as in the past, it is a meeting point, a place for a passionate approach for the people of Bassano and all who visit, pass by and stop on the most famous bridge of patriotic Italy. And the Grapperia, founded by Bortolo Nardini, is first of all a patriotic symbol and secondly the capital of the most precious Italian distilled product: the grappa. Open all days h.8,00 a.m.-8,00 p.m.

17 RISTORANTE CA’ SETTE Via Cunizza da Romano, 4 Tel. 0424 38335 A peaceful atmosphere, quiet garden and good quality cuisine with some creative touches are guaranteed. Closed on Sunday evenings and on Mondays.

18 TRATTORIA DEL BORGO Via Marignan, 7 Tel. 0424 522155 This restaurant offers a typical regional cuisine using seasonal products, in an informal environment which was formerly an old bowling green. In the summer it is possible to eat outside, in the shade. Closed on Wednesdays.

19 ENOGASTRONOMIA BAGGIO Via Roma, 33 Tel. 0424 522500 A good selections of wines with more than 2000 labels from all over the world. Bulk wine also available.

Excellent gastronomy using fresh, selected products for the preparation of main courses and deserts.

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From Bassano to Treviso MUSSOLENTE – VILLA NEGRI. The architect Antonio Gaidon was commissioned to design this villa, probably built on a previously existing structure, by the Bassano nobleman Antonio Negri, and it was finished in 1763. The three-floor main body is bordered by two arcades, placed towards the back of the central building, and by two small additional buildings used as foresteria. The attics are surmounted by statues. This building crowns the small hill with fanciful splendour, in a highly scenic setting. The straight flight of steps leading up to the villa seems to make the unique complex even higher. The park and garden form an ideal frame to the elegance of the villa. Seriously damaged after the two world wars, it has been restored by the current owners, who have also carried out a restoration of the park.

2 S. ZENONE DEGLI EZZELINI – VILLA ROVERO (XVII-XVIII c.). As you arrive in the centre of the village of San Zenone, you cannot help but notice this impressive villa, placed at the end of the long flight of steps cutting the large citron garden in two. It is composed of a three-floor main building with a balcony, from which two long wings come out on both sides, with large sevenarcade loggias, at the ends of which stand two square-plan towers. The Rovero family, owners of the villa, have been part of the historical Houses of the area since the XI c. The shape of the original dwelling is uncertain, but the main building was

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probably similar to the present one. Some frescoes and typical XVIII c. decorations can be seen on the upper floor. The works were carried out in the late 18th c. In the meantime, the villa had become the focus of the social, cultural and economic life of the area. It underwent its first changes in the mid-XX c., when the eastern barchessa was pulled down to build the present Pescheria (the historical main villas used to be equipped with huge tanks for fish breeding destined to satisfy the family’s alimentary needs).

SOPRACASTELLO – COLLE DEGLI EZZELINI. The Castellaro Hill dominating S. Zenone village, is characterized by artificial steep slopes and it is located in a wonderful naturalistic setting still uncontaminated by modern urbanization. On this hill, from the mid-XII c., has stood a castle that in the second half of the following century was enlarged by Ezzelino III, who built a tower and transferred the village to the plain in order to make room for the fortifications. Unfortunately, the project failed in 1260-61 with the bloody end of the Ezzelinos, defeated by the Pope’s troops allied with Venice and Padua, and the destruction of the castle. This place is also quoted by Dante in his Paradise.. An historical event recalling the slaughter of the Ezzelinos takes place every year on the first Sunday of August, on the hill where the Tower stands.

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FONTE ALTO – CHIESA ARCIPRETALE (ARCHPRIEST CHURCH).

Placed on the top of the hill, this church dominates Fonte Alto.

It is called archpriest church because it had a certain amount of jurisdiction over other churches in the same area. Dedicated to the Saints Peter and Paul, it was built on pre-existing ruins dating back to 1330. A first reconstruction was documented in 1467. Destroyed by a serious earthquake, which also caused the collapse of the bell tower, the church was rebuilt between the end of the 17th and the first half of the following century. Inside the church there are paintings by Jacopo da Bassano and the valuable ceiling of the central aisle painted by Canaletto. In 1640 the access to the church was via a simple wooden staircase, later rebuilt using bricks. The present flight of 102 steps, was built in 1869. The bell tower, reconstructed in 1712, was damaged again by the earthquake of 1836 and restored the following year.

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5 PAGNANO – CONTRADA DEL PONTE. The Pagnano bridge is a compulsory route on the way to Asolo dating back to the Roman age, at the point where Erega (an area between the Asolo hills) meets the Musone river. It is a picturesque hamlet, once full of mills, forges and taverns, whose traces are still visible in the forge of Casa Colla, which still has the original setup of the façade with gothic windows and a small drawing of an anvil dated 1488.

FROM BASSANO TO TREVISO

Asolo Historical memories and natural scenery, medieval views and Palladian villas blend in the unique landscape surrounding Asolo. Gently lying between the surrounding hills, Asolo is immersed in a Mediterranean landscape of olive trees, vines and cypresses. In this village, rich in works of historical, artistic and cultural value, everything reflects the past one thousand years. Asolo, enclosed within its ancient walls and dominated by the Rocca, still retains its medieval appearance. The town is characterized by porticoed streets, frescoed buildings with double and triple lancets, and balconies. Among them via Browning, where the English poet lived: The street is overlooked by small palaces and houses in Gothic and Baroque style, some of them decorated with XV and XVI c. frescoes. On the second Sunday of each month (except in July and August) the picturesque streets of the historical centre are filled with a famous antique trade market, exhibiting antique furniture, jewelry, silverware, prints and books.

6 ASOLO – PIAZZA MAGGIORE OR GARIBALDI. It is considered the heart of the town, with its 16th century fountain surmounted by the winged Lion of Saint Mark from which some of the major monuments of Asolo can be reached. By descending a flight of steps you can reach the Cathedral (Duomo), built on the foundations of a Roman thermal building and reconstructed in 1747, with a 19th century façade. In the square, on the corner of Via Regina Cornaro, stands the Loggia della Ragione, built between the XV and XVI c. This building hosts the Civic Museum

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which contains archaeological material, paintings and sculptures (including works by Antono Canova, Canaletto and Sansovino) and various possessions and mementos of famous people who lived here in modern and contemporary times.

ASOLO – QUEEN’S CASTLE. It was a lower fortress in the Middle Ages, with its characteristic Reata Tower (truncated tower with clock), which used to be the dwelling of Caterina Cornaro and her Renaissance court; it has been modified many times and today it hosts a theatre dedicated to Eleonora Duse, the famous theatre and silent movie actress, inspirational muse to the Italian poet Gabriele D’Annunzio. Part of the garden is occupied by the Villa Beach,, commissioned by the English poet Robert Browning.

8 ASOLO – ROCCA. It is an impressive Medieval construction built on the summit of Mount Ricco in order to defend the town. A fortified castle ever since the late Imperial Age, this fortress was rebuilt in the present structure by the Ezzelinos after the year 1100. In the XVI c. it stopped performing its military function and suffered pillages of building material. It was restored in 1993 using materials and techniques similar to the original ones.

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FAMOUS PEOPLE IN ASOLO During Venetian rule, which lasted four centuries from the end of the 14th century to the advent of Napoleon, Asolo enjoyed a time of great splendour. In 1489 Venice entrusted Caterina Cornaro, former queen of Cyprus, with the control of this village. She created a magnificent Renaissance court of artists and cultured men, including the poet Pietro Bembo whose poem “Asolani” was written and set here, and the painter Giorgione, who took inspiration from the atmosphere in and around Asolo for his landscape paintings. That time has left an indelible mark on the art and vision of this town. In fact, also after these years, the charm of its art and the magic of

its landscapes have attracted a lot of famous people who have lived here in different periods. Eleonora Duse (1858-1924) called “la Divina”, an international theatre actress who used to go to Asolo to rest from her stage engagements and who chose to be buried here; she was the inspirational muse for the dramatic works by the poet D’Annunzio; Freya Stark (18931993), an explorer, authoress and photographer, who chose Asolo as her favourite destination when returning from her trips and who died here at the age of a hundred; the English poet Robert Browning, who put in his verses the essence of the living “Asolando”. Finally, here are some of the many internationally renowned artists who were fascinated by the beauty of this area in the 19th and 20th c.: the poet Giosuè Carducci, who called it “the town of a hundred horizons”, the American impressionist painter Eugene Benson, the writers Henry James and Ernest Hemingway, the musician Igor Stravinsky.

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EATING AND DRINKING tradition but also from international experience, specialized cooking and pastry courses. Closed on Sunday evenings and on Mondays.

TAPPO BAR Via Roma, 55 – Tel. 0423 952201 This Cafe/Restaurant in the very centre of the town, with a spacious terrace, offers a select local cuisine with an excellent choice of wines.

HOSTARIA CA’ DERTON Piazza D’Annunzio, 11 Tel. 0423 529648 The enogastronomic preparation comes not only from the family

CASELLA – VILLA RINALDI. This villa, standing at the foot of the Asolo hills, is one of the most spectacular pieces of Baroque architecture in the province of Treviso. It is the result of the enlargement, dating back to 1668, of a pre-existing 16th century villa. The different buildings are positioned along the slope of a hill, connected to one another through terraces and flights of steps. The tall and strongly protruding central building is open with loggias and arches and crowned by a tympanum with the Rinaldi family coat of arms. Towards the back are two side wings, composed of three floors of loggias, according to the most classical tradition of Venetian architecture looking out over the landscape. Two large barchesse, perpendicular to the central building, slope down towards the road, 9

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CAFFÈ CENTRALE Since 1792 – Historical place of Italy Via Roma, 72 – Tel. 0423 952141 Set in a beautiful palace in the main square, it was originally created as the “Casino Society”, a cultural club adopting the contemporary fashion of the French cafés; two of its members plotted against Napoleon in 1808. In 1839 it was granted a “political license” as a cafè. The entrance, rooms, wall seatings and tables have never been changed. It has accompanied the history of Asolo, with renowned guests such as Giosué Carducci, Gabriele D’Annunzio and Eleonora Duse, Robert Browning, Ernest Hemingway, Henry James, Hugo von Hofmansthal, Arnold Schoenberg. Closed on Tuesdays.

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framing a garden decorated with statues and enclosed by a beautiful pillared gate. Facing the road, stands the elegant Baroque style little church. Its interior, which cannot be visited, contains XVIII century frescoes, statues and stuccos.

CRESPIGNAGA – VILLA PELLIZZARI. Aristocratic house whose construction dates back to the mid-XVI c. Wonderfully restored, its interiors preserve some stuccos, Venetian-style pavements and decorated beams.

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COSTE – VILLA SERNAGIOTTO. Impressive building facing the Parish square. The villa was built in the mid-XIX c. and contains some Palladian style pavements made of pietra viva and brick. During the First World War it was used as a military camp hospital.

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12 MASER – VILLA BARBARO. In 1560 Daniele Barbaro, Patriarch of Aquileia, entrusted the realization of this villa to an exceptional group of artists: Palladio gave harmony and functionality to the parts, Paolo Veronese painted the frescoes, while the stuccos and sculptures were overseen by Alessandro Vittoria.

The villa stands in a raised position with respect to the road in front of it, from which it is possible to admire the external façade and its large garden. It lies horizontal to it with the various functional parts merging into a harmonious combination.

Here Palladio carried out his model of the ideal villa: the protruding central building turns the pre-existing castle into a sort of temple with gigantic columns supporting a pediment,

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and on its sides are two porticoed wings ending with two gently curving dovecots. On the opposite side of the villa you can admire the Neptune fountain and a tree-lined path fading into the countryside. A cottage hosts the Coach Museum.

MASER – LITTLE TEMPLE OF VILLA BARBARO. Not far from the villa a Little Temple, one of the later works by Palladio (1580), completes the architectural complex. The small centralised building, which is a reinterpretation of the classical model of the Pantheon in Rome, is enriched with stone statues and, in the interior, stucco decorations by Alessandro Vittoria.

14 MONTEBELLUNA – PIAZZETTA DEL MERCATO VECCHIO. For almost a thousand years this square has been the site of a historical and important free market, exempt from duty and taxes by the will of the emperor Frederick I “Barbarossa” “Barbarossa Barbarossa : for this reason people used to come here from all over, even from Austria and Croatia. By the end of the 19th c., as the space had become narrow and the roads muddy and impassable, the market was ordered to transfer to the lowlands, thus originating the organization of the town Squares. In this same little square there is the Column of the Ducali (1593), indicating the exemptions which the town enjoyed from the IX c. till 1872.

MONTEBELLUNA – NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM. From the central Piazza Garibaldi, following Corso Mazzini on the left, you reach the 17th century Villa Moncenigo. The building is the site of the Natural History and Archaeological Museum, Museum including archaeological (VIII-IV c. B.C.) and Roman finds, with funerary equipment and fine examples of hand-blown glass dating back to the I c. A.D. 15

16 MONTEBELLUNA – THE MONTELLO HILL. The Montello hilly area, isolated within a plain, covers a surface of 6,000 hectares reaching a maximum height of 369 m a.s.l. The main characteristic of the Montello area is the red soil covering a conglomerate of calcareous pebbles, porphyry and granite mixed with clay, all of them debris of the Piave river which have cemented in that area. Besides this peculiar soil, also the doline, the caves and the karstification make it an excellent environment for geological research. In ancient times the area was covered by

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thick durmast woods, which made it a precious source of wood for the Serenissima naval dockyard. The protection that the Venetian government had granted to the forest areas functional to its fleet, failed with the fall of the Venetian Republic, and was followed by an inexorable uncontrolled deforestation process.

VENEGAZZÙ – VILLA SPINEDA. Bought by the Benetton Group, the villa has been completely restored. It is one of the most successful examples of 18th century Palladian-style architecture. The complex shows an impressive master building, developing around the central pronao, sided by two open barchesse.. The garden overlooked by the façade is surrounded by a peschiera,, while one at the back stretches up to the foothills of Montello.

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18 POSTIOMA – VILLA TASSONI. Placed in Piazza Montello, it is a nice complex with a master house and stables, workers’ houses and cottages, garden and park. The master building dated 1300, although remodelled many times, still preserves a number of frescoes, outstanding examples of Medieval painting, among which there is a wonderful triptych ascribed to Tommaso da Modena.

MERLENGO – S. BARTOLOMEO CHURCH. The church was elevated in the last century, while the bell tower dates back to 1734. Inside there is the Altarpiece of S. Osvaldo, painted by Gian Domenico Tiepolo, son of Giovanni Battista, and two marble heads of Jesus and Mary attributed to Torretti, the teacher of Antonio Canova.

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20 PONZANO VENETO – VILLA CORNER. The construction of this villa was commissioned in the course of the XVIII c. by the Corner, an important noble family, while its frescoes by G.B. Tiepolo probably date back to 1736. Tiepolo decorated the central hall on the first floor, but today only an almost invisible trace of it remains, because the frescoes were ordered to be removed in 1800 by the owner of that time, who considered their nudity offensive. Among the faint figures left, some beautiful details still appear on the walls, similar to high summits illuminated by the sun between the clouds. The large fresco

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(“Flora”) preserved in the Luigi Bailo Museum of Treviso comes from this villa. The building, with its simple appearance, has a three-floor central body and two wings, one of which connected to other out-buildings. The original villa was richer in decorations, golden frames, precious works of art and tapestries.

Also the little church used to have a golden altar decorated with busts of important people of that time, but everything disappeared between the late 19th and the early 20th c.

PONZANO VENETO – VILLA MINELLI. It was built in the first half of the XVII c. by the Minellis, an important merchant family from Bergamo; in the early 19th c. it became a property of the Venice orphanage until the 1960s, when it was finally acquired by the famous clothing company Benetton. The latter, after submitting the decaying complex to a complete restoration, made its headquarters out of it. The master house is a luminous three-floor square-plan building, open with wide windows and a loggia on the first floor. The interior is enriched with decorated beams and frescoes with architectural figures.

On the left of the house, there is another building for the use of guests, also decorated with interesting Baroque frescoes (1660-65). At the back, stands the family church. The complex also includes a barchessa and other minor buildings. In front of the villa, the garden is enclosed by a beautiful gate with ashlar pillars surmounted by decorative vases.

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Treviso Treviso, known as the “town of waters” due to the network of water channels crossing through its historical centre thus providing glimpses of undisputed charm, appears like a green island, an oasis of water and flowers, elegant but without ostentation. The historical centre is full of luxurious palaces, frescoed buildings and elegant 15th century houses.

THE PROVINCE OF TREVISO IN FIGURES AREA: 2,477 km2 INHABITANTS OF THE PROVINCE: 884,353 THE SIX LARGEST TOWNS (IN TERMS OF POPULATION) ARE: Treviso: 82,716, Conegliano: 35,689, Castelfranco Veneto: 33,708, Montebelluna: 31,156, Vittorio Veneto: 29,029, Mogliano Veneto: 28,134.

AUSTRIA

I TA L I A TREVISO

APT TREVISO (TOURISM PROMOTION AGENCY) Piazzetta Monte di Pietà, 8 Tel. 0422.547632, iat.treviso@provincia.treviso.it, www.provincia.treviso.it

History of the city The first evidence of human settlement in this area dates back to the pre-Romanesque age, when a paleovenetian village was established over three small hills close to a loop of the Sile River. Under Roman rule, it became an important trading centre with the name of Tarvisium.

Tarvisium After the fall of the Roman Empire and the successive barbarian invasions, around the year 1000, during the age of Comuni, Treviso underwent a great period of development, growing in size and being enriched by monuments and palaces. It grew further in richness and magnificence during the XII and XIII c., becoming one of the primary towns of the area that used to be called the Marca Trevigiana, covering a good part of the present Veneto region. With the fall of the Comuni and the passage into the Signorie age, the first House which took possession of Treviso was that of the Ezzelinos in the first half of the 13th c., succeeded by the Da Camino in the following century. Then it was occupied by the Scaligeri, and although it had spontaneously become part of the Republic of Venice in 1339, it was still contested between the Duke of Austria and the Carraresi from Padua. The latter finally ceded it to Venice in 1388. After this, it experienced a long period of calm and relative well-being that lasted until 1797, when the Serenissima was defeated by Napoleon. Then Treviso passed under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, then to

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the Italic Kingdom (1805) and again to Austria (1813). Finally it was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy in 1866. During the First World War, the Treviso area was the scene of the last decisive battle, fought on the banks of the Piave river.

TREVISO

LANDSCAPE Located just a few km from Venice, the province of Treviso is an extraordinary combination of scenery, art, history, nature and hospitality, which fascinates the visitor and stays in the heart of everybody who travels through it. In fact, at the entrance of each town you will find a sign saying ”Provincia di Treviso…se la vedi, t’innamori” (Province of Treviso…See it, fall in love with it). The landscape continuously changes, ranging from the harmonious plains to the mountains of the Treviso’s Prealps, and the rolling Prosecco Hills (known for their excellent wine production) to the woods of Montello and Cansiglio, in a mosaic of beauty each part worth discovering. The town stands on the mid-Venetian plain, 15 m a.s.l., in an area rich in water resources.

In fact, various freshwater springs rise within the same area, including

the Botteniga river, which branches out into a number of channels crossing the historic centre of Treviso, thus contributing to its undeniable charm. The province is mainly flat, but the northern strip is characterized by a range of hills. On the border with the province of Belluno, they could be classified as mountains, as their massifs often surpass 1,000 m. Among the various rivers of the area, besides the Sile which passes through Treviso and caresses the southern walls of the town, the main one is certainly the Piave, characterized by its wide gravel riverbed. The whole area is studded with restored castles, ruins of towers, ancient structures incorporated into towns, defensive walls and fortified sites, recalling the historical events of this area during the age of Comuni and the tensions between the Signorie.

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The town has an impressive circular wall, which was built in the first half of the XVI c., to protect the historic centre. In the Middle Ages it was hailed by poets and troubadours as a wonderful example of a courtly town, rich, elegant, cultured and joyfully vibrant, and while passing through the streets of the town centre it is still possible to find some traces of the frescoes that used to decorate the building façades. Some ancient houses dating back to the mid-15th c., with ogival arcades and fine brick decorations, still stand in via Canova and via Riccati.

Also the very popular via Calmaggiore,, connecting Piazza dei Signori with the Cathedral, is characterized by arcades and houses dating back to the 15th and 16th c. Worth noticing are the Medieval Cathedral and the Romanesque Baptistry, along with the massive bell tower, dating back to the XI and XII c. There is a curious story about the so-called Fontana delle Tette (Tit Fountain), which is now visible in Piazza dei Signori, in the Loggia of the Palazzo dei Trecento: it is a statue of the top half of a naked woman and it was realized in 1559 following an extraordinary drought. The story says that from then until the fall of the “Serenissima”, each year at the celebration for the appointment of the new Podestà (the town governor), for three days white and red wine flowed from the breasts of the statue, for the enjoyment of the celebrating people.

TREVISO

The best in brief

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TREVISO

PIAZZA DEI SIGNORI 1 . It is located in the middle of the town

and still preserves the appearance, more than the authenticity, of the ancient centre for the Comune administration. On the longer side there is the Palazzo del Podestà,, neo-Romanesque reconstruction dated late 19th c., surmounted by a reconstructed Torre Civica. On the left there is the Palazzo Pretorio, Pretorio with a 17th century ashlar façade on via Calmaggiore and a 19th century side facing the square. The square also hosts the PALAZZO DEI TRECENTO 2 (Palace of the Three Hundred), where the Municipal Assembly, formed by 300 members, used to meet. It was built in the first half of the XIII c., but it was almost completely reconstructed after the bombing of the last World War. Its ground floor represents the “sitting room” of the town.

LOGGIA DEI CAVALIERI 3 . (XIII c.). It is supported by brick arches

under which, in the Middle Ages, the aristocracy used to meet in a sort of exclusive club. The wing that was damaged by the bombing has been rebuilt, and the external and internal knightly decorations have been restored.

From Piazza dei Signori, a sottoportico between Palazzo del Podestà and Palazzo dei Trecento leads to the small square of the former Monte di Pietà, now the site of a bank, which hosts the CAPPELLA DEI RETTORI 4 , a chapel richly decorated with 17th century golden leather panels and notable paintings dating back to the late 16th c. On the left of the Monte di Pietà, another sottoportico leads to Piazza San Vito, where two intercommunicating Medieval churches stand: S. LUCIA church 5 (XIV c.) and S. VITO church 6 (XI-XII c.), the latter completely transformed in the 16th c., but still preserving a Byzantine-style fresco.

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existing Paleochristian construction of the IX c., a part of which still remains in the three-aisle crypt with 68 columns and salvaged capitals. The apse was rebuilt in the XV and XVI c., while the seven-dome crowning was accomplished in the XVIII c., and the Neoclassical pronao of the façade dates back to the first half of the XIX cent. Inside, at the end of the right hand aisle, the is the Annunciation Chapel, which contains a great Annunciazione by Tiziano among other important Renaissance paintings and frescoes. The Romanesque Baptistry, perhaps stylistically similar to the original cathedral, sits on a basement that could have belonged to a pagan temple. A 14th century relief can be seen on the pediment, as well as Roman age friezes on the sides of the portal. Behind the Cathedral, in the area of a former thermal complex (in Via delle Canoniche) there has recently been discovered a wonderful IV century polychrome mosaic which was part of the pavement of the ancient Paleochristian Baptistry.

LUIGI BAILO CIVIC MUSEUM 8 . In Borgo Cavour Cavour, a wide 18th century street, stands the former Jesuit Convent of the XVI c. (later enlarged in the early 20th c.), which since 1815 has hosted the Municipal Library,, with a rich collection of manuscripts, mementos and artistic rarities dating back to the XV c.

S. NICOLĂ’ CHURCH 9 . Stately church built by the Dominicans

between the XIII and XIV c. The outside shows Gothic inspiration, while the three-aisle interior is characterized by 12 cylindrical pillars with particular frescoes of the late 14th c. Together with some interesting paintings of the Renaissance age, there is also a precious carved marble altar table dated XVI c., a gigantic image of S. Christopher (early XV c.) and, hanging over Venetian and Emilian frescoes, the choir around a 16th century organ.

Close to the church, there is the ancient convent which since the XX c. has become the site of the EPISCOPAL SEMINARY 10 .

Inside it is possible to visit the beautiful Sala del Capitolo; on the walls, vibrant 14th century frescoes portraying some renowned Dominicans, painted with extreme realism while they were intent on reading or writing.

TREVISO

CATHEDRAL 7 . It was built between the XI and XII c. on a pre-

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ISOLA DELLA PESCHERIA (FISHMARKET ISLAND) 11 . A little island

in the middle of the river, a green beauty and one of the most charming places in town. A trading centre from the Middle Ages, by the end of the 19th c. it was equipped with stone paving, stalls and cast iron parapets, in order to host the traditional fish market.

TREVISO

MUSEI CIVICI. The former Convent of S.Caterina dei Servi di Maria, founded in 1346, suffered severe damage during the 2nd World War and underwent a long period of restoration. Now it is an important set of Museums and the main site of rich archaeological and artistic collections from the Bailo Museum. The walls of the church itself, with their early 15th century painting cycle, are part of the section dedicated to frescoes. The convent also hosts the Medieval, Renaissance and Modern art gallery.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

Treviso is a thriving town of about 82,000 inhabitants, with a lively cultural life. It bases its economy on a number of factors: industry, handicrafts, agriculture and tourism.

Since the middle of last century, this province has become a successful international manufacturing centre, especially with regards to the textile

sector (which includes, for example, the Benetton Group). However, agriculture still plays an important role as you will discover travelling along the Wine Roads of the Piave, Montello and Asolo Hills, of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Wines, or following the Road of Treviso Red Radicchio.

EVENTS , Mid-Lent (around the second half of March): Rogo della Vecia.

A big puppet representing an old lady is hung over the waters of the Sile river. A court of law is held with judges, lawyers and public prosecutors speaking in Venetian dialect; in a long interchange of jokes, they charge the Old Woman (la Vecia) with all the wrong doings which have occurred in town in the course of the year. In the end the puppet is condemned by people and burnt. The celebration of this rite dates back to the 19th c.

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A popular saying goes “red chicory is the gift that Autumn makes to Winter” to brighten up the bare, dark fields with its colours. There are a lot of legends about the origin of this speciality and old countrymen still like to tell them: probably, the most reliable theory is that this gastronomic speciality was discovered accidentally. The story goes that one winter a countryman brought home some chicory from the fields piled up in a wheelbarrow. He left it in a corner and forgot all about it until one of the plants, under the external withered leaves, showed a fresh bright-red core.

The crunchy radicchio, with its slightly bitter flavour, is particularly appreciated when combined with other kinds of fresh salad or when grilled, but due to its versatility it can be used in a number of

different recipes. It is also used in medicine, because of the depurative and digestive properties of its roots and leaves. There are two main varieties: the “early” one, which is harvested in September, after spending two months with its leaves tied by the farmers in order to allow the vegetable core to develop new leaves in the dark, which will then show up red. And the “late” one, which is harvested in November, after the countryside has suffered at least two frosts.

But before being served at the table, the radicchio is dipped for some weeks in the waters of the freshwater springs of the area; this process allows it to achieve the right crispness and typical bitter flavour, which has earned it the GPI (Protected Geographical Indication) certification.

TREVISO

RED CHICORY OF TREVISO (RADICCHIO)

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Eating and drinking

TREVISO

Treviso boasts a rich culinary tradition of renown far beyond national borders. Starting with the famous red radicchio, crunchy and with a slightly bitter flavour, used for preparing different dishes ranging from a filling for fresh egg pasta (ravioli), to risotti, or served with venison or crispy ossocollo (a sort of salami). Then the white asparagus of Cimadolmo, mushrooms and chestnuts from the piedmont area. Not forgetting cheeses, such as Morlacco d’Alpeggio served with honey or the creamy Casatella often served with whole nut bread, and sausages such as soppressa (a large flavourful salami) and lard with aromatic herbs. Among the desserts there is Fregolotta (a short dough cake), puff pastry baskets with warm apples, and Tiramisù Tiramisù, which is a creamy dessert of mascarpone, coffee and chocolate. Finally the excellent local wines, produced following special regulations and procedures: Prosecco, Merlot and Cabernet.

EATING AND DRINKING 12 RISTORANTE BECCHERIE Since 1875 – historical place of Italy Piazza Ancilotto,10 Tel. 0422 540871 The ”bechèri”, the butchers who had their shops in the square, used to meet in this inn to prepare themselves a tripe soup. And it took the name of Beccherie. A meeting point for the secret assembly of patriots travelling from Venice to Lombardy and Piedmont; this restaurant is now a temple of local cuisine. Closed on Sunday evenings and on Mondays.

13 RISTORANTE TONI DEL SPIN Via inferiore, 7 – Tel. 0422 543829 Placed right behind Piazza dei Signori, in an old building well restored with wooden beams and natural stone walls. The “Spin” is the backbone of the stockfish, and

baccalà “conso” (with salads) or “in tecia” with polenta have always been the typical dishes of this restaurant. Closed on Sundays and on Mondays at lunchtime.

14

RISTORANTE DON FERNANDO

Via delle Absidi, 8 – Tel. 0422 543354 Good quality home cooking.

Excellent fish, besides the unfailing radicchio-based dishes and other courses of regional cuisine, that vary according to the season.

Closed on Tuesdays and on Wednesdays at lunchtime 15 TRATTORIA DUE MORI Via Bailo, 9 – Tel. 0422 540383 Local cuisine in a typical warm and friendly “trattoria” in the historic centre, existing since 1400, it serves specialities based on fish or radicchio. It is also a pizzeria.

Ve n i c e L a n d s

69

1 SILEA – SILE RIVER NATURAL PARK. One of the longest parks in Europe, covering an area of 41.52 km2 distributed between the provinces of Padua, Treviso and Venice. The river flows for approximately 70 km from its source to the mouth of Portegrandi, in the Venice lagoon. Despite the human presence, the park is still an area of natural beauty because of its woods and freshwater springs. Along its course, the river offers three main environments: the humid and swampy area near its source, the winding stretch before the entrance of Treviso and, finally, the lagoon landscape approaching the mouth. The best time to visit is spring/summertime, when vegetation reaches its peak; while in wintertime, certain species of bird can be observed migrating from northern Europe to the protected areas of the park.

2 CENDON – VILLA BARBARO. This villa, once called “Ca’ Vecchia”, was built in the late 17th c. by the Barbaro family on a loop of the Sile river. The barchessa stands alone, to the north of the main building, and it is characterized by a long series of arcades. In the past, the inhabitants of this area used to visit the Oratory of St Jerome, which is part of the villa, to seek God’s blessing for the harvest and pray for rain.

FROM TREVISO TO VENICE

From Treviso to Venice

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Ve n i c e L a n d s

3 CENDON – VILLA MEMMO. Of this late 17th century villa built by the Memmos, a noble Venetian family, there only remain the north wing and the octagonal shaped Oratory of St. Peter, with its small, elegant bell tower and the beautiful statue of the Apostle dating back to 1678.

4

S. ELENA – VILLA BEMBO. Also this 17th century villa faces the

FROM TREVISO TO VENICE

Sile river, with its interesting façade where a serliana window stands out, corresponding to the central hall on the ground floor. The little church dedicated to St. Anthony which belongs to the villa, is a recent building replacing the ancient Oratory.

5 TREPALADE – NATURALISTIC OASIS. Birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians in threat of extinction live here undisturbed, sheltered by reeds, plants and hedges from the same land. The land, crossed by the Sile river, is protected by the Ministry of Environment, so it hasn’t suffered any changes or destructive human intervention. The lush vegetation has grown spontaneously, covering with greenery the banks of the watery areas, transforming this place into one of the last remaining of ancient Venetian countryside.

ALTINO – MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO. The museum presents the most representative archaeological finds from pre-Roman and Roman Altino, city and major port of the ancient Veneto.

The ground floor houses the prehistoric, Bronze Age and Iron Age sections of the town with the exhibition of prehistoric finds.

On the first floor with the indigenous settlement of the Romanization period and with the Roman town of Altinum.

The course discusses aspects of continuity and change determined by progressive contact with the reality of Rome and documents the various aspects of public and private life of the municipium.

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FROM TREVISO TO VENICE

Mestre Greater Venice has about 271,000 inhabitants, only about 60,000 of whom live in the old city in the lagoon. Most people now prefer to live and work on the mainland, in Mestre and Marghera, Venice’s “ugly sisters”. Mestre, with its sprawling commercial and industrial areas, highway, ring roads, viaducts, railway junction, industrial port of Porto Marghera, airport and working class blocks of flats is a striking contrast to Venice, the city of art and culture. But even Mestre has its beautiful side. As soon as we leave the suburbs for the old town, we find a historical centre with restricted traffic, smart shops, renovated merchant houses and a sturdy medieval town keep. Elegantly dressed Italians stroll along the Corso and hardly any of the throngs of tourists in neighbouring Venice venture this far.

PIAZZA FERRETTO 1 This is Mestre’s main square. It is actually

a wide street that grew into a market place in the Middle Ages and has recently been made the tramway terminus. At the south-eastern end of a small neighbouring square you will find the Teatro Toniolo, an elegant, art nouveau glass-roofed shopping gallery. The square itself contains the Cathedral of San Lorenzo and the Palazzo del Re, in the portico of which the

EATING AND DRINKING

2 OSTERIA DEL LUPO NERO 21, Via Giorgio Ferro Tel. 041 961180 www.osterialuponero.it Open daily.

3 PIZZERIA NAPUL È 28, Via Pescheria Vecchia Tel. 041 989112 Open daily.

4 BAR PERLA 28, Via Mestrina Tel. 041 975884 The perfect place to eat a tramezzino, the most popular Italian snack, usually a triangular sandwich.

5 ROSA SALVA 19, Via Cappuccina Tel. 041 988400, closed Mondays www.rosasalva.it This “mainland branch” of a famous Venice pasticceria, or patisserie, is ideally placed near the town centre and not only does it have its own bakery and delicious desserts but also a small menu of good, cheap, fast dishes. It is a favourite rendezvous spot for Mestre’s locals.

FROM TREVISO TO VENICE

grain market used to be held. It is named after the wealthy Re family. At the other end, in the continuation, Via Palazzo, there stands the massive rectangular, crenellated, medieval clock tower. In the 1990s the square was transformed by modern features, one of which is a large, centrally placed fountain with a bronze statue by Alberto Viani, a leading contemporary sculptor.

76 Venice

Ve n i c e L a n d s

Tourist Office

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L I D OL I D O

VENICE

Venice The province of Venice includes not only the lagoon and the island city of Venice but also a relatively narrow coastal strip along the mainland. A small number of locals (14%) work in manufacturing, and even fewer (4.2%) in agriculture and fishing, while the vast majority (a whopping 60%) work in the tourist, commerce and service industries. Alongside Venice, the jewel in the crown, the Adriatic beaches with the holiday resorts of Lido di Venezia, Cavallino, Eraclea, Caorle and Bibione attract 36 million tourists every year, mainly in the summer months, who choose to spend their holidays in the province of Venice. In the 1920s and ’30s a new town with a port and industries, including shipyards and petrochemical plants, was built THE PROVINCE OF VENICE IN FIGURES AREA: 2,462 square kilometres INHABITANTS OF THE PROVINCE: 863,000 THE SIX LARGEST TOWNS (IN TERMS OF POPULATION) ARE: Venice: 271,000 Chioggia: 50,700 San Donà di Piave: 41,600, Mira: 39.000, Mirano: 27,100, Spinea: 27,050

AUSTRIA

I TA L I A

on the mainland. Many of Venice’s inhabitants preferred to live and work in these new towns, and Porto Marghera and Mestre flourished. Young people found employment, city life with all its diversity and a wealth of sporting and leisure facilities that could not be found in the romantic lagoon city with its gondolas, canals, and vaporetti... and no commercial centres or large markets. Exorbitant rents and property prices are another good reason for turning one’s back on Venice’s glittering façade. The population of Venice has been falling for decades, now: in the 1950s there were still 130,000 people living in the island city, but now there are only 60,000 stalwarts. Just over 210,000 live in the towns on the mainland, which together with Venice proper make up the whole municipality of greater Venice.

The wealth of art treasures and things to see in Venice and the surrounding area means that even the most comprehensive guide could offer only a sketchy outline of the town. Our little guide can therefore only provide a few tips for a fleeting visit.

We know that our readers are cyclists, who love to travel light and will only need a general, overall impression. For a more detailed picture, you will need to spend at least three days in Venice, and good travel books about Venice are readily available in many different languages.

APT VENEZIA (TOURIST BOARD) www.turismovenezia.it 4421 Castello, Palazzina del Santo, San Marco–Giardini Ex Reali

Other locations: Santa Lucia railway station; Piazzale Roma; ASM (road) bus terminus Tel. 041 5298711

VENICE

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History of the city THE ROMAN PERIOD In 181 BCE Aquileia was founded on the

VENICE

coast to the north-east of Venice as a Roman city and administrative centre for the coastal region. In 42 BCE the port town of Altino was established in the lagoon. This was the start of the Via Claudia Augusta Altinate, the paved military and trading road that runs through Feltre, Trento, Merano, the upper valley of the Adige River, and then goes over the Passo di Resia between the valleys of the Adige and Inn rivers and over the Fern Pass towards Germany and Augsburg. In about 400 CE, a series of settlements (Altino, Concordia Sagittaria, Aquileia, Oderzo and Padua) sprang up along the mainland around the lagoon, which they used as a fishery. Legend has it that mainlanders fleeing before the invading Huns founded Venice on 25 March, 421 CE. THE BARBARIAN INVASION DURING BYZANTINE RULE After the fall of Rome, the Longobards occupied the mainland in 568. Byzantium retained control of the province of Venetia, that is the coastal strip, lagoon and islands. In 639 the Byzantines gave up Oderzo and, because of the frequent raids by Barbarian tribes, the inhabitants of the mainland retreated to the marshy, inhospitable yet easily-guarded islands of the lagoon. The church of Santa Maria, dedicated to the Virgin Mary was built on the island of Torcello. A dukedom under Byzantine sovereignty was established. According to tradition, Paoluccio Anafesto was appointed the first doge in the year 687 (the word doge derives from the Latin dux, or leader).

THE REPUBLIC In 810 Pepin, the son of Charles the Great, tried

to conquer the lagoon. The attempt ended in failure when the inhabitants retreated to the Rialto Islands (rialto means riva alta or high, firm shore), and 811, the year in which Agnello Particiaco was elected doge, is considered to be the year when the Venetian Republic was founded. In 828 Venetian merchants in Alexandria stole the body of Saint Mark the Evangelist from Egypt and brought him to Venice. Work on Saint Mark’s Cathedral began the very next year, and Saint Mark replaced Saint Theodore as Venice’s patron saint. The winged lion, the symbol of Mark the Evangelist, was added to Venice’s coat of arms, asserting Venetian sovereignty.

The Venetians conquered Dalmatia in the year 1000, and was henceforth independent of Byzantium to all intents and purposes. In 1202 Venice took part in the Fourth Crusade, conquered Constantinople, the capital of Byzantium, and made off with the four gold-covered horses now adorning Saint Mark’s Cathedral.

val, the city of Genoa. Twenty years later, after further skirmishes, Genoa confirmed its predominance in Liguria and Venice its predominance in the Orient.

In 1347 a galley brought the plague to Venice from the Crimea and over half the population was killed.

1389–1420 Neighbouring city states submitted more or less voluntarily to Venetian sovereignty.

The discovery of America in 1492 gradually led to a shift in trade and economic influence to the new maritime powers.

When the sea passage to India was discovered, Venice became the centre of trade with the Far East and consolidated its dominant position. The Venetian Republic ruled over most of the Adriatic coasts, Dalmatia, Istria, several islands in the Aegean, Crete, Cyprus and Corfu.

1508–1515 In the wars with the League of Cambrai Venice had to defend itself against an alliance of numerous European powers. Though retaining most of its territory, it was nonetheless weakened by the conflict. The Turks continued to expand in the Eastern Mediterranean and raided neighbouring Friuli.

In 1571 the Turks were defeated at Lepanto in a naval battle, but the victory was short lived.

VENICE

VENICE AT ITS ZENITH 1257–1270 Venice defeated its trading ri-

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THE SLOW DECLINE Between 1644 and 1718 Venice lost its ter-

ritories in the eastern Mediterranean (Cyprus, Crete, the Peloponnese). The Serenissima was left with Istria, Dalmatia, the Ionian Islands and parts of Albania.

In 1797 Ludovico Manin, the Republic’s last doge, handed Venice over to the French, thus proclaiming the end of the Venetian Republic. In 1815 Venice was assigned to Austria, and in 1841 the Austrians built the Mestre-Venice rail link, thus linking the city to the mainland.

UNITED WITH ITALY In 1866 the Austrians were defeated at Sad-

owa by Italy’s ally Prussia. Following a plebiscite, Venice joined the fledgling Kingdom of Italy.

In 1895 the first Biennale, the successful art exhibition, was held and in 1932 the first film festival was inaugurated. Since 2001 the Mo.S.E. project has attempted to provide protection against the constant risk of flooding. Seventy-eight gigantic movable dam modules will close the entrance of the Venice lagoon in the event of exceptionally high tides. It must be said that this complex system is as expensive as it is controversial.

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VENICE ON THE INTERNET WWW.ACTV.IT Home page of the public transport authority with timetables and fares.

ties with a lot of useful information about events, bus and navigation timetables, and things to see; also in English.

WWW.CHORUSVENEZIA.ORG Organisation for promoting the religious buildings of Venice. Guided tours, events in seventeen churches.

WWW.VISITMUVE.IT The city’s museums introduce themselves. They range from the Doge’s Palace to the lace museum on the island of Burano. Tickets can also be purchased online; also in English.

WWW.NATURA-VENEZIA.IT Members of this group organise nature-inspired holidays in Venice, boat trips on the lagoon with ecologically-minded guides; also in English.

WWW.COMUNE.VENEZIA.IT The city of Venice’s website with a fine tourism section; only in Italian.

WWW.COMUNE.VENEZIA.IT/FLEX/ CM/PAGES/SERVEBLOB.PHP/L/IT/ IDPAGINA/893 Webcam coverage of Saint Mark’s Square.

WWW.VENICECONNECTED.COM/DE A lot of useful (and some arguably less useful) information about Venice, from WWW.HELLOVENEZIA.IT how to organise a wedding to the location Homepage of the public transport authori- of public conveniences, Wi-Fi points, etc.

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Everything seems to have already been written about Venice, including its cats, lions, bridges, canals, islands, palazzi, fountains, legends, carnival, more than one hundred doges, victories and losses, illustrious visitors and much more besides. It is therefore hardly possible to report anything much that is new and exciting. Our advice is therefore to do away with fixed schedules and definite destinations. As it’s virtually impossible to really, really lose your way on the island, just let yourself be enchanted by the city’s architecture, light, sounds and smells. When you leave you will experience a yearning to return and uncover other faces of Venice!

Getting there

Make sure you get the right ticket: € 6.50 for a single, one-way trip, but there are other tickets that provide unlimited access to vaporetti for a set period (you can get a 12-hour ticket for € 16, a 24-hour for € 18 and a 36-hour ticket for € 23).

For further information: www.actv.it

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Venice was once completely cut off from the mainland, but it can now be reached by car, train and bus. A long bridge links the city on the lagoon to the mainland. Buses and trains go directly to the Grand Canal – getting there could not be simpler.

Just a few metres further on you will come to the vaporetto stop (vaporetto means “little steam boat”, even though the boats are now diesel-driven). The vaporetto is the public transport for the canals of Venice.

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Small Venice phrase book THE GONDOLA This asymmetrical, slim, shiny black boat that is

rowed by a gondolier who stands facing forwards is one of the hallmarks of Venice. The metal ornamentation on the bow has the following meaning: the helmet-shaped tip symbolises the Corno Ducale, or the doge’s crown; the six metal tongues that point forwards like spikes represent the city’s six districts, known as sestieri; the spike pointing towards the stern is the Giudecca archipelago. A 40-minute round trip in a gondola costs at least € 80 but a gondola can take up to six passengers, which of course brings the price per person down. Agree on the journey time and price before getting in the gondola because the trip might otherwise get rather pricey! You can pay less for the adventure of crossing the Grand Canal in a gondola; crossing the Grand Canal in the public gondola, called the traghetto costs just € 0.50. Venice has plenty of vaporetto stops and the furthest and therefore longest crossing goes from San Tomà to Sant’Angelo.

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THE CITY OF ISLANDS Venice is built on more than 100 islands, and boasts 150 canals and 400 bridges. A canal is called a rio, a road or alley a calle, a square is a campo, a small square a campiello, and a footpath or wide pavement along the canal is known as a riva or fondamenta.

THE CITY OF BELL TOWERS AND CAMPANILI A book from the end

THE LAGOON The lagoon measures about 500 square kilometres and is a shallow, almost landlocked sea. A narrow strip of land with a few openings (at Porto di Lido, Malamocco and Chioggia) separates the waters of the lagoon from the open Adriatic. Every six hours, with the ebb and flow of the tide, water flows from the sea into the lagoon and out again, thus ensuring that the water changes. Major rivers such as the Piave, Sile, Brenta and Adige have been diverted and channelled and no longer flow into the lagoon but into the sea because (by now their sediment would have filled the lagoon had they not been diverted). The canals of Venice are dredged regularly to stop them from filling up with mud and sludge. All the houses in the lagoon are built on stilts, mostly larch or oak, that are pressed through the shallow layer of mud into a firmer layer known as the caranto. The lagoon is criss-crossed by a network of somewhat deeper water courses marked by posts (bricole), and boats that do follow these routes run aground. In addition to the islands on which Venice stands, about twenty other islands in the lagoon are also inhabited, many by just a few families or even a handful of

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of the nineteenth century counted 178 campanili and bell towers in Venice. The largest is the campanile in Saint Mark’s Square. At an impressive 99 metres, it is Italy’s third-tallest after Cremona’s (111 metres) and the Torre del Mangia in Siena (102 metres). There was a tower here back in the ninth century which was apparently built over Roman foundations. The original campanile was rebuilt and partially destroyed by lightening and finally, in 1513, given its present shape and size.

In July 1902 the tower unexpectedly developed large cracks and collapsed on the fourteenth of the month (fortunately there were no victims). Just one year later it was rebuilt, the mayor pronouncing the famous words ““dov’era e com’era“, (“where it was and the way it was”). Visitors must take the lift up to the balcony at the top of the campanile.

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monks in a monastery. The most picturesque island is Burano, where the gaily painted houses that used to be homes to fishermen line the bank of the canal. Murano is the centre for glass production. The Lido (the narrow island separating the lagoon from the Adriatic) is famous for its beautiful beach and Film Festival. The cemetery is located on the island of San Michele, and other islands are dedicated to vegetable gardens. The waters of the lagoon are full of fish, and Venetians have their own fishing methods – in the remote channels and waters of the lagoon large flat nets ((bilance), are suspended in the water and periodically pulled up.

THE “SCHOOLS” OR FRATERNITIES Groups of merchants or craftsmen formed fraternities or guilds known as Scuole, or schools, each with its own patron saint. These guilds amassed great wealth, found business for their members and built magnificent houses. Tintoretto was a member of the fraternity of Saint Rocco (the Scuola Grande di San Rocco), and adorned its Renaissance palace and church with fifty-six magnificent panel paintings.

LANDSCAPE The old town of Venice consists of a multitude of

islands in the middle of the Venice lagoon, but larger islands and the mainland actually account for 83% of the surface area of the municipality of Venice. Until 1846, when the railway bridge was completed by the Austrians, the old town was

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completely cut off from the mainland. The railway bridge was later joined by Ponte della Libertà (literally “freedom bridge”, 1933), which provided a road link for motor vehicles between Mestre and Piazzale Roma. From the air, the old town looks like a fish whose tail points east. This central part of the city is divided into six sestieri (sixths): Dorsoduro, Santa Croce, San Polo, San Marco, Cannaregio and Castello. There are myriad canals running through the city, but the most important are the Grand Canal (Canal Grande) and Canale della Giudecca.

The former divides the city into two halves and is shaped like a back-to-front S; the latter divides the city centre proper from the Iisland of Giudecca ito the south. This is where the incredibly large cruise ships enter Venice to dock at Venice’s port, the Stazione Marittima, each ship disgorging thousands of visitors. The superstructures and funnels that dwarf the houses and palazzi of the city offer a strange spectacle and fuel debates about how many tourists the city can cope with.

Until the railway and road bridges were built, the city could only be reached by water, which is why the façades of the more important palazzi all face the water.

The best in brief THINGS TO SEE You will have to pick and choose, as there are just too many important art and cultural treasures in a really confined space crying out to be noticed. We shall limit ourselves to the few highlights that can be visited in the course of a day.

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CANAL GRANDE 1 The Venetians affectionately call it the canal-

azzo,, or ugly old canal. It was the watercourse along which goods and people had to pass. From the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries gleaming palaces sprang up and now reflect the entire stylistic repertoire from Gothic to Renaissance and Baroque, whereby everything is lent a touch of typical Venetian playfulness. The construction of various bridges (Ponte degli Scalzi, Accademia, Rialto and, last but not least, the bridge by the famous modernist architect Santiago Calatrava from the railway station to the main bus station of Piazzale Roma) emphasises the increasing importance of pedestrian traffic in relation to boat traffic.

SAINT MARK’S SQUARE 2 When people talk about Venice they

inevitably think of Saint Mark’s Square, the heart of the city and the symbol of the Venetian Republic. It is the only square in the city called a piazza rather than campo. In the east it is bounded by the impressive complex of Saint Mark’s Cathedral and the Doge’s Palace. The 99-metre tall campanile dominates the middle of the square. On the canal bank, two large pillars mark the entrance to the city from the sea. Today’s square is the result of a thousand years of endless restructuring and

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imposition of different styles (from the Byzantine Gothic of the cathedral to the neo-Classicism of the Napoleonic Procuratie), all contributing to create a harmonious whole. The square can best be appreciated from the top of the campanile or from the terrace of Saint Mark’s Cathedral. Anyone visiting Venice eventually comes to Saint Mark’s Square, so it is therefore always crowded. Formerly, having a photo taken while feeding the pigeons was a must, but feeding the pigeons is now forbidden because their droppings seriously damage the historic buildings. If you can bear the exorbitant prices of the espressos and drinks in the square, you can sit at the tables of one of the beautiful cafés and enjoy the atmospheric bustle.

3 This has always been Venice’s main place of worship and stands at the centre of the city’s public and religious life. The first church to be dedicated to Saint Mark was built in 828 next to the Doge’s Palace and housed the remains of Saint Mark the Evangelist, which are said to have been removed from Alexandria by merchants. The cathedral was rebuilt several times after fires in the tenth and thirteenth centuries. The church’s wonderful golden mosaics date back to before the twelfth century and measure an incredible 4,200 square metres. In the centuries that followed, the cathedral was decorated even more lavishly with columns, friezes, sculptures, and marble and gold objects, which sometimes found their way into the ships of the Venetian merchants in a somewhat unorthodox manner. The basilica is laid out as a Greek cross with five cupolas. The floor mosaics are also magnificent (they are now partially covered by carpets and raised walkways to protect them). The high altar houses the bones of Saint Mark. You will need to buy a ticket to view the church treasures of Saint Mark’s marble throne and the golden Pala d’Oro or altarpiece, which is decorated with jewels, pearls and enamel.

The cathedral treasure also has a crypt and four gold-covered bronze horses from Constantinople that for hundreds of years stood on the terrace of the basilica and were then replaced by copies after restoration.

Admittance to the basilica is free, but a ticket is required to visit the cathedral treasure and Pala d’Oro (€ 3 and € 2, respectively) Admittance to the loggia of Saint Mark’s basilica with its fine view over Saint Mark’s Square is € 4

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SAINT MARK’S CATHEDRAL

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THE DOGE’S PALACE 4 This is the greatest Venetian Gothic building, symbol of the power of the Venetian Republic, the seat of the doges and Venice’s Council and Senate Chambers.

Today it houses the city museum, the Museo Civico di Palazzo Ducale It started off in the ninth century as a castle and was then continuously extended. It was destroyed by fire several times, but always rebuilt. The two filigree rows of arcades give it its distinctive appearance. On the first floor you will find the Loggia that runs around the building. The museum contains countless masterpieces from the greatest of Renaissance artists (Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, Bellini, Carpaccio, Bosch).

From the first floor of the east wing the famous Bridge of Sighs crosses a little canal and connects the Doge’s Palace to the prisons, the Prigioni Nuove. It was from here that Giacomo Casanova made his daring escape in 1756.

Mid March to 2 November 9am–7pm (no admittance after 6pm).

The San Marco Museum Plus ticket costs € 13 and gives you admittance to the Doge’s Palace, the Correr Museum, the Archeological Museum, the Marciana Library and one more city museum.

RIVA DEGLI SCHIAVONI 5 This popular promenade along the extended curved quay that runs from Saint Mark’s Square eastwards to Rio della Ca’ di Dio owes its name to traders from Slavonia who tied their boats here to ply their trade. Today’s tourists thronging around the souvenir stands and landing stages of the ferries in no way detract from the wonderful view of the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Canaletto’s eighteenth-

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century vedute show that ships were mooring on this bank even then and that the Riva degli Schiavoni was full of gondolas, sailing ships and barges. The famous hotels Danieli e Gabrielli and the house where Henry James stayed in Venice are also along this promenade. At the end of it, at the corner of Calle Vallaresso (at number 1323), you can pop into the celebrated Harry’s Bar where Orson Welles, Truman Capote and Ernest Hemingway also sipped, or rather knocked back, their drinks.

This is where the cocktail Bellini (prosecco and peach brandy) is said to have been created in honour of the painter Giovanni Bellini.

RIALTO 6 In this area, which was originally the centre of Venice

and hosted the food market, there has always been a bridge over the canal. The first was a pontoon bridge, which was then replaced by a wooden bridge with two rising ramps and a movable central section to let the boats through. Today’s Rialto bridge is a single-span stone bridge over the canal, and was built in the second half of the sixteenth century. Both ramps of the bridge are lined with shops fronted by arcades. A fruit and vegetable market (Erberia) and a fish market (campo della Pescheria) are held daily and are one of the city’s favourite tourist attractions.

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MUSEUMS

del Merletto (the lace museum on the island of Burano); the Museo di Storia Naturale (the natural history museum). For more information, call the toll-free number 848082000 (only from Italy) or visit www.vivaticket.it and go “Venezia – art – Civic museum of Venice”.

MUSEUM PASS Unfortunately, there is no general pass for all of Venice’s museums.

A combined ticket for the city museums costs € 20.50 and provides admittance to the four museums in Saint Mark’s Square (Palazzo Ducale, Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico Nazionale and the Sale Monumentali della Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana) and another city museum of your choice, such as Ca’ Rezzonico - Museo del Settecento Veneziano (dedicated to eighteen-century Venice), Casa di Carlo Goldoni (the home of the playwright Goldoni), Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo, Ca’ Pesaro, the Galleria Internazionale d’Arte Moderna + Museo d’Arte Orientale, the Museo del Vetro (the glass museum on the island of Murano), the Museo

7 GALLERIE DELL’ACCADEMIA www.gallerieaccademia.org 1050 Campo della Carità, Dorsoduro, Tel. 041 5200345, Tuesdays–Sundays 8.15am– 7.15pm, Mondays 8.15am–2pm; € 6.50. Prices may vary for special exhibitions.

Venice’s most important art gallery is at the foot of the Ponte dell’Accademia and takes its name from the Accademia delle Belle Arti, or academy of fine art, that was opened in 1817 and located here until 2004. Since it was founded (1750) the Accademia has acquired works of art for teaching purposes or to restore them. The collection includes sculptures, drawings and Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Vitruvian Man (on display only on special occasions), and especially art from the fourteenth to eighteenth centuries, including works by Carpaccio, Bellini, Veronese, Canaletto, Giorgione, Mantegna, Piero della Francesca, Tintoretto and Titian.

8 PEGGY GUGGENHEIM COLLECTION www.guggenheim-venice.it 704 Dorsoduro, Tel. 041 2405411, Daily 10am–6pm, closed Tuesdays; € 12 Until 1979, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni was the Venetian home of the

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9 SCUOLA GRANDE DI SAN ROCCO www.scuolagrandesanrocco.it San Polo 3052, Tel. 041 5234864, daily 9.30am–5.30pm,

no admittance after 5pm; € 8 The church and the palazzo of prosperous Venetians belonging to the fraternity of San Rocco were built in the years 1508 and 1560.

The inner rooms were decorated only by Tintoretto and his pupils and work began in 1564. The palazzo and picture collection are well preserved and are one of Venice’s greatest attractions. The Sala dell’Albergo is particularly impressive. The marvellous cycle of the teleri,, the wall paintings on canvas in the three halls on the ground floor, constitutes a unified whole comparable to the cycle in Rome’s Sistine Chapel.

On 16 August each year there is a traditional procession in honour of Saint Rocco, to whom the people of Venice turned for protection from the plague in the sixteenth century.

Eating and drinking A LOT OF FISH AND A HOST OF DESSERTS Venetian cuisine is of

course characterised by fish, which is mostly accompanied by polenta, especially the little seppioline or squid. Bisato (pickled eel) is also popular. Starters include not only the ever present pasta dishes but also rice dishes. Typical fare includes sarde in saor (sardines cooked with onions and vinegar and eaten cold or lukewarm as a light starter), risi e bisi (rice with peas), fegato alla Veneziana (liver cooked in the Venetian manner with lots of onions), black squid risotto and cicheti, tasty starters similar to Spanish tapas that are eaten as appetisers or with an aperitif.

Venice is also famous for all sorts of biscuits and sweetmeats, which include baicoli and pan del pescatore, a sweet flat cake made with almonds and pistachios, crema fritta (baked custard), bussolai from the island of Burano (s-shaped or round butter biscuits), crostoli that are eaten during Carnival, fregolotta (a cake with almonds made with short pastry), a milk pudding called rosada and yellow polenta biscuits known as zaleti.

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American collector and patron Peggy Guggenheim. It houses an important collection of modern European and American works, including Mondrian, Klee, Miró, Magritte, De Chirico, Picasso, Kandinsky, Brancusi, Duchamp and Pollock; the garden also contains sculptures by other artists. The remarkable selection of the twentieth-century collector Gianni Mattioli includes the most important names of Italian Futurism (Sironi, Carrà, Soffici and Rosai), as well as many Morandis and a wonderful portrait

by Modigliani. It can be reached via the Ponte dell’Accademia and is on the south bank of the Grand Canal.

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EATING AND DRINKING

10 TRATTORIA BANDIERETTE 6671 Castello, Barbaria delle Tole, Tel. 041 5220619, closed Tuesdays, www.bandierette.it The good, reasonably priced fish menu and the friendliness of the hosts make this place the ideal location for eating in good company.

13 TRATTORIA ALLA RIVETTA 4625 Castello, Tel. 041 5287302 Near Saint Mark’s Square, east of the basilica, coming from Calle delle Rasse, on the bridge to Campo San Provolo. The only drawback is that the premises are tiny and there’s always a bit of a fight for the few tables. Get there early!

11 OSTERIA ALLA VEDOVA – CÀ D’ORO 3912 Cannaregio, Tel. 041 5285324, closed Sundays for lunch and all day Thursdays.

Though very popular, this osteria is still authentically Venetian; the counter is always groaning with snacks such as small fried fish, stuffed vegetables, baccalà (salt cod) and prawns on skewers.

14 PASTICCERIA TONOLO 3764 Dorsoduro, Tel. 041 5237209, closed Mondays A small, fine pasticceria with a great tradition and an enormous cake counter. Their bomboloni alla crema (puffs filled with confectioner’s custard) are rightly feted.

12 DA ROSA SALVA Calle Fiubera, Tel. 041 5210544, open every day, www.rosasalva.it Just three minutes from Saint Mark’s Square, go under the clock into the thoroughfare called the Mercerie, take the left, go over a small bridge and turn into Calle Fiubera. This is a traditional pasticceria and snack bar.

You can eat round the clock: fresh, deliciously succulent tramezzini (small triangular sandwiches made with white bread), hot starters and wonderful desserts. You can also eat at open-air tables without any extra service charge, which is highly unusual in Venice.

15 AL BACCO FELICE 197/e Santa Croce, Tel. 041 5287794, open every day The very name (literally, the happy Bacchus) is enticing. They do not just serve pizza but also good, quick dishes. The service is friendly and attentive, the surroundings modern and the prices reasonable.

Conveniently near the bus and train stations.

16 TAVERNA DEL CAMPIELLO REMER 5701 Cannaregio, Tel. 041 5228789, closed Tuesdays Not far from the Rialto bridge, this bacaro offers a plentiful lunchtime buffet at a reasonable fixed price.

Though taken by storm by young people in the late afternoon for the happy hour aperitif, by 7.30pm the tempest has passed. The evening restaurant is good, but not cheap.

Good view over the Grand Canal.

The easiest way to get to Venice from Mestre is by train or bus (buses, especially, are very frequent, and there’s even a very good night service). Both the train and bus will vaporetti, take you to Venice, where vaporetti or water buses, leave for different destinations in the lagoon and the city proper. Our tip: take a vaporetto to Saint Mark’s Square (either from the boat stops in front of the railway station if you’ve come by train, or at the foot of the new Calatrava bridge if you’ve come from Mestre by bus), and then walk back. The number 1 vaporetto stops at all the boat stops, which is fun but lasts ages, so we suggest you catch the number 2 vaporetto, which only makes a few stops takes about half an hour to get to Saint Mark’s Square.

During the journey along the sshaped, 3.8-kilometre canal you will sail past the most beautiful palazzi and come across all sorts of traffic, including barges transporting vegetables, removal-van barges, barg-

es lugging building materials and, every so often, a stylish pleasure boat or one of the smart looking water taxis. Even the police get around by boat. On Saint Mark’s Square, dubbed by Napoleon “Europe’s drawing room”, the finest buildings lined up before us: the Doge’s Palace, Saint Mark’s Basilica and the campanile. You are literally spoilt for choice: art lovers will go to the Doge’s Palace and wander through the museum, and visiting the magnificent church with its gold mosaics is free. People keen to take in a breathtaking view of the city can take the lift up to the top of the campanile, look down on Venice and scout for the neighbouring islands and the island strip of the Lido. On clear days you can see as far as the mountains in the northwest. A small snack (cicheto) such as half a hardboiled egg, sardines, cooked octopus, polenta and squid, washed down with a glass of wine, tastes best in the small bars or

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bacari in the little side streets. The places on the canal are certainly picturesque but they are mostly on the dear side and you will hardly ever meet Venetians there, but almost always only other tourists.

Locals do not take their aperitif (usually an orange-red spritz) or espresso in the really expensive cafés on Saint Mark’s Square but in the small bars in the little calli off the main thoroughfares. But if you want to go to the historic, and very expensive, Café Florian in Saint Mark’s Square and enjoy the plush seats, fine wooden and glass decor, feel free. And a tip for the etiquette-conscious: cappuccino or latte macchiato washes down your breakfast croissant (which the locals also call brioche, and rarely cornetto), and Italians usually only have one in the morning, after which they will stick to espressos or

caffè macchiato (an espresso with a drop of milk). Thus fortified, you can make your way back to the station. The best thing is to move away from the hordes of people and just drift – the many signposts, and especially the stream of people, will get you back to your starting place later on, when you need to. And if you let yourself drift, you will get a glimpse of every-day life in Cannaregio, the most heavily populated part of Venice, at close quarters. The same goes for the city’s typical food and bars: the further you move away from the streams of tourists, the more genuine and unworriedly Venetian it gets. But always remember that Venice is an expensive city, and the prices (for souvenirs, clothes, shoes, jewellery, glass and food) are rather higher than on the nearby mainland (Mestre). Now enjoy!

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, February/March: Venice Carnival: see and be seen. The carnival has been celebrated since the eleventh century with a fantastic masked party in the streets, on the bridges and along the canals. On Saturdays and Sundays there will be an almost impossible throng, while other days it is quieter and more relaxed. In the evening, performances and concerts are held in the most important campielli (small squares) and Saint Mark’s Square. , April: Su e zo per i ponti – The race, known as “Up and down over the bridges”, takes place throughout the city on a Sunday in the middle of April. , May: Vogalonga – A rowing regatta in the second half of May. Anyone with an oar to their name can take part. , July: Festa del Redentore – The city’s feast dedicated to the so-called “redeemer” celebrates delivery from the longest of the plagues to hit Venice. It is a gigantic spectacle with fireworks, a procession, masses and concerts, and, of course, lots of eating and drinking. On the third Sunday in July. , End of August–September: International Film Festival Festival. Since 1932 this festival has been a key event for cinema and the film world, and every year it attracts actors, celebrities, fans and film buffs from all over the world to the Venice Lido. , September: Regata storica – the most important rowing regatta on the Grand Canal (and the world’s oldest) takes place on the first Sunday in September. , Riviera Fiorita: a procession winds its way from Stra to Mira to commemorate the meeting of the doge with the king of France in 1574. The banquet is held in Mira in front of the Villa Contarini dei Leoni. www.rivierafiorita.it

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EVENTS IN THE PROVINCE OF VENICE

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The lagoon city of Venice stands opposite the two long, narrow islands of the Lido and Pellestrina. Their wide, fine-sanded beaches continue northwards along the mainland where Jesolo and Caorle are now very popular holiday resorts. Even before Venice was built, the islands were home to fishermen and hunters; it is in fact no coincidence that the coat of arms of Malamocco, one of the Lido districts, shows a stag. In Roman times, a waterway for canal boats stretched between the barene,, that is the reinforced, sparsely vegetated sandbanks of the lagoon. Barge transportation of goods was considered safer than along Via Poppilia or Via Annia, the Roman country roads which ran along the coastline.

After the fall of Rome, the lagoon area came under Byzantine rule. Around 700 CE the towns broke away from this network and came under the rule of an elected doge based in Malamocco. In 811 the headquarters for his new settlements were moved to the islands with higher, firmer shores (known as the rive alte,, today’s Rialto). Since then, both these narrow strips of land and the other islands in the lagoon have been inseparably linked with Venice and are still inextricably a part of the city.

Both these islands protected Venice from storms in the open sea and from foreign enemies. Like the other islands scattered around the lagoon, monasteries, churches, graveyards, hospitals and quarantine stations were built here to escape from dreaded epidemics such as the Great Plague. The crusaders’ war ships set sail from San Nicolò–Lido, while trade boats set off towards the east and pilgrims to the Holy Land. Towards the end of the eighteenth century the Lido developed into one of the most sophisticated holiday resorts, a place for the gentry and the very wealthy of Europe. Pellestrina, on the other hand, with its stone wave breakers, protected the lagoon from erosion by the sea. Both here and on the Lido, military camps were set up to deter potential enemies and defend the area from attack. The view over the lagoon and the sunsets were and still are a breathtaking experience and entice visitors to return to these unique locations.

FROM VENICE TO CHIOGGIA

From Venice to Chioggia

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FROM VENICE TO CHIOGGIA

THE LIDO 1 The official name of this island is actually Litorale

di Lido, in other words Lido shore (from the Latin litus, shore).

This narrow strip of land, a spit off the coast of Venice, stretches from Chioggia to Jesolo and separates the inland sea of the lagoon from the Adriatic. It continues to the north in the somewhat wider strip of land of Cavallino, the long, narrow island of Pellestrina in the south, and the peninsula of Sottomarina, again somewhat wider, with its beautiful beaches.

Around 18,000 people live on these islands, most in the town of Lido and 620 at Alberoni, on the southernmost tip. Malamocco lies in the centre of the Lido, of which it was once the capital and an episcopal seat. The first doges also lived here before moving to Rialto in the ninth century.

The side of the island which looks out to sea consists of a wide, beautiful beach, the northern part of which lies just in front of the hotels and is reserved for the hotel guests. In the south there is a public beach protected by great white blocks of stone: THE MURAZZI 2 . This part was built as long as 250 years ago by the Serenissima to protect Venice from being eroded by the sea. Stone dykes lead out into the sea at regular intervals; both the dykes and the large stone blocks of the wave breakers are popular with the locals for sunbathing and coastline walks.

Many sun worshippers use the driftwood they find on the

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ILLUSTRIOUS ISLAND VISITORS Richard Wagner, who died here on February 13, 1833. He went to the Lido regularly to admire the sunset.

During his stay in Venice in 1895, Sigmund Freud loved the exceptionally fine sandy beaches on the Lido, where he would go swimming every day.

In 1901, Hermann Hesse was very enthusiastic about the deep blue of the Adriatic Sea, and in 1911 Thomas Mann drew inspiration from the Lido for his famous novel Death in Venice.

Naturally, we should also mention the Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni, who often set his plots in his home town, its islands, and the lagoon city of Chioggia.

beach to build make-shift windshields for grilling meat and enjoying picnics. A dyke has been built along the Murazzi that runs parallel to the shore, and includes a reinforced path for walkers and cyclists; on the side looking towards the lagoon there is a rather deserted motorway, which offers beautiful views of the skyline of Venice.

Let’s take a closer look at the most important sights you can expect to encounter during a tour of the island. As a starting point, you could take the Santa Maria Elisabetta area on the north-western bank: this location has always been the main

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Without claiming to give a complete account, we would like to list some of the famous guests of the lagoon islands, starting with the acclaimed German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who sailed to the Lido on a gondola in 1796 to visit the English cemetery.

In his novel Italian Journey he describes the beach, the fishermen and their songs as well as his trips to Pellestrina and Chioggia.

Another guest was Lord Byron, who searched and found inspiration for his poetry on the Lido in 1816. He roamed across the islands on foot and on horseback.

Venice was the last stopover for

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junction on the island and the landing stage for the public ferries and vaporetti.

This round, domed building, a memorial built between World War I and II, towers above the low houses and can be reached by a flight of steps.

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BRIDGE AND CHIESA DI SAN NICOLÒ 4 As early as the year 800 CE a small church dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, stood here. Then the Benedictine monks, who reclaimed and farmed the land from the eleventh century, built a large monastery. The sarcophagus of doge Domenico Contarini, a benefactor of the monastery church, is embedded in the façade above the portal. The tall campanile was once also used as a lighthouse and marked the nearby entrance of the lagoon. The church was extended and rebuilt in the seventeenth century but the simple brick façade was left as it was.

The interior is lavishly decorated. The wooden choir, a crucifix dating back to the fourteenth century and the Baroque altar in colourful marble are worth seeing. Today, the extensive monastery is used for secular purposes and accommodates the EIUC, the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (www.eiuc.org).

In the thirteenth century, crusaders set sail for the liberation of Jerusalem from San Nicolò. It is believed that 30,000 French knights camped in 1204 around the Palazzo dei Dieci, an important court building on the island, before setting off for the Holy Land.

GIOVANNI NICELLI AIRPORT 5 In the 1930s a large airport was built on the Lido, the largest in terms of passengers and goods handling after Rome. The Transadriatica airline company used the most modern aircraft, including the legendary Junker. Seaplanes splashed down before the nearby island of Sant’Andrea where efficient workshops saw to their repair and maintenance. Since the passenger airport was moved to the mainland, the airport buildings and control tower on the island with their interesting 1930s architecture have been used as a reception area; they also house an elegant restaurant. Panoramic sightseeing flights are also offered (www.aeroportonicelli.it).

THE JEWISH CEMETERY 6 Not far from the airport grounds, at 70, Via Cipro, lies the Jewish cemetery. It is, along with the Jewish cemetery in Prague, one of the oldest in Europe and a gravestone bears the date 1389. The cemetery has been renovated in recent years and is a haven of peace and tranquillity.

Guided tours are available in English and Italian, and advance booking is mandatory. Tel. 041 715359, www.museoebraico.it

began on the Lido as early as the late nineteenth century. Elegant, high-class hotels and villas were built in Art Nouveau style and others featured a new eclectic style inspired by Islamic architecture, known as the stile moresco, or Moorish style.

The somewhat fading splendour is evident in impressive buildings such as the former casino, the Grand Hôtel des Bains (the set for Luchino Viscosti’s film Death in Venice, based on Thomas Mann’s novel of the same name), the palazzo of the Venice film festival (a new one is currently being built), and the Excelsior Hotel. It is impossible not to notice the influence of Art Nouveau on the many buildings dating back to the turn of the twentieth century, such as the former Hotel Grande Italia at the Via Tiro junction or Villa Licia in Via Negroponte (no. 19), Villa Eva and the stunning Hotel Hungaria, both situated along the Gran Viale.

Anyone interested in more in-depth information can find detailed plans and suggestions for an architectural tour at www2.comune.venezia.it/lidoliberty

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THE MAGNIFICENT ART NOUVEAU BUILDINGS 7 Seaside tourism

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8 This small, picturesque district lies in the heart of the island and is crossed by a few canals along which the boats of the locals bob up and down. Hardly any traces remain of its former past, but this was once the nucleus of what would later become Venice, and the first doges and bishops lived here into the ninth century. The church of Santa Maria Assunta dates back to the twelfth century, while the Gothic Palazzo del PodestĂ (or chief magistrate) is from the sixteenth century.

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EATING AND DRINKING

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AL PONTE DI BORGO 27, Calle Merceria, Malamocco, Tel. 041 770090, closed on Mondays

A simple inn with garden, where fish and seafood are naturally the key ingredients on the menu.

ALBERONI 9 In the south of this long island there is a characteristic area known as the Alberoni, which takes its name from the high poplar trees (or alberi) alberi) which pointed distant fishermen to the entrance to the lagoon. In this peaceful green haven, consisting partly of a public beach, a well-cared for golf course, a WWF oasis, a promenade with characteristic snack bars and a handful of hotels, the holiday mood is assured. An area of 160 hectares has been designated as a nature reserve. One of the area’s characteristic features are the sand dunes which, though not that high, are quite striking and overgrown and strengthened by Ammophila littoralis, a beach grass. There are also many

Free admittance in Via dei Bagni Marini. For guided tours, contact mobile 348 2686472 or WWF Veneto, Tel. 041 971384, www.dunealberoni.it; information can also be obtained from the kiosk in Piazza Alberoni.

PELLESTRINA 10 The island which lies next to the Lido in the

south is a narrow, 13.8-kilometer-long strip of land. A stone dam (the murazzi) on the seaward side follows the only road along which the residential estates of Pellestrina, Porto Secco, and San Pietro in Volta are located at the widest points. In the north, from Santa Maria del Mare, the ferries cross over to the Lido while in the south there is a ferry connection to Chioggia.

Around 4,000 people live on the island. Although Chioggia is nearer, the island is far closer to Venice in economic and cultural terms. Historically speaking, the origins of Pellestrina date far back in time and legend has it that the Fossiones philistinae were built here as early as the fourth century BCE by Philistus of Syracuse, from whom the name of these first fortifications originate. Pellestrina was destroyed during the wars with the Genoese and was rebuilt with the patronage of the Busetto,

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other plants, some of which rare, which have adapted to the particular environmental conditions. A pine forest covering thirty hectares which is cared for by the forestry commission of the Veneto region stretches up to the lagoon. This nature reserve is also home to 113 species of birds, including the rare little tern (Sterna albifrons)) and the Kentish plover ((Charadrius alexandrines), ), both ground-nesting birds which incubate their eggs in sand wells. It is thus forbidden to stray from the designated footpaths in order not to disturb these bird species, which hatch in early summer.

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Scarpa, Vianello, and Zennaro families. The districts on the island are named after these four families, and the municipal coat of arms is also divided into four sections, which respectively bear the symbols of each of the families.

The seaward side is an ideal place for sunbathing and is never overly crowded – there are many undisturbed spots between the breakwaters which jut out into the sea at regular intervals.

In the fishing villages time seems to have stood still – each village gives an idea of what life in the lagoon must have been like at the time of the maritime Republic of Venice, when everything was centred around the sea, boats and ships, and fishing.

Many women in Pellestrina have preserved the traditional local craft of bobbin lace-making, and offer their precious lacework for sale.

THE FORTIFICATIONS The Republic of Venice protected the lagoon city by controlling its harbour entrances and erecting fortifications, nine of which still remain on Pellestrina. Most of these were extended and expanded by the Austrians, who occupied the area after the fall of the Republic. Before World War I, the rapid development of technology in weapons and explosives made further reinforcements necessary, this time undertaken by the Kingdom of Italy. Canons were installed in order to hold back attacking ships. None of these fortifications is open to visitors, since many passed into private hands and were allocated to other purposes. One of these fortifications, the former Forte Ca’ Roman now known as Forte Barbarigo,

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faces the lagoon entrance between Chioggia and Pellestrina and dates back to the French occupancy around 1800.

THE CA’ ROMAN NATURE OASIS 11 In 1911 a long dam was built

out to sea at the lagoon entrance, to protect the area from erosion. The consequent alteration to the current and the deposit of sediments led to the sudden widening of the beach and also the southernmost tip, where a unique dune landscape formed.

Over the last four years the mainland has advanced a further eleven metres into the sea. A total of fifty-one hectares of land have been placed under protection and form an extraordinary plant and animal habitat. Many breeding birds have settled here and migratory birds make a stopover in the area. The beach is not cleaned mechanically so that even rare creatures in the sand are not disturbed or endangered. Designated footpaths run through the oasis and display boards provide information about its characteristics. The nature oasis is run by LIPU (Lega Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli, Uccelli, the Italian association for the protection of birds).

For information and guided tours, call 340 6192175.

literally called the “sanctuary of the apparition of the Virgin”, is of great importance for Pellestrina. It dates back to August 4, 1716 when the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared before a young boy. News of the event spread like wildfire and pilgrims flocked to the place of the miracle where a magnificent church was erected. The façade of the octagonal building is clad in marble. The revered painting of the Virgin is located on the main altar, between the statues of Saints Vitus and Modestus.

EATING AND DRINKING DA CELESTE 625, Sestier Vianelli, Pellestrina, Tel. 041 967043, closed on Tuesdays A traditional inn, where the main ingredient is naturally fresh fish.

Lovely terrace on the water with a sea view.

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SANTUARIO DELLA MADONNA DELL’APPARIZIONE 12 This church,

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CHIOGGIA

Chioggia Chioggia is a small harbour town in the south of the lagoon.

Due to its similarity with the much larger and also much more magnificent city of Venice, it is sometimes referred to as “Little Venice”, although Venice fears no competition from this small town, at least in terms of cultural tourism, which nonetheless has 51,000 inhabitants. Like Venice, Chioggia is also built on islands and interlaced with canals which are crossed by arched stone bridges. Side canals branch off in a herringbone pattern.

The backbone is formed by the Canal Vena and the parallel avenue named Corso del Popolo: this main artery consists of a wide pedestrian area overlooked by low palazzi with beautiful façades and porticos. The street, which is laid with large stone slabs, is dotted with a host of shops, restaurants, and cafés where tables and chairs under the shade of sun umbrellas and

APT (TOURIST BOARD) CHIOGGIA 101 Lungomare Adriatico Tel. 041 5540466, www.chioggia.tourism.it

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awnings invite passers-by to stop and relax. The holiday resort of Sottomarina with the suburban Isola Verde and beautiful sandy beach lies off the coast from Chioggia with its rows of low houses. Sottomarina has the same importance for Chioggia as the Lido for Venice, with the difference that it can be reached easily by car and is incomparably cheaper (and arguably less sophisticated).

Chioggia is spread out perfectly flatly and evenly on a peninsula. One side of the town looks landwards towards the city of Adria and is bordered by fields interspersed with wetlands and two rivers, the Bacchiglione (a tributary of the Brenta River) and the Adige, which both flow into the sea here between the lagoon and the Po River. After Venice, Chioggia is the second largest city of the lagoon and is easily accessible to cars. Chioggia and the neighbourhoods of San Domenico and Sottomarina actually form a peninsula, and are connected to the mainland by modern bridges.

Behind the bridge leading to San Domenico lies the Canale San Domenico, a landing stage for fishing cutters which still set sail

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each day to fish in the Adriatic Sea. Chioggia’s huge fish market, the largest in northern Italy, is in the Isola dei Cantieri area, and provides fresh fish for markets from Milan to Bolzano. Agriculture is the second most important industry after fishing (with the cultivation of vegetables, including mainly radicchio lettuce), followed by tourism (cultural trips and beach holidays), transportation services with a direct Verona–Adria–Chioggia train line, port activities with ferry services to Croatia, and ship-building yards for the maintenance of fishing boats.

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History of the city According to legend Aeneas, after fleeing from the destroyed city of Troy, fled across the sea with his followers. He landed in Latium and founded Rome, while his companions Antenores, Aquilius, and Clodius respectively founded the towns of Padua, Aquileia, and Clodia (now Chioggia, from the Latin Clugia).

The pre-history of the first settlement in the lagoon region is similar to that of the islands around the city which then became Venice. Findings have shown that there was an initial settlement of seafarers from Thessaly around 2000 BCE. The original town, on the other hand, dates back to Roman times, which is evident from the geometrical layout of its streets.

Around the fifth century, after the division of the Roman empire into the Western and Eastern Empires, Chioggia came under Byzantine rule like all the other islands with a broad coastline. Over the following centuries, it first came under Longobard (seventh century) then Frankish rule (ninth century). Due to their position on an island, the inhabitants of Chioggia were able to put up a certain resistance towards both these powers.

Chioggia came under the influence of Venice as early as 1100, and prospered thanks to the salt trade.

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SAINT MARK’S LION

unskilled sculptor who did a bad job. After receiving complaints from his principal, he made several attempts at improving the original, and finally plumped for this puny little lion, which he sculpted from the same block of marble.

The fourteenth century was the age of the maritime republics: Genoa and Venice waged a war for supremacy in the Adriatic Sea and trade in the Orient, crushing Chioggia in the process: in 1378 Genoa defeated Venice in Pula (on the peninsula of Istria in Croatia) and occupied Chioggia, which was destroyed in the battle. In 1380, Genoa was forced to bow before the supremacy of Venice, and the doge of Venice returned in triumph to the destroyed city. Chioggia had been devastated by the war, and its city fathers decided to relinquish the militarily vulnerable Chioggia Minore (referred to by the Romans as Clugia Minor, the current seaside resort of Sottomarina) and retreat to the islands of Clugia Maior, now known as Chioggia. The idea of building protective city walls around the city was dropped as the water offered far greater protection; from the seventeenth century the fishing industry was revived. In 1797 the Napoleonic troops put an end to the independence of the Serenissima, and consequently Chioggia. The area then came under Austrian rule until the unification of Italy in 1866. In the nineteenth century, the railway reached up to the city gates and at the beginning of the twentieth century the isolation of Chioggia came to an end when a bridge was built from the Romea state road connecting the island to the mainland.

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Piazzetta Vigo is situated at the end of Corso del Popolo, Chioggia’s main thoroughfare.

Perched on a tall column in this square sits the winged Saint Mark’s lion, which heralds the dominion of Venice. This is referred to ironically

by Venetians as el gato (literally the cat, in vernacular), as it is considerably smaller and less stately than the same winged lion in Saint Mark’s Square. According to one of the many anecdotes about the lion, when the parsimonious city fathers decided to erect the column in 1786, they had the work carried out by a cheap,

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The best in brief STRADA ROMEA The SS 309 Strada Romea state road forms an

arch down the landside from the north-west into the city: the last stretch crosses over a long bridge and thus the southernmost bay of the lagoon.

CANAL VENA AND PONTE VIGO 1 Just like Venice, Chioggia also

has calli (alleys), campielli (small squares), and canals. Historically speaking, the most important of the canals is the Canal Vena which is dotted with typical palazzi and churches and is crossed by nine bridges which are similar to those of Venice.

The most impressive is Ponte Vigo which leads to the square of the same name, marked by the column with Saint Mark’s lion, and to the landing stage for ferries to Pellestrina.

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PORTA GARIBALDI 2 The only remaining gate of the old city walls is Porta Garibaldi. The winged lion and symbol of Venice is naturally set above the gateway. The route past the gate takes us to the town centre along the long main street or corso, which is referred to by the locals simply as the piazza, even if it is not a square but a wide road. The municipal museum diagonally opposite is worth a visit (for further details see below).

REFUGIUM PECCATORUM The small square next to the cathedral is named the sagrato and is one of the most picturesque corners of Chioggia thanks to its statue of the Virgin surmounted by a gilded pointed baldachin. It once stood close to the town hall: convicts had to pass before the statue on the way to their death and say their prayers.

CATTEDRALE DEI SANTI FELICE E FORTUNATO 3 At the beginning

of the Corso, to the left, stands the Baroque cathedral built entirely in red brick. The original building dates back to the year 1100, while the current cathedral and its interior were conceived by Baldassare Longhena, the great seventeenth-century architect who later also designed the church of Santa Maria della Salute in Venice. The cathedral is devoted to Saints Felix and Fortunatus, whose relics were brought here from Malamocco and are now preserved in one of the cathedral’s chapels.

The imposing marble pulpit and precious sixteenth-century paintings are also interesting. A marble relief around the portal

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dedicated to an episode of the Golden Legend, the Repose of the Virgin Mary, was made to commemorate the night Pope Alexander III spent here in 1177. The tall, detached campanile surmounted by a cupola dates from the fourteenth century.

buildings are dotted along the main street, the Corso del Popolo. Directly next to the cathedral, for example, the church of San Martino features an interesting octagonal layout and interconnected Gothic arches along the façade. Just a few houses further on stands the church of San Francesco (built 1454) with its classical red brick façade and white stone campanile. Opposite, at the junction with Calle San Giacomo, the Basilica San Giacomo, the largest church of Chioggia, towers high above. It houses a painting in the lavishly adorned main altar depicting the miraculous apparition of the Virgin Mary while a little ship was caught by a storm at sea. Many votive images and offerings, some of which in silver, are thanks for intercessions believers consider they obtained when they turned to the Virgin Mary for help. On the ceiling there is a large, impressive fresco by the eighteenth-century local artist Antonio Marinetti, known as Chioggiotto, a pupil of Giovanni Battista Piazzetta (1682–1754) and Antonio and Romualdo Mauri. A little further along stands the church of the Santissima Trinità, a simple red brick building with a commemorative plaque on the façade dedicated to the Catholic philosopher and Church doctor Antonio Rosmini, who was ordained here in 1821. There is hardly a town in Italy which does not have streets, squares, or schools named after him. A little further away from Canal Vena is the

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CORSO DEL POPOLO 4 Numerous other important historical

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church of the Filippini, built in marble by order of the father of the last doge of Venice, Ludovico Manin. It has a large, remarkable ceiling fresco by Giacomo Casa which depicts Saint Philip worshipping the Virgin Mary. The fourteenth-century church of Santa Caterina, once connected to the adjacent convent, is distinguished by a white marble façade and is likewise tucked away in a side alley. Palazzo Grassi was built for the non-religious needs of the rich Grassi family of merchants who later settled in Venice and built another palace bearing their name, today a much visited art exhibition venue. The palazzo in Chioggia houses a detached seat of the university of Padua and a museum dedicated to the fauna of the Adriatic Sea, the Museo di Zoologia Adriatica. The Palazzo del Comune (the town hall) is the most striking building, and dominates the Corso with its symmetric, neoclassical marble façade. The flagpole in the right-hand corner, carried by a marble group of “prisoners”, is of particular interest.

GRANAIO 5 The elongated granary dates back to the fourteenth

century and is one of the oldest buildings in Chioggia. The fish market takes place every day (except Sundays) at ground level at the back of the building: an unforgettable experience for every visitor to Chioggia.

CHIESA DI SANT’ANDREA 6 This church with a marble façade is

magnificently decorated inside and contains a Crucifixion by

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Palma il Vecchio (1480–1528) which is well worth seeing. The tall Romanesque campanile next to the church is known as the torre dell’orologio, and dates from the eleventh–twelfth centuries. It was originally built for military purposes and has the oldest tower clock in the world.

PORTICOS The porticoed streets are a very typical feature of Chioggia that cannot be found in any other lagoon city. They are a characteristic of the mainland towns in the Veneto and offer protection against the wind and rain and provide muchneeded shade in summer. Grocers once offered their wares for sale beneath the arcades which now accommodate stores and restaurants.

SAN DOMENICO 7 In a secluded spot on a small island connected to Chioggia by a bridge stands the church of San Domenico, a former monastery owned by wealthy Dominican monks. This church houses a unique collection of artworks by Carpaccio (Saint Paul), ), Tintoretto, Damiani, Bassano, and Brustolon. A four-metre wooden crucifix ascribed to the northern European school of the fifteenth century dominates the main altar.

8 MUSEO CIVICO DELLA LAGUNA SUD 1, Campo Marconi, Tel. 041 5500911, www.chioggia.org/museochioggia, Closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesday afternoons, opening times 9.00am–1.00pm, 3.00– 6.00pm, extended opening hours in Summer, 3.50 € This city museum is also referred to as San Francesco fuori le Mura (literally Saint Francis outside the city walls) due to the fact that it was once housed within the former Franciscan monastery. It was opened only recently (1997), and its

modern spaces, spanning three storeys, tell the history of the water world of the lagoon, from the first settlement to the modern day, from the history of settlement through journeys across the sea to land reclamation and the fishing industry.

This museum contains fine collections, including archaeological findings, coins, ceramics, plastic models, dioramas, fishing tackle, photos, and much more. The building is connected to a library which contains valuable items, including thirteenth-century parchments.

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FAMOUS PERSONALITIES

Chioggia is proud of its personalities such as the actress Eleonora Duse, whose parents were born in the city. Around the turn of the previous century, she appeared in the most prominent theatres in the world, turning the heads of many illustrious citizens, including the Italian poet and hedonist Gabriele D’Annunzio.

Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni, whose plays are amongst the most widely performed in Italy, lived for a couple of years in Chioggia and based one of his play on Le Baruffe chiozzotte ((The The Chioggia Scuffles). es

CHIOGGIA

Eating and drinking As the hub of the fishing industry in the area, the city of Chioggia has a great culinary tradition, with fish and seafood naturally providing the main ingredient. The great variety includes granseole (cooked crab meat with olive oil, lemon juice and spices), moleche (small crabs with a soft shell), bigoli in salsa (thick homemade spaghetti) served with a sauce made with sardelle or sardoni salài (sardines or anchovies preserved in salt), risoto de sepe (risotto with fried or boiled cuttlefish), spaghetti co le bibarasse (spaghetti with clams), risoto a la pescatora (risotto with chunks of fish served in its own juice), risoto a la ciosota (risotto made with a sauce of fried and cooked fish, with garlic, Parmesan and white wine), bisato in tecia (eel in a tomato and white wine sauce), sardele in saor (fried sardines pickled with onions and vinegar), the classic, unmissable broeto (fish soup with croutons, prepared with second-rate cuts of fish cut into chunks), and naturally radicio de Ciosa (the typically reddish radicchio lettuce) and bossolà (a doughnut-shaped loaf, also known as the pane di Chioggia, a special aromatic, crispy bread which keeps well).

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9 OSTERIA PENZO 525, Via Calle Larga Bersaglio, Tel. 041 400992, closed on Monday evenings and Tuesdays, www.osteriapenzo.it This family-run osteria (or tavern) offers typical food from Chioggia such as broeto de pesse (fish soup) and bisato in tecia (braised eel) alongside international dishes and specialities of the house. Near Piazza Vigo.

10 LA TAVERNA DA NADIA E FELICE 348, Calle F. Cavallotti, Tel. 041 401806, closed on Mondays, www.tavernachioggia.com

Highly praised by customers, critics, and the press alike. This old tavern, converted into a high-class restaurant, serves the best of the city fish market, guaranteeing quality and freshness all-year round.

The wine menu offers a good selection, above all of regional white wines and sparkling wines.

11 TRATTORIA SAN MARCO 1121, Fondamenta San Domenico, Tel. 041 403307, closed on Mondays Traditional fisherman’s tavern on the canal with a view of the fishing boats. Simple home-made cooking; reasonably priced and good.

CHIOGGIA

EATING AND DRINKING

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CHIOGGIA

CHIOGGIA AT A GLANCE

The sightseeing tour of the city starts at Porta Garibaldi. After a detour to see the Refugium Peccatorum next to the cathedral we cross back over the Corso del Popolo. The most important artistic and cultural monuments are now lined up in front of us. At the end of the Corso we come to the atmospheric Piazzetta Vigo with the column surmounted by the lion and the most beautiful bridge in Chioggia, the Ponte di Vigo, which rises like a balcony overlooking the city and out towards the sea. It is the counterpart of Venice’s Rialto bridge. The magnificent Hotel Grande Italia also stands here, behind is the landing stage of the

vaporetti for Venice and other destinations in the lagoon. Continue down Calle Santa Croce and the bridge at the end to reach the monastery with the church of San Domenico. After passing by the fishing cutters moored along Canale San Domenico, we continue down Calle Doria until we reach Canal Vena. Cross over the canal to the lively fish market near to the Granaio (granary), then again over the Corso del Popolo to reach our starting point once more. There are plenty of opportunities along the trip to stop off at the many cosy inns, cafĂŠs, and restaurants to try out the local culinary specialities

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EVENTS

CHIOGGIA

, I Venturieri di Chioggia: this historic regatta where old ships and typical lagoon boats gather for this special event at the end of May, with a host of fringe events. Tel. 320 0618288, www.venturieri.it , Palio della Marciliana: in the third weekend of June, wartime in medieval Chioggia when the maritime republics of Venice and Genoa fought for supremacy in Levantine trade, is brought back to life with parades, dancing, singing, exhibition fights, open-air banquets, and arm-wrestling competitions. www.marciliana.com , Sagra del pesce: in mid-July the alleys and squares come alive with music and theatrical performances at this “fish festival”. Fish and seafood is the top attraction at the food stalls, which serve classic culinary specialities. Starting at 9.30pm every night, the public is treated to a variety of performances on the large stage set up in Piazza Vigo. , Festa del Pescatore: at the end of July, fishermen sail their boats from the church of San Domenico to the harbour entrance where their boats and the sea are blessed and prizes are awarded to fishermen. From 8.00pm, Piazza Todaro is filled with music and dancing, and a selection of fish and seafood specialities are available for tasting. www.fondazionedellapesca.com , Le Baruffe in calle: for five days at the beginning of August, after 9.00pm the entire city is turned into a stage for a theatrical production Scuffles. inspired by Carlo Goldoni’s comedy The Chioggia Scuffles

CHIOGGIA ON THE INTERNET WWW.CHIOGGIA.ORG Website of the town of Chioggia with a great deal of background information, only in Italian.

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From Chioggia to Padua thermal district We progress through a picturesque landscape of waterways, red-brick bridges and old villas, once the country retreats of the Venetian nobility.

The reclamation of these lands, often reflected in the names of the localities, goes back a long way. Begun by the Romans, it continued through the Middle Ages with Benedictine monks, the era of the Venetian Republic with its hydraulic engineers, and into modern times.

THE SALT AND SUGAR ROAD The expansion of its salt pans effectively turned Chioggia into the salt capital of the Adriatic. The extraction of sugar from sugar beet, however, is a more recent affair in Italy, starting from the XIX century.

The refinery in Pontelongo dates to the early XX; it remains active to this day, so much so that the locality is nicknamed ‘Sugar Village’.

C H I O G G I A A N D PA D U A T H E R M A L D I S T R I C T

The canals criss-crossing the territory between the Venetian Lagoon and Euganean Hills have provided good communication and transport here for centuries.

The economy of Chioggia (pronounced ‘Key-oh-jjah’) in medieval times was based on fishing and its most prized merchandise of all: salt, or ‘White Gold’.

Stanghella

Solesino

Monselice

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San Martino di Venezze

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Anguillara Veneta

Conselve

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MaserĂ di Padova

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Candiana

Bojon

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1 CORREZZOLA

Originally a wilderness of woodland and swamp, these lands were reclaimed by Benedictine monks and gradually transformed into one of the largest rural settlements in the region.

Besides the monks’ own living quarters, the XVI-century Benedictine Court housed granaries, cellars, blacksmiths’ and carpenters’ workshops, barns and stables, where generations of country folk plied their trades.

What remains of this unusual architectural complex now accommodates the town hall, library and reception facilities.

Not far, along the main road, sits the parish church dedicated to St Leonard.

EATING AND DRINKING TRATTORIA LA FAMIGLIA 6 Viale Melzi, Correzzola Tel. 049 976 0059 Open for lunch 12-2.30pm.

Closed Wed www.lafamigliacorrezzola.com

Near Correzzola’s Benedictine Court. Seasonal and traditional local dishes served by the Agostini family.

Along the Bacchiglione’s left bank rises Villa Contarini, an architectural complex built over the XVI and XVII centuries. Recently restored, it includes a number of barchesse (rustic wings) and other buildings.

In former times the mansion served as a vital reference point for navigation along this river, which links the Venetian Lagoon with the hills.

Located at 1565 Via San Valentino, Pontelongo www.barchessacontarini.it 3 PONTELONGO

The name, ‘Long Bridge’, alludes to the sizeable structure across the Bacchiglione. The older part of the village lies on the left bank and includes Villa Foscarini Erizzo, now the town hall. It is flanked by buildings designed to maximise the benefits of their riverine location. The neighbourhood is protected

C H I O G G I A A N D PA D U A T H E R M A L D I S T R I C T

2 BARCHESSA CONTARINI

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from flooding by classic Venetian murazzi – elevated embankments, usually constructed with stone blocks.

The right bank is where we find the newer part, including the XX-century church of St Andrew the Apostle and, most strikingly, the sugar refinery: this is the largest in Italy and has long been the cornerstone of Pontelongo’s recent history.

Inaugurated in 1910, the factory has radically transformed the local economy and significantly bolstered the population and housing over time. It is still operational and produces highquality sugar from sugar beet.

C H I O G G I A A N D PA D U A T H E R M A L D I S T R I C T

4 BOVOLENTA

The convergence of two waterways and their currents, forming an eddy, is known in the local dialect as bovolo – hence Bovolenta, where the Bacchiglione River and Vigenzone Canal meet. The embankment’s sheer bulk speaks for the currents’ force here. The ruins of a Roman acqueduct bear witness to the burgh’s early origins. In the Middle Ages a castle also rose here, though nothing remains of it.

In the XVI century, during the League of Cambrai – which saw the main European powers join forces against the Venetian Republic – the latter’s territories were stormed, its towns and villages looted. To add to the misery, communities were decimated by the plague. Bovolenta did not escape, and the situation only improved towards the late 1700s with the gradual establishment of a textile industry.

The humble centre of the village takes in the parish church of St Augustine (XI century), Villa Martinengo and the palazzo of the Accademia dei Concordi – a XVI-century institute for the arts and philosophy.

5 PONTEMANCO

The hamlet lies along the Biancolino Canal, its name (‘Bridgeless’) suggesting that for a long time it lacked a crossing.

Pontemanco was locally important in the Middle Ages by virtue of its significant water drop, which generated enough energy to power the water mills required to grind cereals. From here, flour was transported and sold in Chioggia or Venice.

The mills were operative until after the Second World War and are now partially demolished. The last one standing has been recently restored and now houses a café. Inside, a glass floor

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shows the grinding mechanism, which still works, while the wheel itself is under restoration.

Pontemanco’s other prides are the XVII-century Villa Grimani and Oratory – both built opposite the bridge, which dates to the previous century. The villa once encompassed the adjoining buildings: these colourful cottages were home to the local workers and their families, from carpenters and blacksmiths to farriers and carters.

EVENTS , Remada a Seconda boating event: On the last weekend of May, Pontelongo hosts a waterborne extravaganza involving a dazzling assortment of vessels. Anything goes, provided it is powered by oars.

Equally colourful is the event’s name, which loosely translates as ‘Go with the Flow’ (on the understanding that it refers to the prevailing current). The event consists of two regattas – Padua to Battaglia Terme and Battaglia to Pontelongo – and helps to showcase the historic canals of these lands.

Monte Rosso

Monte Bello

Treponti

La Croce

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Monterosso

SP 25 Monte Boscalbò

Monteortone

Monte Lonzina

Monte Ortone

Tramonte

SP 98 Monte Campana

SP 25d Leonardo da Vinci

Cocchio

Monte Solone

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BernardiPedron San Daniele

Monte Sengiari

SP 25

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Torreglia SP 74 Monte Carega

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La Mira

Vallorto SP 43

SP 25

Villa Immacolata

Parco Regionale dei Colli Euganei

Monte Zogo

Momoli

Monte Alto

Monte Siesa

Monte Trevisan

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Gobetti Regazzoni

Galzignano 10

Padua thermal district

Monte Cimisella

Del Lavoro

Mo Ca

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SP 99

Monte delle Basse

Noiera Grottarole

Monte Monte delle Grotte

Monte Staffolo

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4 Monteortone Sanctuary

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Saline Monte Ceva Monte Castellone

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Monte Spinefrasse Monte Croce

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Padua thermal district The heart of the Terme Euganee consists of the communes of Abano and Montegrotto: together with Galzignano, Teolo and Battaglia, they form the largest thermal basin in Europe. The therapeutic properties of these waters have been acknowledged for centuries and are prized to this day.

PA D U A T H E R M A L D I S T R I C T

Euganean Hills Tucked in the Venice Lands (or Veneto), the Euganean Hills Regional Park rises from the plains of the River Po, an ancient outcrop of hills covering 19,000 hectares within a perimeter of 65 km. The 100 or so hills reach an average height of 300/400 m, Monte Venda being the highest at 601 m.

Geologically, the formation of the Colli (colle is Italian for hill) dates back some 135 million years, as sedimentary deposits settling at the bottom of the sea that once washed these lands calcified into rock. A hundred million years later, a series of volcanic eruptions shaped the hills with their classic contours of volcanic structures.

The Euganean Hills’s rocks have been exploited by man since time immemorial, namely chalk and marl for limestone fertilizer; and volcanic rock for paving, by virtue of its resistance and grip in slippery conditions. Many of the Veneto’s streets and piazzas are decked with this stone.

PA D U A T H E R M A L D I S T R I C T

Unsurprisingly, from the Middle Ages onwards, canals were dug to reach the Euganean Hills and supply communities with construction material (timber, rock, limestone), as well as foodstuff (oil, wine, fruit). Numerous mills lined these waterways.

1971 brought the first ‘Environmental Protection’ legislation to safeguard the natural beauty and ecology of the Euganean Hills. This led to the progressive closure of the 70 or so quarries, which had blotted the landscape over time, and to a number of projects aimed at restoring the sites to their natural state. Very few areas are now actively quarried.

A natural oasis of biodiversity, the Euganean Hills provide a home to a remarkable range of species. Quite unusually, they enable vegetation that’s more typical of hot and arid areas (Mediterranean maquis, including a variety of dwarf prickly pear) to thrive alongside greenery typical of mountainous regions (such as chestnut woodland).

Viticulture has also prospered since ancient times, flourishing in particular during the Middle Ages and beyond; the Venetian nobility in particular, in former times, provided a fine palate for the wines of the Colli.

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THERMALISM OF THE EUGANEAN HILLS The thermal nature of the Hills, interestingly, is not directly associated with their volcanic formation: it stems from the rainwaters of the Lessini Mountains and the ‘Small Dolomites’, both located further north, within the provinces of Vicenza and Verona.

These waters feed underground rivers some 2000/3000 m deep, re-emerging at the Euganean Hills 25/30 years later (and after a journey of some 100 km), rich in mineral salts, mildly radioactive and at a temperature of around 87°C (156.6°F).

There are a couple of hundred wells providing in total 24 million litres of water a day!

The salty-bromidic-iodinated water is used in a range of therapies, principally: bathing, inhalation and mud.

Thermal mud is created by maturing Euganean clay in pools of spring water for approximately 60 days. Its high anti-inflammatory properties are ideal in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis, osteoporosis, trauma, fractures and in helping recovery from surgery.

The best in brief

PA D U A T H E R M A L D I S T R I C T

1 PRAGLIA ABBEY

The Benedictine abbey of Praglia (from pratalea, meaning a location surrounded by lawns) was created over the XI and XII centuries. The current complex (1460-1550 ca.) illustrates its passage from the late Gothic to the early Renaissance. Visits are guided by a monk and no booking is required.

They include four cloisters, the chapterhouse, monumental refectory, panoramic loggia and the late Renaissance church dedicated to St Mary of the Assumption. Monks gather here several times a day for liturgical prayer.

Located at 16 Via Abbazia di Praglia, Teolo. Tel. 049 9999300 Summertime guided tours: Sundays and public holidays: 15.30 to 17.30 every half hour. Other days: 15.00-15.40-16.20-17.00 Closed: Mondays, Good Thursday through to Easter Sunday, Pentecost, Assumption Day. Admission: free (by donation) www.praglia.it

2 VILLA DEI VESCOVI

A magnificent classically-inspired villa of the Renaissance, built as the Bishop of Padua’s country retreat. Characterised by its small loggias and harmoniously immersed in the nature of the colli, the villa lent itself perfectly to hosting the artists

and literati of the day. It remained Church property until 1962, when it was acquired by an entrepreneur who restored it. Villa dei Vescovi was recently endowed to the Fondo Ambiente Italiano heritage organisation (similar to the British National Trust) and opened to the public. Includes a gift shop, cafeteriabistrôt and wine bar.

Located at 4 Via dei Vescovi, Luvigliano di Torreglia.

Tel. 049 9930473 Opening times variable Admission: adults € 11, children 4-14 € 4, children 0-4 free, families (2+2 children 4-14) € 25 www.fondoambiente.it 3 BIOTOPO DI SAN DANIELE

Located at Via Rialto, Torreglia Open daily, Admission free 4 MONTEORTONE SANCTUARY

Dedicated to Our Lady of Health (Salute), its legends tells that in 1428 a soldier was cured of the plague after bathing in a font where there lay a picture of Mary. A church was built on the spot and decorated with frescoes (XV century). Nearby are the cave where the miracle is purported to have taken place, and a former Augustinian convent, now a Salesian institute with a generous Renaissance cloister.

Located at 63 Via Santuario, Abano Terme. Tel. 049 8669447 Opening times: 9-12 am and 3.30-7pm www.monteortone.it

PA D U A T H E R M A L D I S T R I C T

Wetland created out of artificial ponds, formed where clay was once quarried for bricks.

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The town centre is largely pedestrianised, with its plush hotels and well-tended gardens, shops, restaurants and bars. The two jewels in the hospitality crown are the Grand Hotel Orologio, with its neoclassical façade (XVIII/XIX centuries); and the Hotel Trieste & Victoria, where the Italian Supreme Command was stationed during the Great War. A short walk from the centre takes us to Colle Montirone, the hill which for centuries was the focal point of the spas, with a spring that rises here naturally, and which once fed the baths and a mill. A monumental colonnaded entrance leads into the park, where a complex of XVIII-/XIX-century baths has been recreated.

On the adjacent Colle di San Daniele rises the monastery that

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shares its name. Founded in the XI century, it is now a cloistered convent for Benedictine nuns. It is however possible to visit the small Baroque church, the panoramic terrace and some of the halls designed and furnished in the years when the original edifice was converted into a country house.

EATING AND DRINKING

1 RISTORANTE VERBENA 21 Via Montirone, Abano Terme Tel. 049 8669505 Closed Wed International and local dishes. The pizza is light, fragrant and easy to digest. Quality ingredients.

2 RISTORANTE LA SCALA 33 Via Marzia, Abano Terme Tel. 049 863 0306 Closed Mon A refined ambience offering mainly fish and seafood.

TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICE OF ABANO Located at 18 Via Pietro d’Abano. Tel. 049 866 6262 www.visitabanomontegrotto.com (also in English) Opening times: Mon-Fri 9.30am-5.30pm. Sat, Sun closed

It is traditionally believed that Mons Aegrotorum – Mountain of the Sick, in Latin – was a hill where the ailing would seek solace in the thermal waters and mud.

The centre of present-day Montegrotto has developed around the Oratory of Our Lady or of Saints Peter and Elisha, an ancient country church which was rebuilt in the XVIII century.

On an upland a short distance away stands the Cathedral of St Peter, built in 1949.

The archaeological area lies between two streets – Corso delle Terme and Via degli Scavi – and offers the ruins of a Roman thermal complex dating to the I century AD. On a hillside just out of town is Villa Draghi, a XVII-century mansion in Neogothic Venetian style, immersed in a grand park and affording magnificent views of this spa locality. Montegrotto is also renowned for its Y-40 The Deep Joy, recognised

by Guiness World Records since 5 June 2014 as the deepest

PA D U A T H E R M A L D I S T R I C T

6 MONTEGROTTO TERME

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pool on earth: it is also the only scuba pool filled entirely with thermal waters. It measures 21x18 m and reaches a depth of 42.15 m.

Viale Stazione / Via degli Scavi Archeological Site Located at Via degli Scavi For information and to arrange visits, contact Associazione Lapis, Tel. 3890235910 www.aquaepatavinae.it Y-40 The Deep Joy Located at Hotel Terme Millepini, 42 Via Cataio. Tel. 049 891 0416 www.y-40.com 7 SAN PELAGIO

The central tower reveals the medieval origins of this edifice, which was restructured in the XVIII century. Its vast surrounding garden includes a maze. This was the operative base of the legendary La Serenissima air squadron in 1918, which flew a daring raid over Vienna led by the patriot and poet, Gabriele D’Annunzio. Since 1980 it has served as the Museum of Flight (or Museum of Air and Space): among the top aeronautical collections in Europe, it illustrates through its museum pieces the history of human flight – from Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machines to the conquest of space.

PA D U A T H E R M A L D I S T R I C T

Located at 50 Via San Pelagio, Due Carrare. Tel. 049 9125008.

Mob. 338 1623019 Opening times: Thu, Fri, Sat 10am-13pm and 2.30-6.30pm.

Sun and public holidays 10am-7pm.

Admission to museum + park: adults € 12, children 5-14 € 8, families (2+2) € 35. Admission to park € 8 www.castellosanpelagio.it

ANCIENT WATERWAYS The navigli (navigable canals) dug into the rock around the hills draw their waters from the Bacchiglione River. This network of elevated waterways across the countryside feeds off the surrounding heights and irrigates by means of underground ducts: an extraordinary feat of hydraulic engineering begun in the Middle Ages and continued through Renaissance times with the

gradual reclamation of land.

The two main canals are the Canale Battaglia, to the east of the Hills, which connects Padua and Monselice; and Canale Bisacco, to the west, which meanders like an eel – hence its name, drawn from the dialectal word for this waterine creature: bisatto.

1 PONTE DEI SCAINI

The bridge was rebuilt after the Second World War, the original one having been destroyed. On the left, towards the road, stands a statue of St John of Nepomuk. The Bohemian martyr

PA D U A T H E R M A L D I S T R I C T

8 BATTAGLIA TERME

A first settlement developed here in the Middle Ages around the natural spa cave of Colle Sant’Elena. But it was in the XII century, when the Paduans created a waterway, that Battaglia became a major riverine port and a crossroads for merchants and travellers.To this day the visitor can appreciate the original logic of its historic centre’s layout: it does not revolve around a classic piazza, but a canal. Connecting the two banks with all their buildings is Ponte del Scaini, a Venetian bridge unique of its kind on mainland.

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is considered the patron saint of bridges because he was pushed off one into the River Vltva and drowned. He is widely celebrated throughout Europe on 20 March. At Battaglia the saint is also remembered by farmers, who traditionally hang loaves of bread from his hands.

EATING AND DRINKING

7 EL BARCARO 66 Via delle Terme, Battaglia Terme Mob. 331 9527404 Aperitivo and much more besides.

A great place to enjoy cicchetti (pronounced ‘chicketty’: Venetian tapas), a main course or just a starter to keep you going. Friendly and informal. Good wine list.

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Monuments and Museums historical sites 5 River Navigation Ponte dei Scaini Civic Museum Catajo Castle Villa Selvatico – Restaurants Sartori 6 Il Ristorantino Lispida Castle SP 25 7 El Barcaro

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6 IL RISTORANTINO 75 Via Roma, Battaglia Terme Mob. 348 8581703 Closed Mon A humble half-pint restaurant, family-run, well looked after and quiet. Serves both meat and fish.

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2 CASTELLO DEL CATAJO

Constructed by mercenary warlords in the mid-XVI century, in the manner of a medieval fortress. In the XIX century it came into the hands of the Este family (not to be confused with the town of the same name) and, in turn, of the Habsburg. The imposing castle of Catajo (literally, ‘house on the canal’) preserves in its halls a notable cycle of XVI-century frescoes. It is surrounded by the Parco delle Delizie (‘Park of Wonders’), rich in botanical species including the first specimens of magnolia and sequoia imported into Europe from America.

Located at 1 Via Catajo, Battaglia Terme. Tel. 349 9347190 Opening times: Sun, Tue, Thu, Fri & Public holidays. April, May, June, July, August 3-7pm. March, September, October, November 2.30-6.30pm. Admission: adults € 9, children 6-12 € 3.00, children up to 5 years free. www.castellodelcatajo.it 3 VILLA SELVATICO SARTORI

This XVI/XVII-century stately home rises on a colle affectionately known as ‘Stove Hill’ on account of the thermal water gurgling into a natural cave.

A 135-step stairway worthy of a stage set leads into a squareplanned villa with lateral loggias and a central dome. Within, a cycle of mythological frescoes tell the story of Antenor, the legendary founder of Padua. The house is surrounded by a garden with three thermal ponds.

4 CASTELLO DI LISPIDA

Dating to the late XVIII century, it rises upon the ruins of a monastic complex. It is now an agricultural concern surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and woodland. During the Great War these were the headquarters of the King of Italy, Victor Emanuel III. The historic cellars house a wine bar offering local wine and food tasting.

Located at 4 Via IV Novembre, Monselice. Tel. 0429 780530.

Mob. 349 3416009 (wine bar) Wine bar opening times: March to October on Fri, Sat, Sun 1.30-8.30pm www.lispida.com

PA D U A T H E R M A L D I S T R I C T

Located at Viale Sant’Elena, Battaglia Terme Closed to the public

5 RIVER NAVIGATION CIVIC MUSEUM

Dedicated to the lives and culture of the barcari (boatmen), highlighting different aspects of their trade.

63 Via Ortazzo, Battaglia Terme. Tel. 049 525 170.

Mob. 345 6822956Opening times: March to October, Wed-Sun 9-12am and 3-6pm. Until 30 August also Thu evening 9-11pm Admission: € 5 museonavigazione.eu

PA D U A T H E R M A L D I S T R I C T

9 VILLA BARBARIGO AND MONUMENTAL GARDEN OF VALSANZIBIO

The garden of Valsanzibio is one of the most celebrated and refined historic parks of the Baroque era. Created in the midXVII century after a catastrophic plague, it illustrates the spiritual Path to Purification and Salvation to be undertaken by Man – a message reinforced by a maze. It is enriched by a number of water features (fishponds, fountains and water games).

Also includes hundreds of statues and some spectacular evergreen espaliers across its walls.

Located at 12 Via Barbarigo, Valsanzibio. Tel. 049 9131065 Opening times park: daily March to December 10am-1pm and 2pm-sunset Admission park: adults € 11, children up to 14 € 6.50 Guided tours by reservation only www.valsanzibiogiardino.it

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10 GALZIGNANO TERME

Surrounded by hills, its magnificent setting preserves a virtually uncontaminated environment. Its lands are rich in thermal springs, which provide for the hotels as well as the nurseries and their tropical greenhouses.

Rose to prominence in the Middle Ages thanks to its strategic location. Being within easy reach by water, the Venetians embarked on local land reclamation from the XVI century onwards, subsequently carving up the territory and building their own villas.

The culinary tradition of the Euganean Hills is rooted in earthy simplicity: food of a people who were often poor and would make the best of what nature might offer. Farm fowl comes to the fore, with chicken, guinea-fowl, duck and goose all providing the base for many dishes such as duck ragù with home-made pasta (tagliatelle, bigoli or gnocchi gnocchi). Another classic is risotto with chicken liver and peas, or with spring greens. Another risotto stands out: with bruscandoli, or hop shoots. Mains include grilled meats and roasts.

There are no less than 13 DOC-appellated wines from the Euganean Hills, the most noteworthy being serprino, a sparkling white with a fresh and fruity aroma; the DOCG moscato fior d’arancio (orange blossom muscatel), bottled either sweet or dry; the colli red, pressed from merlot, cabernet and raboso grapes.

Maraschino (distilled cherry liqueur) is a must-try, as is Brodo di giuggiole (literally, broth of jujube, or red date), which includes quince and grapes, and is typically found around Arquà Petrarca.

The medieval-walled city of Montagnana (a gem), also in the shadow the colli, is famous for its prosciutto crudo dolce (‘sweet’ cured ham).

Honey and olive oil also hold their own.

PA D U A T H E R M A L D I S T R I C T

Eating and drinking

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Padua A set phrase describes Padua as the “city of the Saint and Great Scholars”. The saint referred to is Anthony of Padua and the magnificent basilica bearing his name. Italy’s most popular saint and frequently depicted holding a lily and the Infant Jesus in his arms, he is called upon to solve all manner of problems, but is most often invoked when something precious has been lost. The second part of the phrase is a reference to the city’s distinguished scholarly tradition and the fact that Padua’s university, which was founded in 1222, is one of the oldest in the world. Of course, Padua has a lot more to offer. After Verona, it is the largest city in north-eastern Italy and boasts a proud past that is epitomised by its medieval city centre with its little squares, narrow streets and 24 kilometres of porticoes.

PA D UA

THE PROVINCE OF PADUA IN FIGURES

AREA: 2,722 square kilometres INHABITANTS: 837,000 THE SIX LARGEST TOWNS (IN TERMS OF POPULATION) ARE: Padua: 215,000 Albignasego: 23,500 Selvazzano Dentro: 22,400 Vigonza: 22,100 Cittadella: 20,000 Abano Terme: 19,800

AUSTRIA

I TA L I A

IAT PADOVA (PADUA’S TOURIST BOARD) 8 Riviera dei Mugnai, 35137 Padova Tel. 049 8767911

Piazza del Santo, 35137 Padova Tel. 049 8753087 info@turismopadova.it www.turismopadova.it

PA D UA

Come rain or shine, Paduans stroll under these arcades in the evening and at weekends, popping into the bars, pizzerias, restaurants and elegant shops. Padua is also the city of important artists such as the Florentine Giotto, who created one of his greatest works in the Cappella degli Scrovegni and Donatello, who sculpted incomparably impressive bronze statues for the basilica and square. A lively pub scene has developed in the narrow streets of the former Jewish ghetto with its tall houses, which is no surprise considering that almost a third of Padua’s 215,000 inhabitants are students! The city is unquestionably the economic hub of north-eastern Italy and a byword for the rapid economic growth that was brought about by the hard work and commitment of the enterprising small and mediumsized businesses. The Veneto region is the indisputable driving force behind the Italian economy, and Padua is its engine room.

The flat, level city lies on the extreme eastern expanse of the Po Valley, just 40 kilometres from Venice and the Adriatic. To the south there are the Euganean hills with the famous hot springs and spas of Abano and Montegrotto. As they are so close to hand, they are frequented by Paduans looking for a

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little relaxation, but they are also a magnet for cultural tourism. The perfectly level city is criss-crossed by watercourses and canals that are fed by the Brenta and Bacchiglione. The fact that the city is so close to the sea and is surrounded by water definitely affect the climate: summers are oppressively hot and humid, while in the winter months the city and surrounding countryside are often covered in thick fog for days on end.

History of the city THE FOUNDATION OF THE CITY Legend has it that Padua was

PA D UA

founded in circa 1184 BCE by the Trojan Prince Anthenor, who had survived the destruction of Troy. He came up the Brenta from the Adriatic and drove the Euganeans back into their hills to the south. This may be the stuff of legend, but archaeological finds confirm that there was indeed a prehistoric settlement in 1100–1000 BCE. THE ROMAN PERIOD Patavium, as Padua was known to Romans, expanded along the site of the modern-day city and was granted Roman civic rights in 49 BCE. The city developed into a wool-producing and horse-trading centre and was also an important stop on the route linking the most important Roman towns of that time. Via Annia (from Aquileia), Via Postumia (the Genoa–Venice route) and Via Claudia Augusta (that ran from Altino near Venice to Germania via the Adige Valley) all converged here. At that time Padua was the third-largest city in the Roman Empire after Rome and Cadiz in southern Spain.

Padua thrived during this unprecedented four-hundred-year period of peace. In the fourth century CE the city converted to Christianity and the first churches were founded. The local cults of Saint Justine, Saint Prosdecimus (the city’s patron saint) and Saint Daniel, who is supposed to have been martyred in Padua, date back to this time.

In 452 and 453 Attila and his Huns attacked and pillaged the city. A little less than a hundred years later Padua was caught between two opposing sides when the Longobards and the Eastern Roman Empire of Byzantium waged war on one another. In 589 Padua was devastated by floods and a little later

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it was destroyed by the Longobards. Some measure of peace was restored only during the two centuries of Frankish domination. At the end of the eighth century Bishop Tricidio built the first cathedral; Benedictine monks then founded monasteries, and drained and improved the land. Around the year 1000 Padua became a free comune. Padua was then destroyed by an earthquake in 1117 and burnt to the ground in 1174; it also had to defend itself against the ruling Ezzelino family of Onara. The city’s university was founded in 1222, making it Italy’s oldest after Bologna (1088) and one of Europe’s oldest. In 1303–1305 Giotto frescoed the Scrovegni Chapel.

THE AGE OF ARTISTS AND INTELLECTUALS In 1328 the Scaliger

family of Verona conquered the city and ruled it for a short time. The following years were Padua’s golden age for art. Masters such as Giusto de’ Menabuoi, Guariento, Altichiero and Petrarch were called to the court of the Carrara family, who came to power in 1318. Venice, however, was becoming increasingly powerful and in 1405 Padua submitted to the up and coming Venetian republic. The Carrara family spent their final days in the prisons of Venice.

The next four centuries brought Padua peace and prosperity during which the university attracted intellectuals, including Galileo, from all over Europe.

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When Venice fell (1797) during the Napoleonic wars, Napoleon handed Padua to the Austrians. The Austrians were eventually defeated by the French and, after the Piedmontese and German alliance, the Veneto and thus also Padua became part of the new Kingdom of Italy in 1866.

PADUA ON THE INTERNET MATTINOPADOVA.GELOCAL.IT Padua’s daily paper on the Internet.

PA D UA

WWW.APADOVA.INFO/OSPEDALEPADOVA Hospital and health system, with the numbers of the guardia medica (medical service replacing GPs outside normal consulting hours).

WWW.TURISMOPADOVA.IT The Paduan Province’s official tourist guide, with diary of events, ticket service, information on public transport, timetables, descriptions of the villas and castles and information on boat trips; also in English.

WWW.STRADADELVINOCOLLIEUGANEI.IT Detailed information on the wines from the Euganean hills. This is a good site for gourmets and also contains itineraries for cycle rides in the area; only in Italian.

WWW.PADOVANET.IT The city platform, a community network with lots of information about the city and its province, with useful links, things to see, events, etc; only in Italian.

WWW.SANTANTONIO.ORG This website dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua contains an incredible amount of news, including an online edition of the Messaggero di San Antonio, a periodical devoted to Saint Anthony. The hard-copy version sells 570,000 copies, making it Italy’s most widely sold monthly.

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The best in brief PADOVA CARD This ticket gives entry to most of the tourist at-

tractions in and around Padua. For example, in Padua: the Capella degli Scrovegni (Scrovegni Chapel), Palazzo Zuckermann, Palazzo della Ragione, Oratorio San Rocco, Orto botanico (or botanical gardens), Musei Civici degli Eremitani, Battistero (baptistery), the cathedral, the upper storey of the Caffé Pedrocchi, the Oratorio San Michele.

Two Padova Cards are available: a € 16 version, which is valid for 48 hours; a € 24 version, which is valid for 72 hours.

The ticket can be bought online (promozione@turismopadova.it), at tourism offices, at the ticket desks of the Musei Civici degli Eremitani and in many large hotels.

More from www.padovacard.it/ted/t_punti_vendita.php

CAPPELLA DEGLI SCROVEGNI 1 This small frescoed church in

the east of the town is perhaps Padua’s most famous attraction. It was commissioned in the early fourteenth century by Enrico Scrovegni, the son of a famous merchant and banker to atone for any sins his father may have committed (his father was reputedly a usurer, and Dante put him in one of his circles of hell in the Divine Comedy).

Comedy). The chapel contains a fresco cycle

by Giotto depicting scenes from the Day of Judgement and the life of Jesus and Mary. It is a seminal work in the history of art because of its innovative, previously unimaginable realism. www.cappelladegliscrovegni.it 8 Piazza Eremitani; Tel 049 2010020 The chapel can be visited only by prior arrangement and you are allowed only 20 minutes per visit: 9am–7pm, Summer 9am–10pm

tury, the imposing palazzo of the Carrara family, the Signori or lords of the city, stood, and that the power of municipal government was subsequently concentrated. Palazzo del Capitanio (1598-1605), was the residence for one of the two representative of the Venetian Republic, the capitano, or captain, as opposed to the podestà, or chief magistrate. Its façade surrounds a triumphal arch dating from 1532 with an impressive clock.

Another significant building is the historical church of San Clemente, which was the merchants’ church in the Middle Ages and was rebuilt in the late sixteenth century.

PA D UA

PIAZZA DEI SIGNORI 2 It was here that, in the fourteenth cen-

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PIAZZA DELLE ERBE AND PIAZZA DELLA FRUTTA 3 The pictur-

esque, lively main marketplace hosts a daily fruit and vegetable market, as well as a flea market. In the middle is the imposing Palazzo della Ragione which divides the square into the southern Piazza delle Erbe (literally herbs or vegetables) and the northern Piazza della Frutta (literally fruit). Despite their names, fruit and vegetables are sold on the Piazza delle Erbe while the flea market is held on the Piazza della Frutta. Mondays–Fridays 7.30am–13.30pm, Saturdays 7.30am–8pm. Seventy market stalls. In the indoor market on the ground floor of the Palazzo della Ragione groceries, sausage, cheese, meat are sold along with baccalà (salt cod), an indispensable ingredient of the local cuisine. (Tourists may also find it rather unusual that the butchers sell sfilacci,, i.e. thin strips of smoked horse meat.) To the east the marketplace is bounded by the back of the Palazzo del Municipio, the old, thirteenth-century town hall. The statue of Justice (1552) between two arches on the ground floor should be seen as should the inner courtyard with the original 1539 façade and the 1526 staircase that leads up to

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the raised Doric inner courtyard from which the Palazzo della Ragione can be reached. The Piazza is where Paduans meet for an aperitif and “spritz”, an orange-red cocktail made of white wine, mineral water and a shot of Aperol. Wednesday evening is Uni evening, when the piazza belongs to the students!

PALAZZO DELLA RAGIONE 4 The palazzo is also known as the

“Salone” because of its huge hall, or Salone, which is 78 metres long, 27 metres high and 27 metres wide. The building was erected in the thirteenth century as a court and chamber where trade disputes could be resolved. The dome, which looks like the overturned hull of a boat, was originally decorated with frescoes by Giotto that were destroyed in a fire in 1420 but were then immediately repainted from models. They are one of the largest astrological cycles in existence (over 200 metres). The wooden horse (1446) in the middle of the room is a copy of the equestrian statue of Gattamelata in front of the Basilica di Sant’Antonio. The pietra del Vituperio (literally, the stone of vituperations), is where those guilty of bankruptcy were made to sit in their undergarments in front of at least a hundred people while judges deliberated on their fate.

Entrance from Piazza delle Erbe, Tel. 049 8205006 Tuesdays–Sundays 9am–6pm, Summer 9am–7pm; € 4

its predecessors, which date back to the fourth century, originally stood. In 1551, Michelangelo’s plans for a new cathedral were approved and construction continued to the middle of the eighteenth century, even though the façade was never completed. The sacristy contains paintings by Jacopo da Bassano and Tiepolo. The complex also includes a baptistery, which was built in the twelfth century and altered several times in the following century. It was also used by the Carrara family as a mausoleum and contains an amazing fresco cycle believed to be the masterpiece of Giusto de’ Menabuoi and was commissioned by Fina Buzzaccarini, the wife of Francesco I da Carrara.

It is one of the greatest fourteenth-century works of its kind in Italy. The depiction of Paradise is at once beautiful and unusual, the saints in Heaven arranged in five circular rings.

Piazza del Duomo, Tel. 049 656914 Daily 10am–6pm, € 3

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CATHEDRAL 5 The current cathedral is situated exactly where

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CAFFÈ PEDROCCHI 6 This historical café right in the heart of the city is internationally famous. Until 1916 it was open day and night and was therefore known as the “Café without doors”. For over a hundred years it was a meeting place for intellectuals, students, academics and politicians. It became historically important in 1848 when the uprising against the Austrians was proclaimed here. The Pedrocchi was originally opened in 1772 as a coffee shop, and in the early nineteenth century the architect Giuseppe Japelli built the grandiose neoclassical marble building. It is still a café and reading room and for family and graduation celebrations.

PRATO DELLA VALLE 7 At 88,620 square metres, this is one of Europe’s largest squares and certainly one of its most beautiful. In Roman times the Prato della Valle contained an amphitheatre (Campo Marzio); in the Middle Ages it became a marketplace that was gradually abandoned. Its present disposition dates back to the end of the eighteenth century and consists of the elliptical tree-lined Memmia Island, which is surrounded by a small canal and a double ring of 78 statues lining the banks and depicting important Paduan locals. The area now

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houses a small daily market, a larger weekly market (Saturdays) and a flea and antiques market (every third Sunday of the month).

BASILICA SANTA GIUSTINA 8 The imposing 122-metre long ba-

silica was built in the sixth century over the grave of Saint Justine of Padua and has been a Benedictine monastery since the eighth century. The current church dates back to the sixteenth century, and its façade is incomplete. The basilica contains the popular relics of several saints, including the reputed remains of the evangelists Matthew and Luke. The sacristy is worth seeing for its valuable seventeenth-century wooden fittings, as well as the sixteenth-century choir, Veronese’s altar depiction of the martyrdom of Saint Justine, remnants of the eleventhand twelfth-century Romanesque church, connected cloister and library (open to the public). Free admission.

14 MUSEI CIVICI DEGLI EREMITANI Piazza Eremitani, Tel. 049 8204551, Tuesdays–Sundays 9am–7pm; € 10, together with the Scrovegni Chapel. € 12 Padua’s civic museum is located in the halls and cloisters of the former hermits’ monastery. Alongside numerous private collections acquired over the years there is also the archaeological museum, with finds from Padua and the surrounding area, and the Museum of Medieval and Modern Art with the great civic gallery displaying major works

by Giotto (Christ on the Cross from the Scrovegni Chapel), Bellini, Veronese, Jacopo da Bassano, Tintoretto, Tiepolo and others.

The wonderful Cappella is also part of the complex.

15 PALAZZO ZUCKERMANN Museo di arti applicate and Museo Bottacin, padova-cultura.padovanet.it/musei/ 33 Corso Garibaldi, Tel. 049 665567 Tuesdays–Sundays 9am–7pm; € 10; ticket that is also valid for the Scrovegni Chapel € 12 The large neo-Renaissance building was erected in the early twentieth century and was until recently the central post office. It is on the main route to the centre near the Scrovegni Chapel and Musei Civici degli Eremitani, opposite the park with the remains of the Roman arena. Since the renovation 2,000 arts and crafts items have been on display on the ground floor: glass, ceramics, silver, ivory, jewels and jewellery, textiles and furniture.

The Nicola Bottacin collection on the upper floor includes significant coins and medallions.

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MUSEUMS

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EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF GATTAMELATA 9 The only item on the Piazza del Santo that has nothing to do with Saint Anthony is a bronze equestrian statue that the Venetian Republic commissioned in 1447 from Donatello. The statue was dedicated to Gattamelata, a “condottiere” or mercenary leader of mercenaries, to thank him for his military prowess in the defence of Venice in the war against the Visconti of Milan. It is considered one of the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance.

BASILICA DEL SANTO 10 The basilica, known simply as “The

Saint”, was built as a monumental tomb for Saint Anthony, a Portuguese friar who was reputed to be a miracle healer in his own lifetime. He spent the last months of his life in Padua and was canonised just a few months after his death. The basilica is a curious mix of different styles: the façade is Lombard Romanesque, the cupola Byzantine, the side façades Venetian-Gothic and the choir an exuberant Baroque, while the towers recall Islamic minarets. The basilica, besides the saint’s tomb and reliquaries from the twelfth and fifteenth centuries, contains a wealth of masterpieces: Donatello’s bronze statues on the main altar, the relief of the Deposition behind the altar, various Baroque chapels and the fourteenth-century vestigial frescoes of the crucifixion in the chapter house (attributed to Giotto). The four cloisters of the basilica can be reached from the sacristy; a staircase leads to the vast Biblioteca Antoniana (only for students). Attracting pilgrims from all over the world, the church is always full. An impressive procession is held each year on 13 June, the anniversary of the saint’s death. Free admission.

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CHIESA DEGLI EREMITANI 11 The church of the Hermits in Piazza

Eremitani was built in 1276 in honour of Saints Philip and James and is next to the ancient monastery, the Convento degli eremiti, which now houses the city museums. Originally, the church was magnificently decorated, but most of the decorations were completely destroyed in a 1944 air raid. The church boasts frescoes by Guariento and Giusto de’ Menabuoi, but pride of place is given to the frescoes of the Cappella Ovetari, a masterpiece of innovative realism by Andrea Mantegna. These frescoes were also destroyed during the bombardment, but were restored and have been on display since 2006. Free admission.

PALAZZO DEL BÒ 12 The old university building is on the site of

the former Ox Inn – hence the name (Al Bò). It was once the Medical Faculty with the famous Teatro Anatomico, the dissecting theatre that was also a lecture hall for students, and the Aula Magna or Great Hall. Today it is used for official and graduation ceremonies. Free access to the entrance hall, which is decorated with old corporations’ and dignitaries’ coats of arms.

The ORTO BOTANICO 13 in Padua is the world’s oldest botanical garden. It was laid out in 1545 by the university in an ideal circular form with walls for medicinal plants and herbs; it was then extended. This refuge of quiet and contemplation from the bustle of modern life is in the centre of the city between the Basilica del Santo and the church of Saint Justine. www.ortobotanico.unipd.it 15 Via Orto Botanico, Tel. 049 8272119 Mondays–Sundays 9am–1pm, Summer also 3pm–7pm; 4 €

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2 Via VIII Febbraio, Tel. 049 8273044-47 Open at different times from Mondays to Saturdays; € 3

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Eating and drinking CULINARY SECRETS AND THE SAINT’S BREAD Padua has a great

culinary tradition, which is reflected in the use of fresh regional products and a great number of typical, traditional dishes.

Typical dishes from Padua’s Jewish tradition include oca in onto padovana (boned, salted goose meat preserved in goose fat) and falso parsuto [false ham], a goose breast ham from the plain south of Padua, the secret recipes of which have been handed down since the nineteenth century. The Veneto has always been a land of horse breeders, so horse meat is part of traditional local cuisine, as can be seen in the horsemeat bresaola, donkey salami, horse and donkey stew, and horsemeat cutlets and chops. Some of the desserts are traditionally Venetian, like zaleti and pan del santo [saint’s bread]. This is a sweet ring made with almonds, amaretti and chocolate. Then there is the dolce del santo,, a puff pastry cake filled with apricot jam, candied orange peel, sponge cake and marzipan.

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EATING AND DRINKING

16 ENOTECA RISTORANTE LA CORTE DEI LEONI 1 Via Pietro D’Abano, Tel. 049 8750083, closed Sunday evenings and Mondays at lunch time This is an excellent place for rediscovering the somewhat different culinary tradition of the old inhabitants of Padua.

6 CAFFÉ PEDROCCHI 15 Via Otto Febbraio, Tel. 049 8781231 Since 1831. Central, distinguished and stylish, this is one of Italy’s historical coffee houses, honoured with the designation “locale storico d’Italia”.

OSTERIA DEI FABBRI 13 Via dei Fabbri, Tel. 049 650336, closed Sundays The restaurant is near Piazza delle Erbe, at the entrance to the old Ghetto, in a palazzo whose furnishings date from the nineteenth century. Relaxed atmosphere, traditional fare.

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18 DONNA IRENE 1 Vicolo Pontecorvo, Tel. 049 656852, closed Mondays This place is near the Basilica of Saint Anthony and is known for its wines (over 120 wines to choose from), which can be combined with traditional Veneto dishes or classical dishes. Also open for aperitifs.

The restaurant has a large garden that is open in summer.

19 LA RISORTA OSTERIA DEL RE FOSCO 5 Via Cassan, Tel. 049 8774159, closed Sundays, www.risortaosteriadelrefosco.it The restaurant is a mixture of old and new, with tables also available in the mezzanine under the old vault. Live music on some Saturdays. Young clientele, thanks to the simple meals and good wines.

20 ANFORA 13 Via dei Soncin, Tel. 049 656629, closed Sundays, www.anforaosteria.it In the narrow streets of the old Ghetto, locals young and old crowd to this little osteria. Some days the throng is such that you might only find standing room at the counter.

Simple, typical dishes; good wines, also available by the glass.

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15 LA FOLPERIA Tel. 347 5701232, lafolperia@gmail.com, also on Facebook.

A “folpo” (in Venetian), or “polipo” in Italian, is a squid, and a “folperia” is, therefore, just the place if this is what your culinary heart desires.

At one stand in the Piazza della Frutta, at the corner of the Bar dei Osei, steaming hot boiled squid is sold that the local eat standing up, the same way as we might eat a hot dog. It might look a little strange, but it tastes delicious!

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PADUA AT A GLANCE We begin our walk round the city at the Basilica di Sant’Antonio, one of the most important centres of Christendom and also a work of art of the first order. After visiting the church observe the equestrian statue of Gattamelata on the square. North of the church you can walk along Via del Santo, which has benefited from traffic-calming measures and is full of little shops and bars. After reaching the impressive Palazzo Zabarella, turn left into Via San Francesco and you will find yourself in Via Otto Febbraio in front of the old university, Palazzo del Bò. You’re now in the thick of the old city centre: Caffè Pedrocchi, the City Hall, Piazza delle erbe and Palazzo della Ragione. Via Daniele Manin takes you to the Loggia del Consiglio (Gran Guardia), Palazzo

del Capitanio and the square with the cathedral and the baptistry (frescoes by Giusto de’ Menabuo), considered by many to be a very good alternative to the Scrovegni Chapel on the east side of the city that can only be visited if you’ve booked in advance. Opposite the cathedral square turn into the narrow, atmospheric Via dei Soncin in the old Ghetto with its little shops and pubs, and then continue along adjoining Via San Martino e Solferino. At the end of the street turn right into the central, broad Via Roma. The adjoining Via Umberto I (both are fine commercial roads) leads to the magnificent Prato della Valle square. At its eastern side Via Beato Luca Belludi runs past souvenir shops and will bring you back to the Basilica. The walk takes you about two or three hours.

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EVENTS IN THE PROVINCE OF PADUA , April: Maratona di Sant’Antonio. On the third weekend in April, a large urban marathon with participants from all over the world. , May: Sagra dei Bisi in Lumignano, at the foot of the Berici hills.

On two weekends in the middle of May the pea takes centre stage in the pubs and festival marquees of Lumignano. For more information: call 0444 953399. , Mid June–mid July: Portello River Festival, a film festival in the multicultural Portello district. On the canal. For more information: call 348 4430112, www.riverfilmfestival.org (also in English). , 13. June: Festa di San Antonio.. A festival celebrating the city’s patron saint with procession attracting pilgrims from all over the world. The day before, the Prato della Valle square hosts an important fair with exhibitors. , July–August: Notturni d’arte.. Innovative, fun nocturnal guided tours and events in the city’s museums. For more information: call 049 8204501. , 15 August: Midsummer fireworks on the Prato della Valle square. , September: Il Palio di Sant’Antonio.. Medieval festival with “cart race” through the city districts of Monastero, Brolo, Capodiponte and Grate. www.palioarcella.it (in Italian). , November: the Padova Porsche Jazz Festival attracts the greats of international jazz. www.padovaporschejazzfestival.it (in Italian).

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Creazzo

N

Meledo

Pedocchio

Brendola

5 km

San Germano dei Berici

Barbarano Vicentino

3 2

Vo’

Rovolon

Bastia

Fossona

Montegalda

Montegaldella

Ponte di Barbarano

Nanto

Castegnero

5

Costozza

4

Grisignano di Zocco

Grumolo delle Abbadesso

Torri di Quartesolo

Longare

Lago di Fimon

Arcugnano

Pederiva

Perarolo

Sant’Agostino

Vicenza

1

A4

A3

cc h

Teolo

Treponti

1

i g li o n e

Valsanzibio Terme

Battaglia

Galzignano

Montegrotto Terme

Abano Terme

Selvazzano Dentro

Rubano

Saccolongo

Ba

Mestrino

A4

3 A1

Albignasego

Padova

Due Carrare

A 13

A 31

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From Padua thermal district to Vicenza VILLA EMO CAPODILISTA This villa was built by the Veronese architect and painter Dario Varotari the Elder (1539–1596) in Selvazzano Dentro. This villa is considered to be one of the most unusual of the Venetian villas. Standing on a hill in the middle of a tree-lined Italian garden, it is square in shape with large frescoed loggias and unusual fanciful gabling. From the top of the hill the visitor enjoys a prospect that we may find impressive today but was once deployed for mainly defensive purposes; near the villa on Montecchia hill there are the suggestive remains castle walls (the castle foundations date from the eleventh century). The villa today houses a quality wine cellar and an expensive hotel.

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16 Via Montecchia, Feriole di Selvazzano Dentro Euro 6, groups only, Tel. 049 637294, www.lamontecchia.it 2 MUSEO DEL FIUME BACCHIGLIONE After Montegaldella you are sud- denly in the province of Padua, and after Cervarese Santa Croce on the south bank of the Bacchiglione you can clearly make out the castle of San Martino della Vanezza with

The Bacchiglione was the old waterway between Vicenza and Padua. It rises in the foothills of the Alps and is fed by underground springs as well as its tributaries the Retrone, Tesina and Ceresone. It flows through the city of Vicenza and, at the gates of Padua, receives the water of the Brentella canal. At Padua part of its waters are taken in a canal to the city and underneath the town walls. After Padua a northern arm joins the much larger Brenta so that barges can reach Venice via a canal. The Bacchiglione

itself turns south-east at Padua and, just before Chioggia, it joins the Brenta, so that the waters of the Brenta and Bacchiglione flow together into the Adriatic. Today, the navigable stretch of the river, from Creola to Bassanello near Padua, is an atmospheric waterway in natural surroundings. The bank is lined with the boathouses, open-air lidos and indoor swimming pools of the swimming and rowing clubs.

Bathing facility: 9.30am–7pm, Tel. 049 681300, www.padovanuoto.it

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its high keep and protruding machicolations down which pitch was poured onto besieging armies . The castle was built in a loop of the river around the year 1000 and changed hands several times during the conflicts between the comuni or munipalities of Padua, Verona and Vicenza until the area became part of the Venetian Republic in 1405, the borders were abolished, the castle lost its importance and was converted into a river port . Today it houses the Museo del Bacchiglione, which illustrates the importance of the river through its exhibits .

The oak dug- outs are interesting .

Via Castello di San Martino, Cervarese Santa Croce Open Saturday and Sunday 10am–6pm Tel. 049 8910189, www.micromegamondo.com

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MONTEGALDA AND MONTEGALDELLA

In these two places, one of which is north and the other south of the Bacchiglione, two small hillocks rise up from the otherwise flat plain that was first settled as early as ancient times. At the time of the Longobards there was a castle on each hillock, which they called warte. According to one theory, the word gradually evolved into “galda”, and later Montegalda and Montegaldella. This border area between Vicenza and Padua was always hotly contested and splendid villas now stand on the little hills there were once stout fortresses.

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EATING AND DRINKING

TRATTORIA TRE SCALINI 1 Via Castello, Montegalda, Tel. 0444 636385, closed Monday evenings and Tuesdays.

This restaurant on the cycle route is dedicated to local tradition.

Needless to say, the baccalà, or dried salt cod, with polenta is highly recommended, but there are also fresh homemade pasta dishes.

Fantastic wine list.

DISTILLERIA FRATELLI BRUNELLO 51 Via G. Roi, Montegalda, Tel. 0444 737253, closed on Sunday. www.brunello.it Just after Montegalda near the road there is a large farmhouse nicknamed the “Palazzone” . The Brunello family offer farm holidays and also sell an excellent grappa.

One of the oldest distilleries in the province of Vicenza has been selling the “hard stuff” here for over a hundred years .

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CASTELLO GRIMANI MARCELLO Montegalda castle was probably built in 1176 and was seized over the centuries by the different rulers of the area until it fell to the Venetian Republic in the fifteenth century. In the first half of the sixteenth century it again fell into the hands of the Spaniards; in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it was finally transformed into a stately home. Underneath the eighteenth-century façade the building has retained almost all its original features. The inner courtyard contains interesting statues from the eighteenth century and the surrounding rooms are decorated with frescoes by famous local artists. The park and the belvedere garden are enchanting.

21 Via Castello, Montegalda Visits can be booked beforehand over the telephone Tel. 0444 636442

THE “LITTORINA“

Littorina trains still travelled on the Vicenza–Noventa section until 1978. They took their name from the Roman lictor, which was used as the symbol of Fascism. There has been a very popular cycle path on the Vicenza–Longare section for the past few years and the connecting stretch as far as Noventa was completed in 2012.

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The cycle path follows the route of a disused railway with the Berici hills on the right and the silhouette of the volcanic sugar loaf of the Euganean hills to the south of Padua. This narrow-gauge railway known as the Ferrotramvia Vicenza-Noventa-Montagnana was opened in 1911 and linked the area to the Bassa Veronese Veronese, the low-lying flat area south of Verona.

The Montagnana–Noventa section was closed after World War II because of the severe damage it had suffered. The smoking diesel-powered

VILLA CONTI, KNOWN AS LA DELIZIOSA The villa stands on the

site of the castle in Montegaldella. It was built in the seventeenth century and extended in the nineteenth. The romantic park is enclosed by an extensive wall, the barns (barchesse), and different outbuildings. The wrought iron-barred gate is one of Veneto’s finest. The garden contains several statures of figures from the Italian Commedia dell’Arte and behind the building there is the “wheel”, a colossal group of eighteenthcentury sculptures that symbolically represent the four continents. The chapel outside the walls of the park dates back to 1741. The building is used privately and can be viewed only in special circumstances.

VILLA FOGAZZARO-ROI-COLBACHINI This seventeenth-century villa, which was rebuilt and extended in the first half of the nineteenth century, is a rare pearl framed against the backdrop of an Italian and English garden. It was the passion of the famous Vicenza writer Antonio Fogazzaro, who set a large part of his novel Piccolo mondo moderno (translated into English as The Little World of the Past) here. Since the villa was renovated it has housed an original and modern bell museum that deserves a visit as it contains exhibits from all over the world. Visitors to the museum can relax in the fine large park at tables and benches, and can also bring along their picnic lunches.

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3 Via Fogazzaro, Montegalda Tuesdays–Saturdays 3pm–6.30pm, Thursdays and Fridays also 9am–12.30pm. Tel. 0444 737526, www.muvec.it

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COSTOZZA

The houses and villas of Costozza lie at the foot of the hills just a few kilometres away from Vicenza. In the sixteenth century the city put in a series of ventidotti or underground ventilation shafts that brought fresh air into the village from the labyrinth of caves in the hills. This simple but ingenious idea soon made the village a destination for explorers and pleasure seekers and was described by Galileo Galilei, Torquato Tasso and Andrea Palladio. Villa Aeolia was built in the sixteenth century for Count Francesco Trenta but was only partially finished.

In the seventeenth century Villa Trento–Carli, located on a hill, the Turm Torre della Specola (an astronomical observatory)

LA BOTTE DEL COVOLO 2 Piazza G. da Schio, Costozza, Tel. 0444 555128, closed Mondays When there were no home refrigerators, this chamber cut into the rocks with a circular vault that earned it the name of covolo was used by villagers to store snow and ice. It was filled in winter through the opening in the dome and the

ice would be used in summer for cooling foodstuffs. The enormous ice box is now used as a pub and rural wine bar. If you stand in the middle of the room you will experience a curious and entertaining acoustic phenomenon – noises are unnaturally amplified!

Garden tables on the roof terrace offer fine views.

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EATING AND DRINKING

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stands in the shadow of an ancient cypress. Tradition has it that Galileo Galilei, when he was living in Padua, observed the heavens and celestial bodies with a telescope from this spot.

On the village square of Costozza, near the arch that is a remnant of the old town wall, you will see the village fountain with the sloping stone washing trough. This is where the washerwomen used to meet.

VILLE DA SCHIO There are three villas in the green surroundings

of a large park. The park itself is very interesting architecturally and botanically as it ascends via high, broad terraces to the old Benedictine church of San Mauro. The use of perspective in this eighteenth-century garden is a significant representation of the Enlightenment design canons. Reason controls nature and remoulds it: slopes become terraces, stone becomes statues and steps, plants become decorative topiary and everything together creates harmony and rational elegance.

4 Piazza G. Da Schio, Costozza di Longare Park: Tuesdays–Sundays 9am–12.30pm, 3.30pm–7.30pm Tel. 0444 555099, www.costozza-villadaschio.it

THE “FUNGAIE”, OR MUSHROOM FARMS IN THE CAVES flesh and a pleasant taste. It is always on sale in Padua’s markets and is especially suitable as an accompaniment to meat or as an ingredient in vegetarian dishes. It also tastes really good preserved in oil or vinegar.

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Mushrooms have been grown in the dark caves of the limestone cliffs behind Costozza for a hundred years, the constant temperature and humidity providing ideal conditions. Since the 1950s, the so-called pioppino mushroom (Agrocybe cylindracea), has been cultivated on a large scale, and grows best naturally in little clumps on the wood of dead poplars, or pioppo in Italian. It is related to the sheathed woodtuft and has a brown cap and white gills (the fleshy part underneath the cap).

The cultivated variety is grown on a mixture of straw, earth and chopped maize stalks. This excellent mushroom has firm white

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THERMAL DISTRICT–VICENZA

THE FERTILE BERICI HILLS

The Berici hills produce a range of typical regional products such as the peas that grow at the foot of the steep slopes of Lumignano in terraces called masiere.. The pea harvest in May is celebrated with a popular town festival. It is said that the Benedictine monks particularly appreciated this crop and promoted it. Prosciutto Berico Berico, a DOC (registered designation of origin) ham that is exceptionally mild and has been matured for at least ten months, is another product of the area. Then there are the black truffles that can transform a simple plate of tagliatelle into a feast.

Cherries are grown all over this area, and the Festa dea Siaresa, or cherry festival, takes place in Castegnero, on the last Sunday in May and the first Sunday in June (see www.festadeasiaresadecastegnero.com). A very important local cherry variety is the Mora di Castegnero.

The olive oil produced on the south-east slopes, especially in the

Barbarano area, is also a special, DOP (protected designation or origin) product. Wine is experiencing something of a renaissance in the area. Vines have been grown here for centuries producing blue grapes that give a bright red wine, which the local vintners called Tocai. However, since the 2007 EU edict that made it illegal to use this name (now reserved for Hungarian Tokaji), the locals came up with the new name of Tai rosso, or Red Tai. All of a sudden the previously simple country wine has become an elegant, much-appreciated accompaniment to light Italian starters. Genetic analysis of the grape has revealed that it is related to the Sardinian Cannonau, French Grenache and Spanish Garnacha grapes. For more information on the wine of the Berici hills: www.bevidoc.it

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USEFUL INFORMATION MAIN EMERGENCY NUMBERS Police 113, Carabinieri 112, Fire Brigade 115

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Normally railway stations are located very close to the town centre, and bus stations are nearby.

Almost all the towns can be reached by HOSPITALS: The A&E department and train, apart from some villages which can on-duty medical Unit are 24 hours availonly be reached through local buses. A lot able. The number to call is 118 of the medium and long-distance trains PHARMACIES: Indicative opening hours: have bike carriages: these can be easily Mon.-Fri.: morning: 8.30/9.00-12.30 checked by looking for the pictogram of afternoon: 3.30/4.00-7.30 a bike on the timetables located in all the Sat: 8,30/9,00-12,30 stations.

CURRENCY: The currency is the Euro.

Other currencies are generally not accepted, but they can be exchanged in every bank, while it is possible to use ATM and Credit Cards for your purchases almost everywhere. On the contrary, cheques may not be accepted everywhere. Banks.

Indicative opening hours: Mon-Fri 8.20 a.m.-1.20 p.m/2.30-3.30 p.m.

POST OFFICES: Indicative opening hours: Mon-Sat 8.30 a.m.-1.30 p.m.

Consulates: Many Countries have their consulates in Venice, while others are located in different towns of the Veneto area. The complete list is available on various websites. Internet cafes are quite common in the main towns and tourist places and internet connection in hotel rooms is available in almost all hostels and medium- and high-standard hotels.

TAXIS are quite expensive almost everywhere. LOCAL BUSES are recommended to move across town, even though in some places they can be infrequent and the waiting times may not be short.

SHOPS: Opening Hours: Mon-Sat: morning 8.30/9.00-12.30/1.00 p.m. afternoon: 3.30/4.00-7.30/8.00 p.m.

Some supermarkets have adopted the continuous opening hours Mon-Sat 9.00 a.m.-7.00 p.m.

Closing day. Food shops and supermarkets: Wed. afternoon, other shops: Mon. morning Indicative opening hours of RESTAURANT KITCHENS. 12-14,30/19-22,30 August is traditionally the holiday month for both shops and restaurants.

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Ve n i c e L a n d s

R E E N S

GR EE N S were born from the need to provide cyclists with information on the Girolibero tour in Italy and France.

GR EE N S consist of 3 books: • a tourist guide for cyclists • a complete set of maps for the tour • a roadbook Other G R E E NS are being prepared for: Sicily, Loire Valley ...

Further information at: info@girolibero.com

GREENS maps, roadbooks and guides are created by Girolibero, the cycling holiday expert for Italy, France and beyond.

Girolibero designs routes along quiet bikeways, backroads and waterways, providing quality bikes, reliable support, generous info packs, comfy accommodation.

Headquarters are located in historic Vicenza, not far from Venice, with a backstage staff of over 40 plus dozens of tour leaders, drivers, mechanics. www.girolibero.it

ISBN 978-88-85606-01-2

ISBN 978-88-85606-01-2

9 788885 606012 â‚Ź [IT/EN/DE] 24,00