A Quick Tour Of Italy - Northern Veneto

If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the Veneto region of northern Italy on the Gulf of Venice. Veneto is famous for Venice, an extremely popular tourist destination but hosts many other excellent tourist attractions without huge crowds. This article examines tourist attractions in northern Veneto. Read our companion articles on the university city of Padua, southern Veneto, and that Shakespearean city of Verona.

Marostica is home to two castles, the Castello Inferiore (Lower Castle) and the Castello Superiore (Upper Castle) up the hill. But on the second weekend of September in even years such as 2008 the main attraction is a chess game with human players dressed in medieval costumes. This practice first started in 1454. The not quite instant replay lasts from Friday night to Sunday and the moves are announced in the local dialect.

Bassano del Grappa was founded by the Romans over two thousand years ago. It’s a pretty town with old houses and squares at the base of Mt. Grappa. This mountain provided cover to Italian partisans during World War II. In 1946 the Prime Minister of Italy awarded the city a gold medal for its military valor. This is commemorated every September. The city’s unusual museums include the Poli Grappa Museum, (Grappa is a potent liquor), a ceramics museum, and one honoring Italian Alpine Troops. The Town Museum displays archaeological remains, paintings by local artists, and drawings by Albrecht Dürer and Rembrandt. There are several historic churches.

The city’s best-known monument is the Sixteenth Century Alpine Bridge over the Brenta River designed by the famous Italian architect Andrea Palladio replacing a Thirteenth Century one. Palladio’s bridge was destroyed in 1748 and rebuilt three years later. Today’s version was reconstructed after World War II from his own design.

Treviso suffered during both World Wars. Home to the famous designer Benetton; it has enough canals to merit the nickname "Little Venice". Start your visit at the Piazza dei Signori, the center of the medieval town, with many interesting buildings including the Twelfth Century Town Hall. The Fish Market is located on an island in the canal. Don’t miss the Late Romanesque-Early Gothic Twelfth Century Church of San Francesco, used by Napoleonic troops as a stable. It contains several major paintings, frescoes, and tombs. Saint Peter’s Cathedral was built in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries over a Romanesque church. Among its artwork is Titian’s The Annunciation.

Treviso’s specialties include pasta and rice dishes with wild herbs and vegetables and bigoli, thick homemade spaghetti served with duck or sausage sauce. Our companion article I Love Touring Italy – Northern Veneto provides a sample menu and more information on local wines plus an in-depth examination of its tourist attractions. Prosecco wine is made from the white Prosecco grape with some other white grapes. It is usually sparkling and not very special.