Trips

Treviso

Welcome to Treviso, a beautiful canalled city that lies north of its more famous watery neighbour and offers a sense of real Veneto life. You’ll be based in the historic city centre of Treviso for the next four days, so unpack, settle in, then meet your local host in the hotel lobby in the early afternoon for a welcome meeting. Take an orientation walk with your host to get your bearings in Treviso. Afterwards you can choose to join your host and group and get to know each other better over an optional dinner. Either way, your host can point out the best places to try tiramisu for dessert, after all Treviso is where it was born!

Venice / Treviso

Catch a local train to Venice (approximately 25 minutes) after breakfast this morning for a whole day to explore this watery wonderland of bridges, piazzas, towers, churches, canals and gondolas. Take a brief orientation walk with your host to get your bearings in this maze of a city, then enjoy some free time to see the sights on your list. There’s so much that it’s best to pick just a few – be mindful of crowds and queues if picking sites like St Mark’s Basilica and Doge Palace, or maybe head to a district like Cannaregio to see a different side to the city. You’ll meet back up with the group later today for a Venetian walk down the hidden calli and across the ponti that takes full advantage of your host’s insider local knowledge of the secret spots. Discover the true food and wine traditions of the city with a tasting of cicchetti (Venetian tapas) and a glass of house wine at a typical Venetian osteria (local tavern) that’s 100 per cent local owned. It’s the perfect way to find the spirit of the city and wrap up the day. Return to Treviso by train to relax back in your comfortable hotel.

Prosecco Hills / Treviso

After breakfast this morning, head out north to explore the rolling green hills dotted with borghi (villages), strewn with terraced vineyards, and topped with terracotta coloured villas that make up the heartland of Prosecco. This roughly topographied region is wedged between the Adriatic and the Dolomites, and has been granted world heritage status. Head towards the village of Valdobbiadene, which lends its name to the status that confirms the prosecco produced here conforms to the strictest standards (Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore, also DOCG). Today you’ll help support wineries at a time when wine exports have taken a significant hit. You'll visit two vineyards along the so-called ‘Strada del Vino di Prosecco’, where you can learn more about the vineyards, the Glera grape and, of course, taste Proseccos from Brut to Dry – with a light lunch of local meats and cheese alongside. Return to Treviso in the late afternoon for a free evening. Wander past the medieval towers, walk along the Venetian Walls, or stand on the staircase of Palazzo dei Trecento overlooking the main square with a gelato voted as some of the best in the country.

Sile River / Treviso

Fuel up with breakfast for a morning bike ride along the beautiful Sile River today (approximately 20 kilometres return). Treviso might be in the countryside, but its heart still flows with water. The canals here are still home to fish and fowl, power pretty watermills, and as you cycle from the Gothic 15th-century townhouses to the green-filled banks further out, you’ll understand why Treviso is called “The Little Venice of the Mainland”. Your Veneto trip comes to an end after this morning’s ride (approximately 12 pm), when you’re free to join your host for an optional lunch, or continue to your onward connection.