All SEE in Treviso

Ca’ Spineda is one of the most important historic palaces in the center of Treviso, located in Piazza San Leonardo, in front of the Church of San Leonardo. The building is today the seat of Fondazione Cassamarca, continuing a civic role that began in 1935. The palace was built for the noble Spineda family starting around 1560, in the second half of the 16th century. Its long history includes later 18th-century enlargements, a monumental staircase, a two-level festive hall, and the transformation of the building into a representative institutional seat. Located in the heart of Treviso’s historic center, Ca’ Spineda stands close to Piazza dei Signori, Loggia dei Cavalieri, Isola della Pescheria, the university area, and the Buranelli canal district.     Short History of Ca’ Spineda From the Spineda Family to the 18th Century Ca’ Spineda was commissioned by the Spineda family, one of the noble families of Treviso. Historical sources place the beginning of construction around 1560, when Gaspare Spineda wanted a prestigious residence in the San Leonardo area, with balconies and decorated façades. The exterior walls once had painted decorations representing the Four Seasons, Proserpina, the Death of Adonis, Pallas, and Neptune. These decorations are now lost, Read more [...]

Palazzo della Dogana is one of the historic buildings of the former San Leonardo Civil Hospital complex in Treviso. It stands in the city’s historic center, along the Sile riverfront, within the area now known as the Quartiere Latino, close to Piazza Santa Maria dei Battuti. Today, the former hospital area includes university spaces, residential units, commercial areas, open courtyards, and pedestrian connections along the Sile and Cagnan waterways. The broader university area covers about 9,617 square meters, including about 5,965 square meters of covered space. These figures refer to the restored San Leonardo university complex, not only to the rooms once used by customs officials. The name “Palazzo della Dogana” should be understood with precision. The building belonged to the former hospital complex, and only some rooms housed the customs office between 1834 and 1866.     Short History of Palazzo della Dogana From Medieval Charity to the San Leonardo Hospital The history of Palazzo della Dogana is connected to the old hospital complex of Santa Maria dei Battuti, also known as San Leonardo. This charitable institution was linked to the Scuola di Santa Maria dei Battuti, a confraternity active in Treviso between the 13th and 14th centuries. The Read more [...]

The Church of San Leonardo is a Catholic church in the historic center of Treviso, located in Piazza San Leonardo, between the Quartiere Latino and Piazza dei Signori. It faces the eponymous square, close to Ca’ Spineda, one of the historic palaces connected with the urban identity of central Treviso. The church is dedicated to Saint Leonard of Noblac, a saint traditionally invoked as a protector of prisoners. In Treviso, however, the church is also closely connected with Saint Rita of Cascia, whose altar is visited by many faithful throughout the year, especially around her feast day. The origins of San Leonardo go back to the 12th century, but the present building is the result of several later transformations. The most important reconstruction took place in 1657, while the façade visible today was designed in 1930 by architect Luigi Candiani. Inside, the church has a single nave, a raised presbytery, several devotional altars, paintings by Ludovico Pozzoserrato, a ceiling fresco by Giovan Battista Canal, and a historic pipe organ built by Gaetano Callido in 1787.     Short History of the Church of San Leonardo Medieval Origins of San Leonardo The earliest documented history of the Church of San Leonardo Read more [...]

The Cathedral of San Pietro Apostolo, also known as Treviso Cathedral, is the main Catholic church of Treviso and the cathedral of the Diocese of Treviso. Dedicated to Saint Peter the Apostle, it stands in Piazza del Duomo, in the historic center, close to Calmaggiore and Piazza dei Signori. The cathedral is the religious heart of the city, because it contains the bishop’s chair and serves as the mother church of the diocese. Its present appearance is mainly Neoclassical, but the building preserves older medieval, Romanesque, Renaissance, and early Christian elements beneath and around the modern structure. The most important architectural features include the six-column Ionic pronaos, the broad staircase, the three-nave interior, the seven domes, the raised presbytery, and the ancient crypt. The cathedral complex also includes the adjacent Baptistery of San Giovanni Battista, the canonries, the diocesan museum, and the bell tower. Inside Treviso Cathedral, the most valuable artistic area is the Malchiostro Chapel, a Renaissance space connected with Broccardo Malchiostro, Titian, Il Pordenone, Paris Bordone, and the Lombardo family. The cathedral’s crypt, with 68 columns, medieval fresco fragments, and the relics of Saint Liberalis, is another essential historical section.   Short History of the Cathedral of San Read more [...]

Palazzo Bortolan is one of the most distinctive historic buildings in the center of Treviso, standing between the refined urban fabric of the old town and the river landscape of the Sile. The palace is located in the area of Riviera Garibaldi and Piazza dell’Università. Also known as Palazzo dell’Umanesimo Latino, the building belongs to the historic complex of San Leonardo, an area closely linked today with Treviso’s university district. Its position makes it part of the Quartiere Latino, one of the most important urban recovery projects carried out in the modern history of the city. The palace has 16th-century origins, but its present appearance is largely the result of a major Neoclassical transformation completed in the early 19th century. Today, Palazzo Bortolan is connected with cultural, educational, conference, and hospitality functions. Its upper floors host Le Camere di Palazzo Bortolan, an accommodation structure with seven rooms and a three-room apartment, allowing guests to stay inside a restored historic palace in central Treviso.   Short History of Palazzo Bortolan Origins and the Bortolan Transformation The original building dates back to the 16th century, when this part of Treviso was already connected with the Sile River and the nearby religious and Read more [...]

Fontana delle Tette is one of the most unusual public monuments in Treviso. The fountain is located in the historic center, close to Piazza dei Signori, Calmaggiore, and Calle del Podestà, in one of the most visited areas of the city. The name is usually translated into English as the Fountain of Tits or Fountain of Breasts. The monument depicts a bare-breasted female figure whose breasts release water into a basin. Its appearance is striking, but its historical meaning is linked to civic celebration, Venetian rule, and public ritual. The fountain visible today in the courtyard of Palazzo Zignoli is not the original sixteenth-century sculpture. It is a 1989 reconstruction of the historic fountain, created to bring back into public view one of Treviso’s best-known civic symbols. The authentic sculpture is kept under the portico of Palazzo dei Trecento, one of the most important medieval buildings in Treviso.     Short History of Fontana delle Tette Origins Under Venetian Rule The history of Fontana delle Tette begins in 1559, when Treviso was under the control of the Republic of Venice. At that time, the city was governed through Venetian institutions, including the office of the podestà, the official who represented Read more [...]