Inside The Travel

Treviso is in the Veneto region of morthern Italy, around 30 kms north of Venice. It is rather overshadowed by its illustrious neighbour. It sits between two rivers, the SIle and Bottenig with canals crisscrossing the city. It is known as the Citta dAcqua, the city of water.

Unique Points

Treviso is a beautiful small city, not on the scale of Venice but I believe a quieter, less touristy, more authentic Italian city. Ryanair fly into Treviso and the airport is only 3 kilometres from the city, making it an ideal short break destination. I really like Treviso it has a very relaxed, refined yet down to earth charn. You can happily wander around the streets, the city walls and the canal side walks to soak up the atmosphere.

History

The city can be traced back to the 15th century BC. It was recognised as a free commune in the 12th century by the Emperor Frederick 1 and know as a a “joyous and harmonious March” during this period. It became part of the Venetian Republic in 1389. The current city walls and gates were originally constructed in 1509 as defence for the Republic. The city was known as the “Granary of the Republic” as the plains by the river were ideal for growing wheat.

What to see

The five domed Cathedral houses frescoes by Pordennone and the Announciation by TItan. The current structure was built in the 15th and 16th century on the site of a 12th century church.
San Nicola, a Domonican church has 14th century frescoes by Modena.
The Civic Museum in Borgo Cavour, a former Jesuit monastry, has a collection of swords from the Bronze age excavated from the prehistoric site of St Antonino. There are also paintings by Giambellon and Lotto.
I enjoyed just wandering along the canalside admiring the painted houses. It is also very beatiful in the evening.
The National Park of the River Stile offers various events throughout the year.

Where to eat

Trattoria all”Oca Bianca is a traditional restuarant, open since 1921. They seem to have adopted geese as their logo and even sell goose decorated crockery.

Osteria Ponte Dante, Piazza Garibaldi 6, tel 0442 582924, specialises in fish dishes. It has a terrace which overlooks the River Stile.

Many dishes incorporate the raddicchio rosso. The riaddichio is alleged to allieviate insomnis and help purify the blood. It was very popular with monks in the middle ages to give some colour and zing to their rather plain diet.

There is an annual Chestnut Festival in the village of Combai in the pre-alps for the last three weeks in October. You can taste and buy the marrons. On Sundays there are many activities for children such as painting workshops and guided walks in the woods.

You can read the full guide to Treviso with photos and accommodation choices at
www.europealacarte.co.uk/italy/treviso.html

Karen Bryan is a UK based independent travel consultant and writer. Her website Europe a la Carte, www.europealacarte.co.uk, features less well known destinations in Europe. Karen believes that if you venture even slighly off the beaten tourist track that you will see more of the real Europe.

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It’s pretty good to get a background of Amsterdam before spending a vacation there, isn’t it? Well, for those who are currently planning or thinking for an Amsterdam vacation, or those who wish to know more about Amsterdam, here are facts below.

Amsterdam is actually a compact and instantly likeable city in Europe. As claimed by many of those who have been there for an Amsterdam vacation, the city is very appealing to look at and pleasing to walk around. It is a city where the parochial and international behaviors meet, and it is where you will feel a welcoming attitude towards visitors. This kind of behavior we known about Amsterdam was said to be shaped by the liberal counterculture it embraces since the last four decades.

Majority of the people of Amsterdam is able to speak English fluently. Some know how to speak German and French, but it is highly considered that if you are an English speaker, it is better to speak in English than in French and German as speaking the two languages is more likely to offend than do anyone a favor.

The layout of the city of Amsterdam is generally determined by a web of canals radiating out from a historical core to loop right round the center. As many of the Amsterdam vacation resources have noted, these planned, seventeenth century extensions to the medieval town make for a distinctly elegant urban environment. This is further shown by the presence of tall gabled house that are reflected in the black green waters of the city. It is then nice to know that many of the Amsterdam vacationers have deemed the city as the city at its most beguiling, that is, a world away from the traffic and noise of a number of many other European city centers. It is these facts actually that made Amsterdam one of Europe’s most popular short-haul destinations.

Before your Amsterdam vacation it is interesting to know that there is actually an apparent contradiction to the positive aspects of the city, and this embodies much of the spirit of Amsterdam. Many of those Amsterdam vacationers who have strolled the city for a long time may know that Amsterdam is worldly known as a place where the possession and sale of cannabis are effectively legal, or at least decriminalized. For the most part, people of Amsterdam themselves can’t really be bothered with this stuff.

Also, while the city is renowned throughout the world for its tolerance towards all styles of behavior and dress, a primmer with a more mainstream dress sense would be hard to find. And, as many of the Amsterdam vacationers have known, behind the cozy cafes and dreamy canals lurks the suspicion that the Amsterdammers’ hearts lie squarely in their wallets, and while the new Amsterdam vacationers see the city as a liberal haven, locals can seem just as indifferent to this as well.

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