Treviso is an Italian municipality of 85,770 inhabitants, capital of the province of the same name in Veneto, located in the heart of the Po Valley.
The city, of Paleovenetian-pre-Roman origin, stands on three heights located near the Sile River, in an area characterized by numerous resurgent springs, locally called fontanassi. Its proximity to a number of important arteries, such as the Postumia road, and the waterways themselves, has made the city, from the earliest times, a bustling commercial center.
It is also called “the city of arcades” and “Urbs picta.”
Treviso’s roots go back to the Bronze Age period, during which the Paleovenetians, probably of Illyrian origin, settled on the high ground, now corresponding to St. Andrew’s Square.
Later conquered by the Romans, it was given the title of Municipium in 49 BC.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, it was under the rule of the Goths, the Lombards, and then the Carolingians.
In 911 it was devastated by the Hungarians, but resourced and in 1164 was recognized as a free municipality by Frederick Barbarossa.
After various lordships, it came under the rule of Venice in 1339, and from that date followed its fate.
In the 19th century under Napoleon and the Austrians many convents and churches were used as warehouses or barracks, causing enormous damage to the artistic heritage. Further catastrophe for the Painted City’s palaces and churches was caused by the two world wars, especially, the bombing on April 7, 1944.
The centerpiece of the city is Piazza dei Signori, around which stand numerous palaces, including the “Bell Tower” and the “Palazzo dei Trecento.”
Giuseppe Mazzotti called Treviso “the most frescoed city in Italy.”
Source: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treviso; https://it.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Treviso
