FROM THE MARCH OF TREVISO TO THE PROSECCO HILLS

(Treviso - Vittorio Veneto, 62 km)

The itinerary almost entirely overlaps the track of the Venice-Munich and of regional itinerary I-4, in the March of Treviso. The signage of the two routes is complete in both directions and is quite easy to follow, even without a GPS device. About 24% of the route is covered by cycling infrastructure, which means it can be tackled confidently even by the least experienced cyclists. Plus, that percentage may be increased, by replacing the section at the foot of the Montello hill with the Tradotta cycle path, provided you pay attention to vehicular traffic at the many intersections. 

The itinerary can be experienced through the lens of a variety of themes: from World War I, which affected a large part of the area, to the Venetian style of the larger and smaller towns, with their wealth of historical and cultural references to the Serenissima Republic. Last but not least, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Prosecco hills between Conegliano and Vittorio Veneto.

The starting point of our itinerary is the exit of the central train station of Treviso and we cannot but head to the centre of the old town, with the charming Piazza dei Signori (km 0.5). Slowly ride along via Calmaggiore, the ancient Cardo Maximum of Roman-era “Tarvisium”, turn right at the Siloncello canal towards via Roggia (about 1 km from the start) and continue along via Filippini, on the left, until you come to the old town walls, which you follow east (via Burchiellati) until you come to the 16th century Porta San Tommaso, St. Thomas' Gate (km 1.8). You leave the old town behind for good and, after going over the moat (La Botteniga) and the internal ring road, you continue along the wide cycle path on viale Vittorio Veneto and viale Brigata Treviso. At km 3.8, you leave the wide avenue and turn left into via Fontane SP132, on the boundary with the municipality of Villorba, not before glancing at the façade of Villa Bice, formerly Farsetti Ravà, on your right. Continue along the provincial road using a variable width pedestrian and cycle path on the left, safely cross the busy viale della Repubblica, then turn left into via Pegorile (km 6.1). Ride along a cycling lane and continue in the same direction on via Po, part of which has a pedestrian and cycle path. After leaving the hamlet of Fontane, turn left into the provincial road again, using a narrow cycle and pedestrian path on the right. At km 7.4, by street number 79/a, is the start of a fine cycle path that, in little less than 3 km, reaches the centre of Villorba (pay attention at km 9.6 when crossing via Postioma, the ancient Roman Postumia). At km 10.7, after the centre, take a sharp left into Provincial Road SP48, which unfortunately has no cycle path, and continue for about 3 km through the hamlet of Santandrà, already in the municipality of Povegliano. At km 13.6, leave the provincial road for good by taking a left into via Barrucchella. At the intersection with via Camalò, SP55, go straight into via Schiavonesca, and at the next intersection (km 16.0), turn right into via Volpago Nord then via Madonna della Mercede. Although the setting is pleasant enough, this road has no shoulder and on weekdays it might get a bit too busy. At km 19.0 you can see the Madonna della Mercede church on the right, built in 1947 in remembrance of the fallen of the two wars. After a couple of kilometres, you go under the Pedemontana Veneta motorway, and immediately after that you cross the Schiavonesca vecchia road through a roundabout with a wide pedestrian and cycle path. Continue in the same direction, along what is now via S. Pio X, and at km 22.0 you come to “Tradotta”, an unpaved cycle path that is approximately 18 km long, connecting Montebelluna to Bidasio (Nervesa). It runs over what used to be a railway, built in 1916 for military purposes and closed fifty years later. As the links with Ponte della Priula and the cycle path along the river Piave have not been completed yet, this disused railway is mainly used by locals. Cross the cycle path and continue towards Volpago, then turn left at the intersection with the Schiavonesca nuova road (SP248). Just before the centre of the village (km 22.9), turn right into SP147, then right again shortly after into via Fra’ Giocondo. You are now before the Montello Forest, what used to be the Serenissima Republic of Venice's 'oar forest'. The area of the forest was managed since 1471 as a forest reserve at the service of the Arsenale dockyards and remained so until the fall of the Republic. The hill is now completely privatised and the majestic oaks have been superseded by a thick forest of black locust trees. After via Fra’ Giocondo, the itinerary continues east over via Pedemontana, via Arditi and finally via Diaz. At km 31.3, on the right, is the parish church of Nervesa, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. It holds an altarpiece depicting the “Madonna of the Rosary”, attributed to Jacopo Palma Giovane. On the left, in front of the church, is a footpath (the gate is not always open) leading to the small hermitage of Saint Jerome and the ruins of the Benedictine abbey of Saint Eustace, both recently restored. The journey resumes, always on via Diaz, until you turn left at km 31.9 into via VIII Armata, then right into via Carrer, left again into via Luzzati, right into via Battistella and finally left into via Canova – all that to dodge the busy SP248 provincial road. At km 32.4, you go over the impressive canale della Vittoria, inaugurated in 1925 by the King of Italy, and a little further on you carefully turn into provincial road 248, which you follow for a short while. Turn left at km 34.0 into via XXIV Maggio and follow it until, at km 36.5, you turn again into the provincial road near the long bridge over the river Piave, in the municipality of Susegana. However, in order to get onto the pedestrian and cycle lane in the correct direction, that is, on the opposite side of the Priula bridge (named after the Priulis, a Venetian family of landowners), you must negotiate a large and rather challenging roundabout. The bridge was destroyed by the French in 1807, and only rebuilt in stone in the early twentieth century. We are on the front line of World War I: an imposing votive sanctuary nearby commemorates the fallen of eight different nationalities. After coming down from the bridge, you cross the state road on the pedestrian crossing and turn into via dei Pascoli, a one-way street, designated two-way for cyclists. Shortly after (km 39.3), almost at the end of a long straight stretch at the foot of the embankment of the river Piave, you go through a small passage on the right and come out on via Mercatelli, where you turn left into a fine cycle path, then right into via Maglio. At km 40.6, turn right into via Barca seconda, and after about 1.7 km you come to the roundabout on state road SS13, where you hang a left on the cycle path and take via XXIV Maggio, where you will see the large Collalto Winery. Go through the roundabout at the intersection with via san Salvatore and continue along via Carpeni until you turn right into via Rossini (km 42.9). If you have time, do turn left at the intersection with via San Salvatore to see the eighteenth-century Oratorio dell'Annunziata on the right, built by the Counts of Collalto, and a little further on, on the left, the Church of the Carmine with an adjoining former convent, also from the eighteenth century. Or even continue a little further on to see the lovely castle of San Salvatore. Via Rossini changes name several times, first via Don Minzoni, then via dei Colli, always within the municipality of Susegana, then it becomes via Einaudi after passing the Crevada stream into the municipality of Conegliano. At km 45.5, you go through a large roundabout on a fine cycle path, continuing straight along the itinerary. Shortly after, you go past the Vivaldi park on the right, which in the summer may offer a welcome opportunity for a break in the shade. After that (km 46.8), you turn into state road SS13, which here is called viale Venezia, on a fine cycle path on the left side, and at the next roundabout you turn right and continue on the cycle path, always on the left. After that, you go through a new roundabout and continue on the pedestrian and cycle path along via 28 Aprile and then on via Spellanzon. We are now at the gates of Conegliano old town. At km 47.6, you will see on your right the church of San Pio X. Turn right at the next roundabout into via Colombo and you will arrive at the railway station (km 48.8). A short visit to the old town must definitely be scheduled: the street opposite the station, via Carducci, leads directly to the staircase up to “Contrada Granda”, now via XX Settembre, where you will see the fifteenth-century Cathedral of San Lorenzo with the adjacent Scuola dei Battuti, the Confraternity of the Flagellants. Here, among other works, you can see the famous Altarpiece by Giambattista Cima, the only work of the painter preserved in his home town. A short walk away is the House Museum, where the famous Conegliano-born painter lived. Today it is the seat of a small archaeological museum and of the Cima Foundation; it also houses reproductions of some of the painter's works. Finally, on top of the Colle di Giano, is the medieval Castle. Only the Torre della Campana, part of the ancient Cathedral and part of the walls remain of the original complex; it now houses the town's museum.

If you opt for a visit, much recommended, the itinerary can then continue on via XX Settembre and leave the old town through the Monticano gate, taking directly the cycle path that crosses the Monticano river. As you go through the gate, don't forget to glance up at the beautiful bas-relief of St. Mark's lion on the inside, and the large fresco of the same winged lion on the outside. If you come from the station, however, turn right into via Mazzini, then take a left in piazza IV Novembre to get to the crossing over the Monticano. At km 49.8, turn left into via Carpenè and you will ride on a wide pedestrian and cycle path at first, then on a bike lane and finally on the street, until you turn into via Calpena. Stay on the street for a short while (do not take the pedestrian and cycle path on the left), then turn right and ride for a short while on the provincial road to Vittorio Veneto. At km 51.3, turn left and start gently climbing up via Mangesa (in actual fact, the Venice-Munich itinerary as well as regional itinerary I4 continue along the SP103 Provincial Road, which is very busy and hardly compatible with bikes), and after some 3.5 km you cross the Provincial Road again. Turn left and when you come to the village of Carpesica (km 56.8), which is already in the municipality of Vittorio Veneto, turn right into via Cal de Livera, go over the A27 Alemagna motorway then turn left at km 57.7 in via Manzato and follow the course of the Cervada stream. Alternatively, continue on via Cal de Livera and turn left into via Prà del Vesco: both end up in via Mascagni, which we ride on north. At km 59.0, you cross the busy via Pinto using the pedestrian and cycle underpass, and continue always in via Mascagni, crossing via Canova carefully, then continue north on via Saccardo until the intersection with via Rossini (km 60.0). The regional itinerary actually continues on via Canova, but we decided to have you cross Ceneda, one of the two charming old towns, together with Serravalle, which joined in 1866 to form the town of Vittorio Veneto. After via Rossini, you continue along via Frassinelli, then turn left into via Cenedese and at km 60.8 you come to the ancient piazza of the Cathedral, now dedicated to John Paul I. Prominent buildings on the square are the eighteenth-century Cathedral of the Assumption and Saint Titian of Brescia, with paintings by Pomponio Amalteo, the sixteenth-century Episcopal Seminary, now the seat of the diocesan museum, and the Loggia, former seat of the Major Council from the first half of the sixteenth century, today the seat of the Battle Museum. The Romanesque style bell tower stands out over them all. Once a defence tower, it is one of the remaining parts of the ancient church. From the piazza take via Brevia, a picturesque alley that leads to Castello di San Martino, still the bishop's residence today. After the visit, continue east, with the Cathedral on your left, first on via Cosimo then on via Lioni. At km 61.5 you turn left into the cycle lane on via Garibaldi, then continue on a cycle lane in via Manin, which is very narrow at first, then widens after Piazza San Michele, until you come to viale della Vittoria with both Town Hall and the railway station opposite. To get to the old town of Serravalle and its frescoed buildings, you must continue on the same avenue for a little more than 2 km, until you come to piazza Flaminio, a true medieval jewel, unfortunately crossed by a busy street still open to cars.