The flight arrived mid evening at the small airport and I decided to stay close by to travel on to Venice the next day. I stayed in Treviso and was surprised to discover a prosperous place and a gateway to the wineries and culinary towns of Veneto region.

The small bed and breakfast, The Eden, I found to have clean, well furnished rooms with a bathroom the size of most hotel rooms. The family was very friendly, spoke English and were very forthcoming with information.

On my first evening walk I discovered streets lined with sweetly scented trees under which I sat with a rather pleasant glass of red wine.

The next day I walked for twenty minutes along the old city wall, Le Mura, to the train station. A two Euro ticket and 30 minutes later I was at Santa Lucia Station, Venice, experiencing the madness of a top tourist destination, expensive hotels and restaurants. Venice is after all a top destination in Italy along with Rome and Florence.

After 6 hours I was ready and happy for the return to Treviso

The calm clean city was such a contrast. Walking through the central area I discovered it has its own canal system. This one however was clean and a pleasure to walk along its grassy banks. In fact the next morning there were skullers rowing alongside the ducks.

The cobbled streets wound through to the city wall on the north side with an elevated walkway along the top of the wall. This is a good evening walk among the trees after a fulfilling meal.

Evening was spent wandering through covered cloisters sheltering from the spring showers. I ate at the Restaurante Toni del Spin where the menu was restricted to local speciality dishes. The main meats were all game from the local forests. Be adventurous and try the boar or pheasant.

The next day I decided to stay and discover more. Being such a small town it is possible to walk casually through the piazzas and along the roads. I found the historic buildings and piazzas had typical Italian style, all surrounded by the wall and moat.

The Duomo, dedicated to St Peter is small by comparison to some in Italy. Also worth visiting during your walk are Piazza dei Signor, Ponte di Prai, Loggia dei Cavalieri and San Nicolo Church.

The main shopping streets were ‘high end’ with many antique shops to furnish the homes. There was a sense of style as only the Italians do so well. There are good delicatessens shops full of wonderful displays of local hams, cheeses and produce and of course wine from the Veneto region. So for those that like their food and wine, this small city epitomises Italy.

The street signage is in both Italian and English. The local government have made it quite clear that visitors are welcome and the airports expansion has made an excellent enticement to airlines. So as I found this little gem I do hope you venture there too.

As it is a leafy green destination spring and fall are good times to visit. And of course do the days trip to Venice as an added bonus.

To find an Italian oasis by chance is truly the fun of travelling on ones own.

For more information go to Treviso Tourism