Treviso, also known as “La Marca”, is a beautifully preserved medieval city, a maze of meandering canals criss-crossed by marble and wrought-iron bridges, renaissance palaces decorated with pastel-coloured frescoes, churches and monasteries displaying paintings by the likes of Titian. And staring down on you from all over the city are carved images of the unmistakable symbol of the Most Serene Republic of Venice, the proud Lion of St Mark.

But rub your eyes, because this is not La Serenissima at all, but the surprising city of Treviso. Only a 20-minute train journey from Venice, Treviso is all but undiscovered by the hordes of tourists who flood Venice each day. 

Treviso is a city that stands easily with one foot in the sixteenth century and one in the twenty-first. It is the heart of north-east Italy’s booming economy and is often referred to as ‘Benettonville’, because it is here that Luciano Benetton has based his vast fashion empire. 

So alongside the town’s ancient palaces and monuments, you’ll discover cutting-edge Italian design stores displaying the latest fashions. You may end up wandering into a traditional osteria , where an animated crowd of locals sit round an old oak table, noisily playing scopa , an incomprehensible card game. Order an ombreta , a simple but excellent glass of house wine produced in the vineyards that cover the hills surrounding Treviso.