Treviso

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Treviso is a town in the Veneto region of Italy. It is the capital of Treviso province. The municipality has 82,112 inhabitants (December 2004): some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city hinterland has a population of some 170,000.

It is the home of the headquarters of designer clothing company Benetton.

Geography

The city is situated some 15 km south-west the right bank of the Piave river, on the plain between the Gulf of Venice and the Alps, at the confluence of the Sile with the Botteniga.

History

Ancient times and High Middle Ages

For some scholars, the ancient city of Tarvisium derived its name from a settlement of the Celtic tribe of the Taurusci. Others have attributed the name instead to the Indo European root tarvos, meaning "bull".

Tarvisium, then a Veneti city, became a municipium when the Romans added Cisalpine Gaul to their dominions. The city laid in proximity of the Via Postumia, which connected Opitergium to Aquileia, the two main Roman centres of Veneto in ancient and Early Middle Ages times. It is hardly mentioned by ancient writers, though Pliny speaks of the Silis as flowing cx montibus Tarvisanis. Treviso went through the same decline as the rest of Italy after the fall of the Western Empire; however, it remained an important centre during the 6th century AD. According to tradition, it was the birthplace of Totila, the leader of Ostrogoths during the Gothic Wars. It was then briefly under Byzantine domination and eventually, in the second half of that century, fell to the Lombard, who made it a ducal seat and an important mint. The latter was especially important during the reign of the last Lombard king, Desiderius, and continued to churn out coins when northern Italy was annexed to the Frank empire. People from the city also played a role in the founding of Venice.

Charlemagne made it the capital of a border march marquisate (Marca Trevigiana) which lasted for several centuries.

Commune, seignories and the Venetian rule

Treviso joined the Lombard league, and gained independence after the Peace of Constance (1183). This lasted until the times when seignories started to impose in northern Italy: among the various families who ruled over Treviso, the Da Romano reigned from 1237 to 1260. Struggles between Guelph and Ghibelline factions followed, with the first triumphants in 1283, date after which Treviso lived a significant economical reprise which laster until 1312. Treviso and his satellite cities, including Castelfranco Veneto, founded by the Trevigiani in contrapposition to Padua, had become appetible for the neighbouring powers, including the da Carrara and Scaligeri. The Marca became a possession of the Da Caminos, and was the site of continuous struggles and ravages in the period 1329-1388. After a Scaliger domination in 1329-1339, the city gave itself to the Republic of Venice, becoming the first Serenessima mainland possession. From 1318 it was also, for a short time, the seat of a university.

Involved in the wars of Venice, the city was momentanously ruled by the duke of Austria in 1381-1384 and then by the Carraresi until 1388. Returned to Venice, it was turned into a fortress and given a massive line of walls and ramparts (still existent): these were renewed in the following century under the direction of Fra Giocondo, two of the gates being built by the Lombardi. The many waterways were exploited with several waterwheels which mainly powered mills for milling grain produced locally. The waterways were all navigable and "barconi" would arrive from Venice at the Port of Treviso (Porto de Fiera) pay duty and offload their merchandise and passengers along Riviera Santa Margherita. Fishermen were able to bring fresh catch every day to the Treviso fish market, which is held still today on an island connected to the rest of the city by two small bridges at either end. Treviso was taken in 1797 by the French under Mortier (duke of Treviso). In March 1848 the Austrian garrison was driven from the town by the revolutionary party, but in the following June the town was bombarded and compelled to capitulate. During the second World War it suffered an Allied bombing on 7th April 1944. A large part of the medieval parts of the city centre including part of the Palazzo dei Trecento (then rebuilt) were destroyed, causing the deaths of over 7,000 people.

In recent times, at least two attacks by the so-called Italian Unabomber have taken place in the city.

Main sights

Sports

Treviso is home to several notable Italian sport teams, thanks to the presence of the Benetton family, who owns and sponsors:

• Sisley Treviso (volleyball), one of Italy's leading teams, winner of 8 scudetti, playing at the Palaverde.
• Benetton Rugby Treviso (rugby union), winner of 11 scudetti, playing at the Monigo stadium.
• Benetton Basket, winner of 5 scudetti, playing at the Palaverde.

The local football team, Treviso F.B.C. 1993, played for the first time in the Italian Serie A in 2005. Its home stadium is the Omobono Tenni.

External links

• [Free photos of Treviso]
• [1911 Encyclopædia Britannica entry]
• [Map of Treviso]

 

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