A walk along the Sile River today in the Fiera district, just outside Treviso’s wall.
An elaborate, old weathervane sits atop a building under restoration.
Not a real bus stop, but a place where children meet to be walked to school by an adult.
Swans create nests by the riverside to lay and brood their eggs. The sign warns to stay back and let the swans grow new life in peace.
Eucalyptus leaves make the nest. It looks like this swan wants to nudge every leaf into just the right place.
It’s a beautiful walk. At one time, oxen drew barges up river by oxen all the way to the Adriatic.
Elena, my Italian instructor, lives close by and walks along here frequently.
It’s an ideal neighborhood. Just outside the historic center. Little traffic. Lots of nature.
Doing some comparison pricing. Cantuccini go for about a half to a third the price here. Dollars bring fewer Euros now, but still the difference is striking. And these are the real deal. Why do we pay so much more? Even for homegrown cantuccini, so it can’t be tariffs.
I want to get some stamps to send an old-fashioned post card. Wouldn’t you know it, the Post Office is closed, even though Google said otherwise. I see a library across the street and am happy to see that it is open. I love to visit libraries wherever I am. This library, the Biblioteca Giovanni Comisso, happens to specialize in Treviso’s history, which makes me even happier. Walls of the entrance foyer are covered on both sides with coats of arms of historic Treviso families.
One very large and ornate coat of arms particularly fascinates me. Four of them hang on the walls, much larger and more elaborate than any of the others. The librarian tells me that this coat of arms belonged to the Brescia or Sbrescia family, whose founder was a mercenery, hence the helmet in the form of a dragon with the wierd head spiraling out the top.
The others were much smaller, but also interesting. The librarian tells me that this collection is due to one man, Luigi Bailo, a priest who spent his life collecting and preserving historical objects. These coats of arms came off buildings that had been destroyed by war or by the expansion of the city. Bailo created the Treviso Civic Museum with his collections.
I love libraries like this. It makes me want to do a project on Treviso’s history, just to spend time here and explore the archives. I imagine it has a very interesting historic photograph collection.
I take a walk to one of the three remaining gates to Treviso’s historic center. This is Porta Santi Quaranta, built to defend the city. The St. Mark’s lion stands as a reminder that Treviso was long ruled by Venice, the Serenissima. The wall with its moat stands on each side.
I take a walk on the wall, which at one time completely circumvented the city. Now there is a break, but still it is a pleasant promenade lined with large Horse Chestnut trees in bloom.
I’m enjoying taking it day by day here. This kind of travel is relaxing. I hope I can do it again in some other city, although it might be hard to find a place as pleasant as Treviso.