The best city hikes and walks in Veneto

Il Ponte dei Pugni, located in Dorsoduro near Campo Santa Margherita, is one of the most curious and historically rich places in Venice. Its name derives from an ancient and violent tradition that, between the 14th and 18th centuries, saw the two city factions, the Castellani and the Nicolotti, pitted against each other. These factions engaged in real bare-knuckle fights right on the bridge's summit, with the aim of throwing their opponents into the waters of the canal below. Even today, at the corners of the bridge's summit, four white Istrian stone footprints are visible, which marked the starting position of the fighters. At the time, the bridge lacked side railings, making a fall into the water a very frequent outcome. These "Fist Fights" were definitively banned in 1705 due to their excessive danger, but the bridge remains a tangible testament to Venetian verve and historical rivalries.

One of the many, countless bridges in Venice. And yet each one looks a little different

The Duomo of Treviso, dedicated to Saint Peter the Apostle, is the city's main place of worship and stands on an area occupied by sacred buildings since Roman times. Its current monumental appearance is the result of centuries of stratification: the neoclassical facade with the imposing six-column pronaos was added in the 19th century, while the rear body retains the Renaissance structure. Inside, the cathedral houses artistic treasures of immense value, including the Malchiostro Annunciation by Titian, a masterpiece from 1520. Beneath the presbytery, access is gained to the evocative 11th-century crypt, a forest of small columns housing the remains of Saint Liberale, the city's patron saint. The complex also includes the Romanesque Baptistery of Saint John, completing this religious hub where Romanesque, Renaissance, and Neoclassical styles coexist in harmonious balance.

The Dante Bridge, located in Treviso at the point where the Sile receives the waters of the Cagnan, is one of the most famous and symbolic places in the city. Originally called Ponte dell'Impossibile (Bridge of the Impossible) due to construction difficulties related to the current, it owes its current name to Dante Alighieri's quote in the 9th canto of Paradiso: «dove Sile e Cagnan s'accompagna» (where Sile and Cagnan accompany each other). To celebrate the sixth centenary of the supreme poet's birth, a commemorative stele was erected next to the bridge in 1865. The area, known as "Riviera Santa Margherita", offers one of the most picturesque views of Treviso, characterized by the evocative meeting of the two rivers that defines the hydrographic and poetic identity of the historic center. Even today, it represents a fundamental stop for anyone wishing to discover the inseparable link between literature and the Treviso landscape.

The Cathedral of Saint Peter the Apostle is the main place of worship in Treviso and the seat of the local diocese. Dedicated to Saint Peter the Apostle, it overlooks Piazza del Duomo. The cathedral features seven domes, five in the central nave and two others enclosing the chapels. The current façade, designed and completed in 1836 by Francesco Bomben and municipal engineer Gaspare Petrovich, consists of a wide staircase crowned by an imposing pronaos with six Ionic columns. On either side of the staircase are the two column-bearing lions in Verona red marble that once supported the porch of the Romanesque building. Another surviving Romanesque relic is the ancient portal, discovered in the courtyard of the Canoniche Vecchie and reconstructed inside, leaning against the counterfaçade, in 2005. On the right side of the building, facing Calmaggiore, a Roman bas-relief depicting a bacchante can be seen embedded in the masonry. The interior features three naves, with side chapels and three final apses; below them lies the ancient crypt containing the tombs of the city's bishops. The holy martyrs Theonistus, Tabra and Tabrata, Saint Fiorenzo and Saint Vendemiano are buried in the temple: the remains of the bishop of the city, Blessed Andrea Giacinto Longhin, transferred there from the crypt on the occasion of his beatification, are preserved in the altar next to the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, while at the first altar in cornu Epistulae from the entrance is the body of Blessed Arrigo da Bolzano, who died in Treviso in 1315. On the same altar where Blessed Longhin is buried, are placed the remains of Saint Parisio, a Camaldolese monk who died in Treviso in 1267.

The Tette fountain is located in the courtyard of the Zignoli palace, a somewhat hidden place in the city.

The Ponte delle Guglie, on the Canal de Cannaregio, is the only Venetian bridge adorned with pinnacles, placed at the base of the handrails (the spires, in fact, from which it takes its name). It was built for the first time (in wood) in 1285. It was replaced by the current stone bridge in 1580, as evidenced by the inscriptions placed on the bridge itself. In 1988, with a further restoration, a path for the disabled was added with metal handrails and steps with a dampened edge, and the asphalt pavement was replaced by stone slabs.

The Piave Vecchia Lighthouse is located at the mouth of the Sile River, in the municipality of Cavallino-Treporti, near Jesolo, in the Veneto region. It is an iconic lighthouse on the Adriatic coast, both for its history and its architecture.