Treviso: canals, prosecco and the disputed dessert

Crossed by branches of the Sile River, Treviso has in its historic center a water-borne atmosphere that earned it the nickname 'little Venice,' far removed from the mass tourism of the nearby lagoon.

The center can be comfortably explored on foot along the canals.

On Piazza dei Signori, the Palazzo dei Trecento, the municipal seat from the 13th century, dominates the political heart of the medieval city.

Walking along the canals of the Buranelli Quarter, coloured houses open directly onto the water, in an interweaving of small bridges and alleyways once inhabited by dyers and tanners.

According to local tradition, more credited than other competing versions, tiramisu would have been born right here in Treviso: at the restaurant Le Beccherie, one can still taste it near where it would have been invented.

Towards evening, an aperitif based on local prosecco accompanies the view over the canals, a few kilometres away from the hills of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, a UNESCO heritage site.

Tiramisu's paternity remains disputed between several Venetian cities: Treviso at least has a documented tradition stronger than many other claimants.

The prosecco hills just outside Treviso are so steep in places that harvesting is still done almost entirely by hand, without machinery.