As you may have noticed by now each year I try to do a bit of bike touring and so last year in 2022 by springtime the EuroVelo calling started to grow in my mind like the wheat on the fields. It's part of my anual wish list and it's a meaningful thing for me. On these bike touring trips is where I recharge and find my balance each year, so in a way it's like a holistic trip for me.
Presently I'm touring on EuroVelo 7 and so far I only cycled north as far as Copenhagen in Scandinavia.
Last year wasn't so great for me financially and Scandinavia is quite expensive so when I had to choose between going north or south on EuroVelo 7, I chose the southern side this time around and headed for Italy.
Traveling internationally doesn't come cheap anymore especially in recent years when prices everywhere increased a lot, so building a budget for it is increasingly challenging. Being a family man, our summer holiday has priority of course and for my bike touring extravaganza I need to find my own resources.
I was very close to cancel my anual bike trip, actually I haven' t booked anything in advance like I always did. Summer passed and by September I was so frustrated that I had to do something. So I made a loan which I am still paying for today but it was well worth in the end you'll see.
I landed in Treviso in the evening after a 2 hours short flight from Bucharest, so I needed a place to stay for the night. Luckily I found this very nice and modern recently opened Nomad hostel on Booking.com within walking distance from the airport, which was very convenient for me. Later I even went out for a pizza to celebrate my arrival in Italy.
After a good restful sleep I went down to pick up my complementary breakfast I opted in for when I checked in. Well, it was not what I hopped for, no fresh pastry or fruits only packaged products so it was not worth it, there is a better option to go to the nearby mall 10 min away and have a proper italian espresso and some fresh pastry as I discovered later.
So my plan was to catch a bus from the hostel to the central station and board the first train to Verona. Unfortunately things don't always work accordingly to the plan cause that day they had a railway strike and so all the trains were canceled until 5 PM. Luckily I could still buy I ticket on the first available train to Verona that evening after the strike ended but was not direct and had to change in Vicenza and to arrive a bit late in Verona around 8 PM.
Hmm, that's not so bad actually, that was my opportunity to discover Treviso I guess, which I am still very grateful for today.
Did you know?: "Treviso is also known for being the original production area of Prosecco wine and radicchio, and is thought to have been the origin of the popular Italian dessert tiramisù."
After this delicious lunch all clouds scattered like magic and the blue sky once again was so inviting me to continue exploring the streets of Treviso.
While eating I had more time to look around on the map and found this little hidden gem not far from the square I ate earlier but a bit hard to find. It has an interesting history though: "from its construction until 1797, the year of the fall of the Serenissima Republic of Venice, in honor of each new Podestà (supreme magistrate), the fountain flowed red wine from one breast and white wine from the other and all citizens could drink for free for three days." The good old days :)
There is a maze of little man made canals running through the Treviso's historic centre connecting the Sile and Botteniga rivers which together with the ancient narrow cobbled alleys recommend Treviso as a quite romantic destination.
Ended my short Treviso old city tour at the Central Bus Station from where I took a bus to the nearest Decathlon store to buy back some items I lost at the airport security check the day before. I only payed for cabin luggage and I completely forgot about the tent pegs which are sharp objects and got confiscated of course.
Also I had to call the bike renting agency in Verona and tell them I'll not be able to pick up the bike that day due to my late arrival because of the train strike which they understood.
Got a bit lost in Verona at first, I took the wrong bus to the wrong direction and then I had to get off and ask for directions to some locals which were very kind and called a taxi for me (no Uber in Italy yet) so I could reach the camping before closure at 10 PM. I made it on time though but it was a near miss. The hotel rooms are very expensive in Verona the city of love and I was on tight budget.
Overall this day was surprisingly beautiful and I was very glad I had the chance of seeing Treviso, which due to it’s close proximity to the hugely popular tourist destination of Venice (just 26km away) is unfortunately overlooked by many visiting the region. But now you know!
Until next time,
©Discover EuroVelo
All photos were taken with my iPhone 11 and Sony DSC-HX60V camera.
EuroVelo, the European Cycle Route Network are registered marks of ECF asbl.
I have no affiliation with EuroVelo or other organisations mentioned here, I am just a traveller sharing his bike touring trips, views and opinions.
EuroVelo is a network of 17 long distance cycle routes connecting and uniting the whole European continent totaling over 90,000 km of cycling itineraries.