Escursioni

The charming and lively town of Noale is plunged into the green of Venetian plain, It is probably the town in the Venice province in which you can feel more intensely the atmosphere of Medieval time and the place where you can breath the activity of the m odern life thanks to its strategical position, just twenty km far away commercial centres such as Venezia-Mestre, Padova, Treviso, Castelfranco, Asolo. Anyway, the central location of Noale let you reach easily those important cities like Verona, Vicenza, Bassano del Grappa. The Medieval city of Noale knows its maximum period of magnificense under the domination of the Tempesta Family who ruled the town from 1158 to 1343. The beautiful monuments can be still admired in the centre: the two large battlement ed City Gates with their towers known as the Clock Tower and the Bell Tower, the Glacis and the Tempesta's Fortress. The Deanery Church is erected in Piazza Castello (called "Campazzo"), there you can visit the Pala by Palma il Giovane, the Altar by Sanso vino, the large wooden painting a probable work by Lattanzio da Rimini (XVI century), the Pala dell'Assunta, considered a work by Alvise Vivarini, and the wooden Baptismal Font with paintings by Andrea Schiavone (XV-XVI century). Inside the Bell Tower the re is a permanent exibition with Emilio Greco's works; very near you can visit the small Assunta's Church that is the only part of the Convent of Santa Maria della Misericordia. The Municipal Palace (1848) contains about 70 paintings by Egisto Lancerotto (1847-1916) a painter from Noale and at the crossroads you can see the column called the Peace Column (XVI century), made by Paolo Pino Veneziano. In XX Settembre Square you can find Scotto Palace (1600) with the Municipal Library and the Historical Arch ives (dated 1405) which is the third in order of importance in Venice province. The two squares are characterized by two lines of archades and by different Venetian houses painted with sixteenth century frescos. The historical Noale is in the meanwhile a modern and functional town thanks to the railway Venezia-Trento, the buses Padova-Treviso and Noale-Venezia and the closeness to the airports Marco Polo in Venezia-Tessera and San Giuseppe in Treviso. Noale will welcome warmly and with professionalism any kind of guest. In fact, its four new, modern hotels are able to offer all kind of comforts (furnished rooms, all with shower, minibar, TV, air conditioning, etc.). So we are glad to say that a tourist or a commercial guest can feel at home in the peacefu l Venetian countryside not far from the most important cities of Veneto Region. Our functional location let us work with any kind of customer even the most exacting one; we are very careful to any guest's needs offering a professional and distinct service with cordiality, courtesy and cleanness. These characteristics are appreciated expecially by our guests and Agencies we had pleasure to work with. Our hotels are very pleased to welcome you and are glad to suggest some possible nearby excursions.

VENICE AND THE LAGOON ISLANDS

Venice, tourist city and cultural capitaI, common place, myth to run after with a stroll on gondola, a concert in a church or an exibition in a palace. It's enough to go up to a bell tower to recall the never ending Venice, an immutable sea of red roofs f rom which rise up Palaces and Churches like white-stone sandbanks. It would be too long and expected to list what this city can offer to a sightseer, anyway we'd like to suggest to follow one of the different routes for discovering the magic City of Art V enice. The islands tour suggests: Murano with a visit to a glass workshop so famous for glass-processing, then, Burano, the most pictoresque island of the Lagoon for the smarting colour of its painted houses and its famous laces. The last island is Torcello, the first human settlement on the lagoon: to testify its past splendor there are the magnificent mosaic of S anta Maria Assunta's Cathedral and the Church of Santa Fosca. You can't forget the famous Venice Carnival, Redentore (3rd Saturday of July) and the Regata Storica (1st Sunday of September). Today, like in the old times, Padua and Venice were linked throug h the Brenta Channel. "The Burchiello", an eighteenth century, elegant, white boat, everyday connects the City of the Saint to the City of San Marco. On the Burchiello the sweet venetian life went on: nobles and adventurers, ladies of rank and "cicisbei ", artists and actors created a singular pictoresque background so loved by the foreigner travellers who considered the fluvial trip just an anticipation of the wonderful Canal Grande in Venice. Today "The Burchiello" passes by the "Riviera del Brenta" an d offers the sightseen of more than 70 villas with enormous halls rich of frescos and paintings signed by well known names such as Palladio, Veronese and Tiepolo.

PADUA AND THE COLLI EUGANEI
ARQUA PETRARCA - MONSELICE - ESTE

Among the major cities in Veneto Region we cannot say that Padua has got the same monumental aspect as the others even though it owns famous artistic works, Though its topography is quite irregular old districts, with their long lanes and arcades, it can offer very pictoresque foresights. Life in Padua is quite lively and the numerous students of Padua University characterize the taste of the whole city. University keeps high the cultural glamour of the city, that is confirmed and supported by the artisti c Patrimony of churches and museums so rich and fascinating. One of the most suggestive and important attraction is the Basilica of Sant'Antonio, but we can't forget the Church of Santa Cristina with its imposing structure and its eight cupolas; but we ca n continue with the Cathedral, the Baptistery that contains works by "Giusto dei Menabuoi", the Scrovegni Chapel with Giotto's frescos, the Eremitani Museum and the Ragione Palace in which are always kept cultural exibition. Prato della Valle, a large ope n space, surrounded by a round channel ornated by statues of famous citizens of Padua, is the sitting-room of the city. A nice place to rest or wonder around. The wall-face of "Ex Capitanio" Palace in Piazza dei Signori was realized by Falconetto in 1532, there you can have a look to the first cIock in Italy, dated 1437. Not so far from Padua you can visit Colli Euganei and its archeological sites in Montegrotto Terme or the oldest Abbey in Veneto: Praglia's Abbey. Different tours will take you to Arqua P etrarca where you can visit the house of the famous poet Francesco Petrarca or to Monselice where there is Cini Castle with the seven small churches that take you to the fortress. Este with its suggestive Ducale Castle (XVI century) is another touristic attraction. In Este, the fifteenth century Mocenigo Palace, contains the National Museum, one of the most important archeological museum in Italy. The sightseen in Este can go on with the Duomo Barocco (Baroque Cathedral), the Municipal Palace, the Prince Palace.

VERONA - VICENZA - BASSANO - MAROSTICA

Verona is a city very rich in colour and charm. It has always inspired poets and artists such as Shakespeare, Carducci, Veronese, Palladio e Tiepolo. The city heart, Piazza delle Erbe, was the old site of a Roman Forum. The fourteenth century Column of th e Market and the splendid marble Aedicule (XVI century) arise in the centre of the square surrounded by buildings and towers. From among palaces stand out deIicate "bifora" (mullioned windows) and battlements of the thirteenth century House of The Merchan t and the Baroque style of the imposing Maffei Palace. Giusti Garden is adorned by fountains, statues and a labyrinth. If we talk about Verona we can't forget the Arena, erected in the first century A.D. and in which they play the annual lyrical season fa mous all over the world in summer time. But how can we forget the Montecchio Castle and the small balcony, that has been the witness of Romeo and Juliet's love story. Vicenza, city of water and rivers, was founded on the alluvial hills at the foot of the M onti Berici and at the confluence of navigable rivers so important for commerce expecially the gold commerce famous till today. Since Roman times has arrived to us part of the beautiful Berga Theatre, built during Hadrian's time and preserved at Chiericat i Palace, the city Civic Museum. Testimony of an active religious past are many churches and basilica, we can quoted the Basilica of Monteberico in which you can admire a painting of Veronese, the Basilica of San Felice e Fortunato IIV century) with its pa leochristian mosaic flooring. The beautiful church of San Vincenzo in Piazza dei Signori is dated back to XIV century. Many are the palaces and villas that enrich the artistic patrimony of this city: the Palace of Ragione or "Basilica", Thiene Palace, Civ ena Palace and Chiericati Palace that were part or totally planned by Andrea Palladio together with the most famous of the Palladian villas "La Rotonda". The famous Villa Valmarana is beautifully painted with suggestive frescos by the two Tiepolos. If you take the way from Vicenza to Bassano just at the foot of the Altipiano dei Sette Comuni (N.d.t. Seven Commons Highlands) you will get to Marostica. Undoubtedly, in Marostica, the splendour of the Middle Age art is represented by the castles and the pow erful walls that surround the town, while the fast and the suggestive flavour of that times is every year recalled with the very famous chess competition played in fourteenth century costumes at Piazza del Castello. The very famous regional Cherry Festiv al takes place every year, cherries that have the same name of the city; "Marosticane". Gardens, flowered balconies, old lanes, rich shops, squares like in a Goldoni's play, and a homogeneous centre around the castle recreate in Bassano that sort of relati onship with the past still existing in the traditions, usages and customs of the people, Goldsmiths, blacksmiths, ceramists, distillers, typographers and artists, with their traditions, give to this town a characteristic feature of industry and beauty. I t is also a touristic place not only for the natural beauty of Mount Grappa but also for its history. In fact two World War were fought here and the Ponte Vecchio (N.d.t. Old Bridge) was witness of many battles and has become a legend through songs artd f olk tales.

TREVISO AND LA MARCA TREVIGIANA
CASTELFRANCO - ASOLO - POSSAGNO

Till today Treviso is not a well-known city, even though it can offer many opportunities to a tourist or a scholar, both in touristic and research field thanks to its rich churches a nd opulent museums and libraries. Anyway those characteristics give to its citizens and sightseers the idea of a perfect city to live in, very suitable to the human nature. The four main gates (Porta Altinia, Porta San Tomaso, Porta Matteotti, Porta Santi Quaranta) will take you into the beauty of this city, also called "City of water" because its arcades and porticos, its squares and its districts are crossed, nearly embraced, by a river so fiesh and limp id: Sile. A legend says this river has always been called in this way "silet ": silence, that means it flows in silence. The huge church of San Niccolò dominates over the city from the first half of the thirteenth century together with the Dominican Mona stery; inside the Cathedral we can admire a Titian painting: The Annunciation. A light angel is descending the Heaven informing a timorous Maria. In the heart of the city stand two famous palaces: the battlemented Palazzo dei Trecento (N.d.t. Three hundred men Palace - Xlll century), three hundred was in fact the number of the counsellors of the Major Council who were used to meet there, and the Loggia of the Knights called in this way because who contributed financially to the realization of this palace were the knights that liked to gamble and play chess there. When we are talking about "La Marca Trevigiana" we intend a cluster of towns and lan dscapes that, with their traditions and stories, sorround and adorn the beauty of Treviso. Between the Mount Grappa and Asolo, with its sweet hills, we can find towns plunged in the green nature; an example is Possagno, birth place of Canova where you can visit his house and the museum. But the most enchanting town of the province is Asolo where, on the top of the hill, you can admire the suggestive castle of Caterina Cornaro. There the queen of Cyprus kept her splendid Court for twenty years. The Civic M useum, placed inside the Loggia of the Captain (XV century), is very interesting because of the archeological findings, Canova's works and Eleonora Duse's mementos who was buried in Asolo. The Cathedral contains paintings by Vivarini, Jacopo Bassano and L orenzo Lotto. The sightseers will discover the beauty of the landscape, the magnificence of art and the delicious gastronomy just wandering around Monticano and Livenza, Terraglio and Sile, Prosecco hills, Vittoriese, Montello and Castelfranco Veneto, We' d like to say a word about Castelfranco Veneto that is so similar in Iife and structure to Treviso. Surrounded by castle walls built around 1200, the Cathedral keeps the famous Pala of Giorgione (1504), masterpiece of Francesco Maria Preti. Near there, th e so called "Giorgione's house" with frescos of Liberal and Mechanical Arts that more than a critic attributes to the great Artist.