Venetian Masters

This journey commences in Pieve di Cadore, at the feet of the Dolomite mountains and only a few kilometers away from Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Pieve del Cadore and Titian's birthplace

Home to just over 4000 inhabitants, Pieve di Cadore is famous for its spectacular natural landscapes and, above all, for being the birthplace of Tiziano Vecellio (1488/90-1576), best known beyond Italy as Titian. Today the house where Titian was born has become a National Monument, visitable by appointment.

The beautifully conserved historic center of Pieve di Cadore still contains the traces of the town's glorious past. High on the list of the sites worthy of mention, we find the 15th century Palazzo della Magnifica Comunità di Cadore (now home to the Archaeological Museum), the Church of S. Maria Nascente and Piazza Tiziano.

The town's fascinating Eye Glass Museum boasts a collection of more than two thousand types of spectacles, dating from the middle ages to the present day

Belluno, Borgo Piave and Villa San Pellegrino

From Pieve di Cadore, our journey exploring the towns which produced Veneto's greatest artists takes us to Belluno. Here, in the district of Borgo Piave, we find Villa San Pellegrino, where the writer Dino Buzzati, author of the "Desert of the Tartars", was born.

Palio and power politics in Feltre

Once past Lentiai, where Tiziano Vecellio once had his workshop, we soon come to Feltre. On the first weekend of August each year hosts the Palio di Feltre: a great medieval fair, which commemorates the town's historic links with Venice.

Feltre's past splendor is still visible in prestigious edifices such as Palazzo Banchieri, Palazzo Villabruna, seat of the Civic Museum, and Palazzo Guarnieri, this latter sporting a magnificent facade complete with ornate Arabian style motifs.

During the Second World War, on July 19th 1943, the town hosted the "Feltre Conference" in which Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler met to discuss future war strategy

Possagno and the Canova Plaster Cast Gallery

Some thirty kilometers away from Feltre lies Possagno, where the sculptor Antonio Canova was born. In addition to the artist's house, in which to admire paintings, engravings, drawings, sculptures and even clothes belonging to Canova, art lovers should be sure to visit the temple built by Canova at the start of the 1800's and to the Canova Museum Plaster Cast Gallery.

From Possagno we travel southwards so as to reach Asolo, another town rich in artistic masterpieces and much loved by Gabriele d'Annunzio. Immediately after Asolo, we come to the town of Maser and Villa Barbaro, a superb example of the architectural genius of Padua-born Andrea Palladio.

The Canova Plaster Cast Gallery contains terracotta sketches and original plaster casts of many of the artist's most famous works

Castelfranco Veneto and Giorgione's Madonna and Child

Our journey draws to a close in the lush green plains of Veneto and Castelfranco Veneto, birthplace of Giorgione. In the town's cathedral, one of the great painter's finest works, the Madonna and Child between St. Francis and St. Nicasius, can be admired.
Piazza Giorgione is the vibrant heart of Castelfranco Veneto, where to find any number of fashionable bars and restaurants. Just a few meters lie between the main square and the Teatro Accademico.