Wine tourist
A journey |
The 'Strada dei Vini del Piave' is a path rich with charm, culture and tempting food and wine events. It is a path of knowledge and appreciation of the great wines from the Treviso area - from the Castle of Conegliano to the plain crossed by the river itself. On the left of the river there is Mareno di Piave, one of the capitals of wine. Here in the XIV century church of San Pietro in Bosco the fresco of the Last Supper clearly shows red wine, prawns and also white wine.
The same theme and content can be found in the San Giorgio church in San Polo di Piave. And then Vazzola, with its altar pieces and frescos. Any trip to this strong wine-producing region must include Tezze. Here, in the first half of the last century, the groundbreaking wine of the vast vineyards of the Bellussis the alla Bellussi vineyards, also called bellussere, started to grow.
Passing through the medieval city of Portobuffole, the Strada comes to beautiful, historic Oderzo. Then the road leads to the Postumia road and you are in Motta di Livenza. This area is extremely important for wine-growing. Then there are Chiamano and Cessalto, with their numerous Venetian villas, among them the Villa Donegal by Palladio is particularly worth mentioning. Onwards, we find Salgareda, one of the most qualified areas for wine making in the Italian plain which, together with Campo di Pietra, is the heart of the Doc Piave area. Beyond the river the Strada passes through Zenson di Piave, Monastier and Roncade. Monastier was one of the major wine-producing centres in the Treviso province, thanks to the Benedectine monks and their exemplary agriculture.
San Biagio di Callalta, Breda di Piave and Maserada sul Piave are the next stops. Afterwards, to reach Cimadolmo, one has to pass the Grave di Papadopoli, a three mile long and one mile wide gravel covered island in the river. This is an area of 750 hectares held in the two forks of the Piave where agriculture started at the beginning of the XX century. It now boasts vineyards and other unique products like the asparagus from Cimadolmo, which has made the area famous. At this point the Strada goes down to San Polo di Piave, another provider of life-blood to the Piave vines and in particular of Raboso. Here you can visit the church of San Giorgio in Bosco, mentioned above, which dates back to VIII century during the Longobard era, and which was later expanded. The interior is enriched by a huge cycle of frescos, among which the Last Supper stands out, anonymously dated from 1466. The work shows a table full of prawns, freshwater fish, plenty of red wine and a bottle of white wine - typical local products of the XV century, and also today. Nearby, almost hidden in a wide vineyard, there is the temple of Ormelle, with the monumental XII-XIII century church of the Knight Templars, built by the Knights of Malta.
After San Polo the Strada leads to Santa Lucia di Piave - a city famous for the historic food festival - a treasure trove of typical local products. Finally, near the hills to the west, the Castle of San Salvatore in Susegana, and in the north the city and the Castle of Conegliano - and a farewell to our journey of discovery.
All along The Srada dei Vini di Piave, the wine cellars welcome visitors with enthusiasm and irresistible offers. In ancient buildings or in modern arcades, in leafy arbours or futuristic vaults one can taste the wine produced in this fertile land.