Castelfranco Veneto

Castelfranco Veneto (Casteo in Veneto dialect) is between three main cities of the Veneto region, Treviso, Padova, and Vicenza, and is a walled city, with its medieval castle still in near-perfect condition.

Understand

Castelfranco was the birthplace of the high-renaissance painter Giorgione and the town's cathedral preserves the painter’s well-known Castelfranco altarpiece ("Madonna on the throne with Saint Liberalis and Saint Francis").

The political crises in Treviso and Padova at the end of the 12th century drove Treviso to build a fortification to counterattacks from Padova. The chosen location was a strategic position in Castelfranco Veneto: in front of where Via Postumia and Via Aurelia intersected and also in between several other fortified structures. In order to entice people to live in the castle, Treviso's government excused those living there from having to pay taxes, the reason why it was called Castelfranco (franco signifying "free" in Italian). The city is also home to an important music conservatory dedicated to the musician and composer Agostino Steffani. The auditorium and academic theatre of the conservatory are jewels of 18th century architecture that were planned by the architect Francesco Maria Preti. The heart of Castelfranco Veneto is enclosed by its medieval wall, one of the best-preserved in Italy. You will be able to feel the atmosphere of this city's rich past just walking through the centre.

See the local tourist board for more information.

Get in

By train

Castelfranco Veneto railway station is a junction of three railway lines, the Trento–Venice railway, the Vicenza–Treviso railway, and the Calalzo–Padua railway.

• Venice is 1 hour away
• Padua is 30 minutes away
• Treviso is 20 minutes away
• Vicenza is 40 minutes away
• Belluno is 1.5 hours away
• Trento is 2.5 hours away
• Calalzo is 2.5 hours away
• Verona is 1.5 hours away

See Trenitalia for more information.

By plane

Three international airports are nearby:

• Venezia Marco Polo (VCE ^IATA), 56 km. Many destinations throughout Europe. By train: bus to Venezia Mestre station, then train
• Treviso (TSF ^IATA), 26 km. Low-cost airport with Ryanair and other carriers. By train: bus to Treviso station, then train
• Verona Valerio Catullo (VRN ^IATA), 110 km. Many domestic flights and some international destinations (also low-cost). By train: bus to Verona Porta Nuova station, then train

By car

Castelfranco is not directly connected to the national highway network. Nevertheless, from Padua's highway exits (A4 - Torino-Milano-Venezia-Trieste and A13 - Bologna-Padova), regional road SR308 leads you to Castelfranco in about 40 minutes (40 km)

By bus

La Marca buses directly connect Castelfranco to Treviso in 45 minutes. During the summer, there is also a daily bus to the seaside resort of Jesolo (the journey takes 1.75 hours approximately). CTM buses directly connect Castelfranco to Padua in 55 minutes.

Get around

On foot

Discovering the city on foot is very easy. The historic centre is not very big, so you can easily go negotiate the narrow streets.

By bicycle

Castelfranco is quite a flat city, perfect for biking.

By taxi

• Taxi Express, Via Valsugana 92, ☎ [phone]. 
• Taxi Stazione, Via Melchiori snc, ☎ [phone]. 

See

• Casa Giorgione Museum (Close to the cathedral). Tu-Sa, 10:00-12:30, 15:00-18:30; Su, 10:00-19:00. To glimpse Giorgione's work, you can visit the painter's birthplace, now a museum. It holds the Frieze of Liberal and Mechanical Arts, the only fresco attributed to the artist. €5. 
• Cathedral. Daily, 09:00-12:00, 15:00-18:00. Castelfranco Veneto was the birthplace of the painter Giorgione, and the cathedral (1723) contains one of his finest works, the Madonna with St. Francis and Liberalis (1504), but more commonly called Pala del Giorgione. In the background, the towers of the old town may be seen. The cathedral itself was designed by Francesco Maria Preti and built over an ancient Romanesque church. Other art pieces include seven fragments of frescoes by Paolo Veronese. Free. 

Eat

• Ai Do Mori, Vicolo Montebelluna, 24, ☎ [phone]. (updated Feb 2015)
• All'Antico Girone, Via F.M.Preti, 36, ☎ [phone]. 
• All'Antica Torre, Piazza XXIV Maggio, 2/4, ☎ [phone]. 
• Alle Mura, Via F.M. Preti, 69, ☎ [phone]. 
• Anna Smania, Via Damini, 34, ☎ [phone]. 
• Barbesin, Via Circonvallazione est-Salvarosa, ☎ [phone]. 
• Dolce Garbo, Borgo Padova, 77, ☎ [phone]. 
• Il Galeone d'Oro, Piazza Giorgione, 74, ☎ [phone]. 
• La Grannde Muraglia, Via S. Pio X, 66, ☎ [phone]. 
• La Tavolaccia, Via Rizzetti, 18, ☎ [phone]. 
• Nani Ferro, Borgo Padova, 103, ☎ [phone]. 
• Rino Rior, Via Montebelluna, 27 Salvarosa, ☎ [phone]. 
• Roma, Via Filzi, 37, ☎ [phone]. 
• Tamburello, Via Pozzi, 5, San Floriano, ☎ [phone]. 

Sleep

• Albergo Al Moretto, Via San Pio X, 10, ☎ [phone]. 
• Albergo Roma, Via Filzi, 39, ☎ [phone]. 
• Albergo Ristorante Alla Speranza, Borgo Vicenza, 13, ☎ [phone]. Has a good restaurant. (updated Feb 2015)
• Albergo Ristorante Nani Ferro, Borgo Padova, 103, ☎ [phone]. 
• Blenheim Rooms, Via Borgo Pieve, 88, ☎ [phone], [phone]. 
• Hotel Alla Torre, P.tta Trento e Trieste, 7, ☎ [phone]. 
• Hotel Ca Delle Rose, Via Montebelluna, 41 Salvarosa, ☎ [phone]. 
• Hotel Ristorante Fior, Via dei Carpani, ☎ [phone]. 

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