The Terraglio, the road connecting Mestre to Treviso, is one of the most famous and beautiful in the Veneto region. ‘This ancient road was also a destination for what Goldoni called ‘holiday cravings’,” says Vincenzo Marinese, President of Confindustria Venezia Area Metropolitana di Venezia e Rovigo. – “Since the 16th century, in fact, it was the autumn and spring residence for Venetian patricians, who reached their holiday homes by gondola, from Venice to Mestre, and then continued by carriage, as Gozzi reminds us”.
In documents from the 13th century, the road was connected to a long navigable canal between Treviso and Mestre, of which no trace remains today. Of the splendid Venetian villas, 38 remain today, scattered along an elegant route bordered by rows of oriental plane trees.
Travelling along the Terraglio you reach Mogliano Veneto, a Venetian hinterland rich in excellent artistic testimonies. Among the religious architecture, the Church of Santa Maria Assunta and the annexed Benedictine Abbey stand out. There is a high concentration of ancient and elegant Venetian villas, which offer visitors an unforgettable experience between history and legend thanks to the priceless frescoes, art objects and parks that belonged to the territory’s noble families. Just think of Villa Marchesi, rich in decorations and ornaments, and the 18th-century Villa Marignana Benetton, home-museum of master sculptor Toni Benetton. Villa Zoppolato, which, behind a large wrought-iron gate, hides a marvellous Italian-style garden and a splendid Orangery. Villa Condulmer, built on the ruins of an ancient monastery, which offers an unexpected 18-hole golf course amidst the beautiful secular plants of its park.
Finally, Villa Braida, Villa Morosini-Gatterburg, Villa Fürstemberg and Villa Padoan are worth mentioning.
