After the Prosecco Marathon: Treviso

The Route: Vidor → Treviso (2 nights) → Venice or the airport Logistics: Travel from the start area by taxi or pre-arranged car, either direct to Treviso or to a rail station such as Montebelluna or Conegliano, and finish by train. Check each leg, and the Sunday and Monday timetable, before you book. Marathon Month: December Duration: 2 nights

Vidor ──(taxi, or taxi + train)──> Treviso Centrale
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               night 1: walls, canals, the Pescheria island
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               night 2: Piazza dei Signori, arcaded streets
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                           train to Venice or airport

Treviso is a small city with a ring of brick walls from the sixteenth century and two rivers that run through the centre, the Sile and the Botteniga, giving it canals without the crowds of its neighbour. Water wheels turn in the channels behind the old streets. The medieval centre is flat, and the whole historic area can be crossed on foot in twenty minutes.

Two nights here, with a flat centre and a short list of things to see, gives a recovering runner plenty of time to sit.

December in Treviso: the days are short and often foggy, the arcades are dry, and the city fills with Christmas lights. This is radicchio season: the red, bitter, long-leaved variety grown in the area is on market stalls and in most kitchens, grilled, in risotto or on its own.

Getting there

There is no direct rail from the start area. A taxi to Treviso takes in the order of 40 minutes, or you can take a taxi to Conegliano or Montebelluna and a train from there. Check the timetable, and buy tickets in advance. Treviso's airport, which handles budget flights, is a short way outside the city.

Night one: the centre

Walk the old streets. The Pescheria, a fish market on a small island between two channels, is the best-known spot, and stalls are busiest in the morning. Piazza dei Signori has a Palazzo dei Trecento and arcaded cafés. Walk the arcades of Calmaggiore, the main street. The surfaces are flat.

Night two: the walls and the canals

Follow the line of the walls, which make a flat circular path. Around the edge, the Buranelli, a short stretch of canal with a row of houses, is worth a look. The city's museums keep their own hours, so check before you go.

Where to stay

Stay inside the walls. A hotel near the station or Piazza dei Signori will keep walking to a minimum. Check rates, breakfast times and whether the hotel has a lift.

Food

Treviso claims to be the birthplace of tiramisu, a claim disputed by other places. Whatever the truth, the dessert is on every menu. For a savoury plate, look for radicchio, baccalà mantecato, risotto with local herbs and cured meats. Book dinner on a weekend night.

Getting back

Treviso Centrale has regular trains to Venice, in the order of 30 to 40 minutes, and the airport is a short bus or taxi ride out of the centre. Check the timetable and allow a margin if you are flying.