The villas in Terraglio

The Terraglio, the thoroughfare that connects Mestre and Treviso, is one of Veneto’s most beautiful and well-known streets. “This ancient road used to be popular among holidaymakers, during the holiday-boom that Goldoni describes as a holiday-craze- says Vincenzo Marinese, President Confindustria in Venice and Rovigo.

Starting from the 16th century, it was a spring and autumn holiday destination for Venetian patricians, who here built their vacation homes. Each family used to travel by gondola from Venice to Mestre where they would then hop on oxen-pulled carriages for the journey to their villas.
In some 13th century documents, the road from Treviso to Mestre seemed to be connected with a navigable river, that nowadays no longer exists. Of all the villas built during those years, only 38 are still standing along an elegant road lined with oriental plane trees.

Mogliano Veneto can be reached following the Terraglio street. Located in the Venetian hinterland, it is an area rich in art and excellent architecture. Particularly significant are religious sites such as the St. Mary of the Assumption Church and the annex Benedictine Abbey. A spectacular range of Venetian Villas is also among the must-sees in the area due to their historical and artistic importance – they are in fact home to beautiful frescoes, artistic objects and century-old parks that used to belong to local aristocratic families. Other examples of architectural beauties are Villa Marchesi, richly decorated and featuring a wide array of ornaments, or the 18th century Villa Marignana Benetton, house museum of sculptor Toni Benetton. The list is long and distinguished – Villa Zoppolato conceals a beautiful Italian-style garden and an exceptional orangery behind its majestic
iron gates; Villa Condulmer was built on the remains of an ancient monastery and hides among the magnificent plants of its century-old park a golf course made up of 18 holes. Additionally it is worth mentioning Villa Braida, Villa Morosini-Gatterburg, Villa Fürstemberg and Villa Padoan.