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.

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:
 * Venice Marco Polo Airport, 56 km. Many destinations throughout Europe. By train: bus to Venezia Mestre station, then train
 * Treviso, 26 km. Low-cost airport with Ryanair and other carriers. By train: bus to Treviso station, then train
 * Verona Valerio Catullo, 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.

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.