TREVISO (anc. TARvisium), a town and episcopal see of Venetia, Italy, capital of the province of Treviso, 49 ft. above sea-level. Pop. in 1931, 18,089 (town) ; 53,952 (commune). It is situated on the plain between the Gulf of Venice and the Alps, 18 m. by rail north of Venice, at the confluence of the Sile with the Botteniga. The former flows partly round its walls, the latter through the town; and it has canal communication with the lagoons. It has narrow irregular colonnaded streets and old frescoed houses. The cathedral of San Pietro, dating from 1141 and restored and enlarged in the 15th century by Pietro Lom bardo, with a classical façade of 1836, has seven domes. It contains a fine "Annunciation" by Titian (1519), an important "Adoration of the Shepherds" by Paris Bordone (born at Tre viso in 150o), and frescoes by Pordenone. There are also sculptures by Lorenzo and Battista Bregno and others. The bap tistery is Romanesque. The Gothic church of San Nicole (1310– 52) contains important works of art, including a large altarpiece by Fra Marco Pensabene and others; in the church and adjoining chapter-house are frescoes by Tommaso da Modena (1352), some frescoes by whom (life of S. Ursula) are also in the Museo Civico.
The churches of S. Leonardo, S. Andrea, S. Maria Maggiore, and S. Maria Maddalena also contain art treasures. The Piazza dei Signori contains picturesque brick battlemented palaces—the Palazzo dei Trecento (c. 1207) and the Palazzo Pretorio (1218– 68). The loggia dei Cavalieri 195) is also fine.
The ancient Tarvisium lay off the main roads, and is hardly men tioned by ancient writers. In the 6th century it appears as an important place and was the seat of a Lombard duke. Charle magne made it the capital of a marquisate. It joined the Lombard league, and was independent after the peace of Constance (1183) until, in 1339, it came under the Venetian sway. From 1318 it was for a short time the seat of a university. Its walls and ram parts were renewed under the direction of Fra Giocondo (1509), two of the gates, the Porta Mazzini and Porta Cavour, dating from 1517-18. Treviso was taken in 1797 by the French under Mortier (duke of Treviso). In March 1848 the Austrian garrison was driven from the town by the revolutionary party, but in the fol lowing June the town was bombarded and compelled to capitulate.