The quiet revolution of the Italian city that became an alternative to the excessive tourism of Venice

The air is thick with salt and butter when a bowl of tagliatelle with melted anchovies and flaked cod roe arrives at my canalside table.

The sharp pop of a cork breaks the restaurant's buzz, and the waitress pours a glass of local white wine. Lunch has arrived.

"This is the queen of butters," says my waitress, who claims that the Alpine butter— Primiero Botìro —that coats my pasta is a regional specialty.

Produced in mountain areas with raw milk in July and September, she says, "it's tastier now."

It's September and I'm in Treviso, one of northern Italy's most quietly delightful destinations and a place many travelers just pass through, landing here on low-cost airline flights and heading straight to neighboring Venice.

However, Treviso is worth stopping by: a historic walled city lined with canals, where tiramisu first appeared on menus and radicchio and prosecco shape daily life.

It's a destination that has been attracting increasing attention, most recently for becoming the first Italian city to win the European Green Leaf Award, a European Union initiative that recognizes the environmental efforts of smaller cities with between 20,000 and 100,000 residents.

With a population of nearly 94,000, Treviso impressed judges by transforming an abandoned landfill into a solar park, renovating its canal system to improve water quality, and launching biodiversity projects to clean the air.

The green initiative is also expanding beyond the city, to the UNESCO-listed Prosecco Hills, where winemakers are adopting sustainable practices to combat climate change.

Treviso's efforts offer an interesting counterpoint to Venice, just 30 minutes away, which continues to suffer from overtourism, water pollution, and infrastructure challenges.

The much-vaunted fee for visitors staying a day in the ancient city has raised millions in revenue but has failed to significantly reduce tourist numbers, which will still average 13,000 a day in 2025, compared with 16,676 in 2024.

"We are very proud of our city," says Alessandro Manera, deputy mayor of Treviso.

"It was a challenge to show that an Italian city could win this award. The goal of the award is not to be the most beautiful and greenest city in Europe. It's about showing who is improving."

Since launching its sustainability mission seven years ago, Treviso has built miles of new bike lanes to reduce car use, implemented school recycling programs, and planted 6,000 trees.

Trees, says Manera, play a key role in improving air quality in the municipality, located in the Po Valley — a natural basin that traps pollutants.

Another key project was the modernization of Treviso's sewage infrastructure, which only reached 27% of the city's population.

"We are already at 64% and [by the 10th year] we would like to finish at 80%", says Manera.

"It really is a green revolution, because all that sewage was going into our rivers."

For a city surrounded by water, transformation is vital. Often nicknamed "Little Venice" by locals, Treviso's canals cut through the city's 2,100-year-old historic center, passing flower-filled balconies and drooping weeping willows along the banks.

"This is a city where the canals are the protagonists," says Ilaria Barbon, tour guide at Treviso Tours.

"The presence of the River Sile was essential to the origins and development of Treviso. The same canals and massive walls protected Treviso in the early 16th century."

She adds that water remains fundamental to Treviso's identity.

"Today, the water quality is very good. We have many springs, some of them famous, like the Dei Tre Visi or the Delle Tette . Free Aqua is an app that allows you to monitor your water bottle's supply. I live 6 km from Treviso, and the local government is distributing aluminum bottles to all the children at school—the goal is zero plastic."

This same water has also fed Treviso's industry for a long time.

Ancient watermills used to grind grain in the 16th century are scattered throughout the city. They were recently reactivated, and one of them even powers the lights at Treviso's central fish market.

"This is the only place currently supplied because, for the entire city, it would be impossible," says Manera.

"But another big project—a €25 million project—is to switch all the city's street lighting to LED. We'll complete that in six to seven months," he says, estimating that it will result in 70% energy savings.

This same quest for a more sustainable life goes beyond infrastructure. Tour guide Annalisa De Martin encourages travelers to explore Treviso on two wheels, taking bike tours along the canals, river trails, and surrounding countryside, while enjoying the city's gastronomy.

"I always end my walks with a slice of tiramisu," she tells me: "It was invented here."

Legend has it that the coffee-soaked dessert was created in the 18th century by a madam who ran a local brothel.

Tiramisu—which literally translates to "cheer me up"—was said to be offered as an aphrodisiac to customers. Visit any of the city's restaurants, and you'll almost certainly see it on the menu.

Treviso is also famous for its radicchio—a type of red chicory with a slightly bitter flavor that's often eaten with cheese. Tours follow the Radicchio Road, a stretch lined with farms open to visitors.

"Radicchio is used in many ways here," says De Martin.

"Not just raw, but also for risottos and roasting. We also use it for pasta sauces and [to make chutney] for cheese. We have a radicchio cake called fregolotta , and someone once even made a radicchio tiramisu during our annual Tiramisu World Cup."

Beyond desserts and vegetables, the region's rolling Prosecco hills reflect the same balance of land, tradition, and innovation.

Winemaker Sandro Bottega, founder of Bottega Prosecco, says climate change is forcing producers to adapt.

"We're experiencing a lot of things," says Bottega, "from excessive water evaporation during hot summers to increased rain and hail during colder seasons, which damage the vines."

He says climate change is having a major impact on production, adding that "in some vineyards, last year, we lost 80% [of our crops]. This year, it will be 50%."

In response, producers like Bottega are experimenting with sustainable viticulture methods to reduce their carbon impact—such as green manure techniques to promote soil fertility, solar panels used to achieve energy autonomy, and geothermal air conditioning as natural climate control.

A sign, perhaps, that Treviso’s green ambitions have spread beyond the city walls.

Together, they show how one of Italy's most tranquil destinations is shaping a green future; a future rooted in the simple pleasures of good food and drink, clean water, and community action.