Musical Destinations Rebecca Franks enjoys a visit to Treviso, Italy
Rebecca Franks heads to a small Italian city that boasts historic frescoes, eye-catching architecture and a flourishing early music series
If you’re tired of tourist hordes, torrents of daytrippers and the cruise-ship commercialisation of Venice, then hop down the road to Treviso. Not the eponymous airport, but the beautiful city in the Veneto province. Here, far from the madding crowds, it’s possible to savour a more laidback, authentic slice of Italian life. Sauntering the serene streets encircled by medieval walls and threaded through by narrow canals dotted with waterwheels and small bridges, the hurly-burly of Venice fades in the memory.
Treviso isn’t a big place – 85,000 residents at the last count – but it packs a cultural punch. In just one day, on foot, it’s possible to see historic and artistic treasures that thousands would jostle to photograph in busier cities. Beautifully restored 13th-century frescoes adorn the exteriors of many buildings; the old prison was recently converted into a contemporary art gallery, in which new works from artists around the world hang on its whitewashed walls. And two years ago the church of San Teonisto, whose roof was destroyed in World War II, was finally rebuilt and reopened. It’s now home to an early music concert series that draws in some of the country’s finest musicians.
There’s a connection between all of these projects, with a clue offered by one of the town’s shops, the United Colors of Benetton. Treviso is where the three Benetton brothers and sister were born; from a small-scale start their fashion brand eventually went global. The short story? They became billionaires. In addition to his business interests, Luciano Benetton, now 84, heads up the Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche, a research institution with an unusual selection of interests: landscape and
places, the history and culture of games and, more broadly, cultural heritage. In the foundation’s headquarters, the restored Palazzo Bomben and Palazzo Caotorta, there’s a peaceful library and a bustling exhibition space.
But it’s in the wider city that the foundation’s impact is felt most. Take San Teonisto, the oldest parts of which date back to 1434. From the outside, it’s fairly nondescript. Step inside, though, and it’s a remarkable space. The oblong hall’s lower white walls are a backdrop to a collection of 17th-century paintings, which halfway up give way to plaster and partially uncovered frescoes. Above that, a jagged line, which marks where the roof fell after the Allied bombs. Four dramatic blownglass chandeliers hang in the auditorium, over a gleaming wooden floor and seating for 300. Designed by architect Tobia Scarpa, the hall opened in October 2017.
All year round, it hosts events run by the foundation’s Musica antica in casa Cozzi, a programme that aims to study and popularise music from the 13th to 16th centuries. Stefano Trevisi, also a pianist, harpsichordist and choral conductor, is the aptly named artistic director, and has been at the helm since the foundation’s series’ inauguration in 2013. ‘It’s an old church but the renovation created a new, pure and sharp sound,’ he explains. ‘It’s a place that has been returned to the people of Treviso and to the world. It’s full of memories and history, and when you play there you can feel them.’
Each season is programmed around a theme: recent years have explored the esoteric ‘Mimesis, from sign to sound’ as well as a wide-ranging look at early music and geography. 2019 marks the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, offering a rich seam of inspiration. ‘A lot of different things suggest the theme: lectures I’ve listened to, books I’ve read, an exhibition I’ve visited,’ says Trevisi. ‘Leonardo was easy as it’s his anniversary.’
On the European Day of Early Music, on 21 March 2019, also JS Bach’s birthday, the medieval music ensemble La Reverdie delved into ‘music for Leonardo’s bestiary’, offering a mesmerising sequence of readings and madrigals. All three musicians – Claudia Caffagni, Livia Caffagni and Elisabetta de Mircovich – sang, accompanying themselves on a combination of lute, vielle, flutes and rebec. The music was radiant and pure, a haunting echo of a centuries’ old past.
La Reverdie is a well-established early music group, but Musica antica in casa Cozzi also supports young artists. ‘We hosted the Spanish vocal quartet Cantoria, and I know they will become one of the most important vocal quartets in Europe,’ notes Trevisi. Performers in 2019 included the Choir of Royal Holloway, plus Polish musician S awomir Zubrzycki playing the viola organista, designed by Leonardo. And if the initial outings were a tough sell, the early-music audience soon started to build. In tandem, musicians take part in residential projects at the foundation’s old manor-house, Casa Luisa e Gaetano Cozzi.
It’s a sign of confidence that next year this Treviso series looks along the coast to its big sister for its theme – ‘Venice, pax tibi!’ ‘It’ll be a history of beginnings and different cultures,’ says Trevisi. ‘It’s not only a magical city, but it’s a real place full of contradictions.’ If Venice is often seen as a city of dreams, Treviso is one of homegrown treasures, quiet ambition and imaginative reinvention. ‘We love music and we want to spread it,’ says Trevisi, ‘to tell people about the sound of our town.’ Further information:
Visit www.fbrs.it for information on Music antica in casa Cozzi’s 2020 season
‘San Teonisto church has been returned to the people of Treviso and to the world’