Colle Umberto: Hills, Villas and Cycling History

Holiday apartment in Colle Umberto: Hills, Villas and Cycling History

Colle Umberto and the hamlet of San Martino lie on two hills at around 145 metres above sea level in the eastern Venetian Pre-Alps. Morainic hills, gentle slopes and a green plain shape the landscape. The Meschio and Mellarè watercourses skirt the northern and southern edges of the area respectively.

This combination of landscape, architectural heritage and cycling history gives you several clear options when planning your holiday. Colle Umberto can be reached by car and by train via the Conegliano FS railway station; when choosing a holiday apartment, you can combine your preferred focus for your stay with your travel arrangements.

Culture between Churches and Villas

The parish church of Colle Umberto has a neoclassical façade and a single broad interior, both associated with a design by Sebastiano De Boni. Its Pugina organ was inaugurated on 24 October 1924. The Chiesa Arcipretale di S. Martino di Colle Umberto has a Renaissance portico extending across the entire façade. It also preserves frescoes by the 16th-century painter Francesco Pagani, known by the nickname Da Milano.

Several villas add further detail to the town's history. Villa Morosini-Lucheschi is a neoclassical patrician villa and belongs to the Venetian villas. Villa Fabris is also known as Casa del Tiziano and was built around 1545. Villa Verecondi-Scortecci bears the name Casino di Caccia Onesti; it was built towards the end of the 16th century as a hunting lodge near a still-existing medieval tower. Near the church of S. Tommaso stands Villa San Tommaso, an 18th-century building that preserves the original flooring on the first upper floor.

Cycling History and Routes through the Villages

In San Martino di Colle Umberto, there is a dedicated gateway to the history of cycling. The Museo Ottavio Bottecchia is housed there in a historic mill and smithy. It displays original memorabilia associated with the racing cyclist and is the first museum space in Italy dedicated entirely to Ottavio Bottecchia. Bottecchia was born in San Martino di Colle Umberto and won the Tour de France in 1924 and 1925.

For walks, the route “Un piccolo viaggio nel passato tra borghi e colline moreniche” is a good option. It begins at the parish church of San Tomaso in Colle Umberto and passes through the town centre, Borgo Concie, Borgo Pigatti and San Martino. The route also extends as far as the Terraglio; the Terraglio is considered the former site of a Paleo-Venetian hillfort.

The annual event “Inseguendo Bottecchia” leads to his house, his monument and his grave in the cemetery of San Martino di Colle Umberto.

Further Places to Discover

Rolle, Borgo Antiga, Bavaria, Crespignaga, Orsago, Crespano Del Grappa, Codogne' and Tovena

For the higher-level travel overview: Treviso.