The best running trails around Fossalta Di Piave

icon contact us icon get inspired logo 0 Ernest Hemingway, a Venetian by adoption 5 Hemingway’s favorite places in Veneto Index 1. Schio, ‘one of the most beautiful places on earth’ 2. The yellow house in Fossalta di Piave 3. Venice, the Gritti Hotel, Harry’s Bar and the Locanda Cipriani on the island of Torcello 4. The casoni of Caorle 5. Cortina D’Ampezzo It is no exaggeration to call Ernest Hemingway a Venetian by adoption: 'a boy from the lower Piave, I am an old fan of Veneto and it is here that I will leave my heart,' he used to say about himself. Arriving in our region in 1918 as a volunteer for the International Red Cross, initially stationed in Schio, he narrowly escaped death on the Piave, where he was seriously wounded in the leg. From then on, he remained forever linked to our territory, where he was treated, fell in love, and returned several times throughout his life. What are Hemingway’s favorite places in Veneto? At least five cities remained in his heart and played an important role in his personal and artistic journey. Let’s discover them together. Ernest Hemingway 1. Schio, ‘one of the most beautiful places on earth’ Hemingway arrived in Veneto in 1918, sent to Schio shortly after coming of age due to its proximity to Monte Pasubio and Vallarsa, theaters of the Great War. He was young, cocky, looking for fun, girls, and good drinks, frequenting the locals in the taverns and local inns. Moments of joy and, despite the war, of lightheartedness, which imprinted themselves on his heart. He would later write, ‘There was a garden in Schio, with a wisteria-covered wall, where we drank beer on hot evenings, under a moon that bombarded us and cast all sorts of shadows with the plane tree that stretched over the tables.’ These words date back to 1922; Hemingway had recently married and was working as a journalist in Toronto. He was in Italy to interview Mussolini and returned to Schio to show his wife what he remembered as ‘one of the most beautiful places on earth.’ But the disappointment was bitter; he no longer recognized ‘his’ Schio, rebuilt after the war, which seemed to have lost all the verve and charm that had captivated him. If there is one place that forever marked the bond between Hemingway and Veneto, it is Fossalta di Piave, in the Province of Venice, where the writer was moved to follow the Piave front. The evening of July 8, 1918, around 11 p.m., an Austrian howitzer hit an Italian stronghold on the banks of the Piave, in the Buso Burato area. One dead and two wounded, one of whom was Hemingway himself. The explosion stunned him, but although wounded in the leg, he had the strength to shoulder the other wounded man and climb the embankment. Just at that moment, a flash lit up the night: it was a flare fired by the Austro-Hungarians to check the effect of the shot. A snapshot was indelibly imprinted in the writer’s mind: that of a ruined house nearby, the famous Casa Gialla (Yellow House), which we will find in his books as a symbol of anguish.

Main square of the municipality of Fossalta di Piave and seat of the municipality.

Fossalta di Piave is an Italian municipality of 4,257 inhabitants (data updated to 2026) located in the metropolitan city of Venice, in Veneto. It stands on the right bank of the Piave river, in a flat area historically strategic for crossing the river before it flows into the sea. The town has ancient roots dating back to Roman colonization, along the Via Callalta. Its name derives from the Latin fovea alta, meaning "deep pit", probably referring to a riverbed depression. World War I: It was the scene of very hard fighting during the "Battle of the Solstice" (June 1918), which led to the almost total destruction of the inhabited area. Ernest Hemingway: The American writer was wounded right here, in the locality of Buso Burato, on July 8, 1918. This event profoundly marked his life and his works, such as the famous novel A Farewell to Arms.

A tower with the image of the great writer Hemingway along the banks of the Piave river, near Fossalta di Piave (VE).

Dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, the parish church of Fossalta di Piave is the spiritual heart of the community and a symbol of architectural rebirth. The current building stands on the ashes of the previous structure, razed to the ground during the devastating bombings of the Great War, being right on the front line of the Piave. Characterized by a sober and imposing neoclassical style, the church features a solemn facade that dominates the main square of the town. Inside, the space is large and bright, capable of conveying a sense of serenity that contrasts with the historical memory of the conflict. The bell tower, which stands out in the local panorama, serves as a visual landmark for those traveling along the riverbanks. More than just a place of worship, the parish church represents the resilience of a population that has been able to rebuild its identity and roots after total destruction, proudly preserving them along the riverbanks.

The church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the parish church of Fossalta di Piave. The previous church of Fossalta di Piave was built in 1856 to a design by architect Giovanni Battista Meduna and consecrated on October 7, 1880 by the bishop of Treviso, Giuseppe Callegari. In 1914, construction work began on the bell tower in Venetian style, which was destroyed along with the church in 1918 during World War I. The current parish church was rebuilt between 1920 and 1922 with the same proportions as the 19th-century one; in that year, the new bell tower was erected and the consecration was performed. The building was restored between 1984 and 1985. Finally, between 1990 and 1991, the floor was redone.

Hemingway's famous yellow house

The pontoon bridge from a particular angle