The city stands on a spur above the Piave Valley, its skirts in corn poppy meadows. Belluno’s monuments are concentrated round the cathedral: 14th-17thC Palazzo Rettori in particular, with typically Venetian arcades and clock-tower. Venice of the Doges has left deep imprints on the house style of the centre − pink and primrose colour wash, balconies, broad low arches, the stern harmonies of façades. From their windows, from descending streets and gaps in hedges, you see cameos of the river valley, reminiscent of the landscapes of local 18thC painters Ricci and Zais. Far to the north, the Dolomite ranges twinkle in the sun.