CASTELFRANCO VENETO

town, Treviso provincia, Veneto regione, northern Italy. It lies west of Treviso. Founded in 1199 by Treviso city as a bulwark against the Paduans, it is surrounded by medieval walls enclosing the remains of the 12th-century castle. The town was the birthplace of the painter Zorzi da Castelfranco, called Giorgione. The 18th-century cathedral contains one of Giorgione's finest works, the Madonna and Child with SS. Francis and Liberale (1504), as well as frescoes by Paolo Veronese. The town's manufactures include textiles and electrical apparatus. Pop. (1993 est.) mun., 29,605.