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Maiolica
of Nove
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For those who want to dive into the history
of the Veneto, the first stop north of Vicenza is Marostica,
the walled Medieval city where it is possible to attend the legendary chess
match played in period costumes every September on even years.
Another famous event, the Dama Castellana in Conegliano,
brings back to life old games, competitions and festivities from
the XV century that are performed in ancient costumes between
September and October. Among the walled cities in the area, tourists
should not miss a visit to Soave, an example of military
architecture, the Montagnana hamlet
in the Padua area on the boundary with Vicenza, and Cittadella,
for its beautiful elliptic structure. There are also towers,
fortresses and old castles in Villafranca, Este, Serravalle and
Malcesine, and for those who are fond of legends, you can stop
in Montecchio Maggiore to visit the castles of the two unlucky
lovers that became famous in Shakespeare's tragedy, Romeo
and Juliet.
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Ponte
Vecchio in Bassano
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Continuing on,
it is worthwhile to stop in Bassano del Grappa, between
the Brenta River and the Grappa Mountain, a place famous for
First World War events. In the center of the city it is
still possible to see important architecture and frescoed palaces, but the symbol
of Bassano is the Ponte Vecchio, the wooden bridge known as "The
bridge of the Alpine soldiers". While you're here, don't forget to taste
the grappa (a liquor obtained by distilling grape pomace) in one of the historical
shops of the area. A few meters from the bridge is Palazzo
Sturm where the Museum of Ceramics is located. Together with the Ceramics
Museum in Nove, this museum collects pieces of undisputable value produced
by the Antonibon School and other main schools that have developed this
art for more than three centuries. There are still hundreds of companies
that produce ceramics, and to have an idea of how they continue the tradition
of their forefathers just follow the directions to Nove or to the smooth hills
towards Asolo, a jewel of the Treviso area, the "city of one hundred
horizons" chosen by artists and writers for its magic atmosphere and charming
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The
Three Graces
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Following in the
steps of Robert Browning, Ernest Hemingway, and Eleonora Duse,
in a few minutes we reach Possagno, famous as the birthplace
of Antonio Canova whose plasters, temperas and drawings
still remain in the house and in the Gipsoteca (Museum of Plasters)
enlarged by Carlo Scarpa in 1957. From here it is possible to
continue on towards Valdobbiadene, the beginning of "the White
Wine Valley". The views from the vineyards and of local
production are particularly breathtaking , the same views that
inspired Giovanni Bellini, Giambattista Cima, Giorgione, Titian, Jacopo
da Ponte, Canaletto, Marco Ricci, Francesco Guardi and
all the other masters who succeeded in describing the colors
and shades of the Veneto Region.
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