Bassano del Grappa, a charming town in the province of Vicenza,Northern Italy located at the foot of the mountain carrying the same name and washed by the Brenta river. It is increasingly becoming a tourist destination thanks to the numerous recent television and film productions such as the RAI (Italian public broadcaster) fiction “from father to daughter” and the recent feature film “Guests in the Villa” that are set in it.
Bassano amazes positively at first glance: it is a quiet and elegant city of art not yet inundated by mass tourism, numerous concept stores and trendy clubs are scattered in the historic center, closed to traffic and developed around three main squares.From the very arrival one has the impression that this is the ideal place from which to explore the natural beauty and cities of art scattered in the region, we go to the Tourist Information Office in Piazza Garibaldi to collect some brochures and advice on what to visit.
A rich history’s landmarks
The Ponte Vecchio or Ponte degliAlpini is the symbol of the city: due to the wartime events and the Brentane (sudden floods of the Brenta river) it was destroyed and rebuilt over time, the last works lasting a few years are currently being completed. but always faithful to the design that Palladio created in 1569. The material used for the construction is on timber, more elastic than stone and therefore more resistant to water and its pressure. The bridge, which offers a splendid view of the Valsugana valley, has always been a meeting place for citizens and on its eastern limit is the historic Nardini distillery, where the people of Bassano meet to drink the famous Mezzoemezzo cocktail.
The Ezzelini Castle was built by the dynasty of the same name whose progenitor was the fearsome despot Ezzelino da Romano. It is accessed through a passage under thetower of Ser Ivano. The defensive structures handed over to us from time dates back to the first decades of the XII century and had their maximum splendor in the period of the Ezzelini dynasty. The castle remained in perfect efficiency even with the successive dominations of the Visconti and Scaligeri clans. In the fifteenth century the fortification was still active before the city passed under Venetian rule. Later it was decommissioned and transformed. The entire complex has undergone several renovations and currently the internal spaces are intended to accommodate temporary exhibitions while the walk outside the city walls offers secret passages with beautiful views of the city and the old bridge from unexpected perspectives. Nestled in the tower of Ser Ivano there is also an interesting holiday house for rent that shares the structure and walls of the medieval complex.
The loggia of the Podestá, above and behind which the current municipal building was later built, has dominated Piazza Libertà since the fifteenth century. In 1430, the majestic blue dial clock built by MastroCorrado da Feltre also started operating. The current device was built in 1747 by the engineer Bartolomeo Ferracina. In the room inside the loggia there are 120 frescoed coats of arms of the first Venetian podestàs (rulers in Venetian empire’s times) While a fire in 1682 destroyed the frescoes by Jacopo da Ponte, on the south wall there remains visible a piece by Francesco Bassano the Elder, father of Jacopo, depicting SaintChristopher, protector of travelers.
The Porta Dieda (Dieda Gates) opened on order of the Podesta Domenico Diedo in 1541, is located in what used to bee the Lower Castle (south of the Ezzelini Castle) built in the 14th century during the Paduan domination to defend Bassano del Grappa from possible attacks in time of war. It was later replaced by houses and shops and opened to civilian transit. You can still see some traces of the fresco created by Jacopo da Ponte in 1541 depicting the episode in which Marco CuzioRufo, Roman hero, leaps into a huge chasm in order to save Rome. The upper part shows the eagle and the lion of Venice, a symbol of Bassano’s loyalty to the Serenissimarepublic .
Modern attractions in the city
Piazzotto Monte Vecchio is the first square of Bassano del Grappa. Over the course of time, it has taken on various names, Piazza del Pozzo due to the presence of a well used in the not too distant past, Piazza del Sale, Piazza degliZoccoli. Piazza Libertà, once called piazza deiSignori, has two columns to the west in which sit a statue with the lion of Marciano and a statue of San Bassiano., In the north there are prestigious palaces, including the houses of the ancient StamperiaRemondini . To the east is Piazza Garibaldi, also called Piazza delleErbe.
The tree-lined avenue “VialedeiMartiri” starts from the Ezzelini castle and reaches the Porta delleGrazie, from which you can enjoy a splendid view of the city. Once it was protected to the north by the medieval walls, demolished in 1886 to allow a better enjoyment of the panorama to the rich Bassano families who had their palaces,., VialedeiMartiri (martyrs boulevard) took this name following the bloody episode of the Grappa trail battle on 20 and 23 September 1944, which culminated on 26 September in the execution of 31 young members of the resistance, most of whom were hanged from the trees of the then Viale XX Settembre. Each tree bears the name and photo of the partisan who found death there.
Nonetheless, in addition to the conventional tourist attractions, Bassano del Grappa is rich of events and happening throughout the year and scattered throughout the city including the series of white nights (when shops remain opens until midnight) in July, to better organize your visit do not forget to consult the site A Day in Bassano and their fresh and hip guide to the city and its surroundings.
Attractions and small towns in the surroundings of Bassano
The surroundings of Bassano are scattered with small towns and natural attractions that are worth visiting, we recommend heading east after a due visit to Monte Grappa.
Asolo is a thriving Italian village located at the top of the hilly chain of the same name: The favorable position and climate made Asolo a inhabited center since prehistoric times. After passing under the control of the Serenissima republic of Venice, in 1489, Caterina Cornaro Queen of Cyprus was invested with the Lordship of Asolo, which she made the city a splendid court surrounded by writers and artists (Freya Stark and Eleonora Duse, are buried in the church cemetery of Sant’Anna). From above Asolo is dominated by the circular fortress. Not to miss are the Cathedral and the Civic Museum.
Lying at the foot of Monte Grappa, Possagno has a small center divided into medieval villages named “colmelli”. The gentle hilly landscape is dominated by the white mass of the neoclassical temple, designed by Antonio Canova and designed by Pietro Bosio and Gian Antonio Selva, reminiscent of the Athenian temples of ancient Greece thanks to its Doric colonnade. The museum and the Gypsoteca are dedicated to the important figure of Antonio Canova, who laid the first stone of the Temple in 1819. There are three main areas of the museum: the nineteenth-century wing, which brings together the most beautiful and famous Canovian models, the Scarpa wing, designed by the architect of the same name in 1957, and the art gallery with an annex to the artist’s birthplace.
Bassano del Grappa and its surroundings are the ideal destination for a visit to the Veneto, a privileged base from which to explore Venice, Verona and other cities of art or simply to relax on mountain walks and tastings of the typical products of this region.
