Tour n° 1: from Venice to Treviso, Asolo and Marostica
Comfortably accomodated in the luxury vehicle of your choosing, we'll head toward Treviso following the tree-lined Napoleonic road called Terraglio. Or, if the traffic along this popular road is too troublesome, we'll divert to an alternate route that unites Venice and Treviso, winding among villas, cedar forests, and streams of the river Sile. After a visiting the city's ancient wall and hydraulic defense system, we'll park near the Piazza dei Signori to take a stroll through the historic center, to admire the monuments such as the Palazzo dei Trecento and suggestive ambience of the porticoes and boutique shops. |
Spared by Attila, Treviso began to flourish under the Goths and Lombards, which they declared a duchy. With the Carolingi, they made it a capital under a Marca. This was the beginning of its most peaceful and prosperous period after the Peace of Constance. during which she adorned herself, continually hosting poets, troubadours, and chivalrous festivals, earning the name "Marca gioiosa et amorosa," or, Marca joyous and amorous.
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Returning to the Piazza, we'll partake of an aperitivo before leaving Treviso and continuing on our way. Exiting from one of the principal entrance portals of the city, then following the best roads for avoiding traffic, we'll view from our windows the a number of country villas. These were built by the Trevisian and Venetian Aristocracy between 1500 and 1800, such as the one in the photo to the right: Villa Barbaro a Maser. |
Close to lunch hour, we'll be in view of the Asolo hills, one of the jewels of the Marca Trevigiana. This burg has become an international center of shopping, famous for the antique workshops, but almost as much for the suggestive architecture as the views over the surrounding plains. Asolo is a small, noble city of the Veneto piedmont, where poets and free spirits dwelled, a setting of graceful harmonies and enchanting glimpses. Asolo is also a city of an unusual history and of legends, in particular, of Catari and Signora of Ezzellini. |
Between the village and the surrounding countryside, Asolo is rich with restaurants of every type, from the tiny family trattoria, to prestigious, luxury offerings, among which we recall Villa Cipriani, that not rarely have had occasion to serve guests such as the President of the United States, along with his entourage. We'll enjoy however the lunch of your choice, intimate or opulent, and along with the good-natured humor that every lunch induces, coast along the hills accompanied by the visions of the buildings by Palladio and his School. |
In the meantime, if you're at all interested in wine production, our escorts will know to suggest to you the best cellars and wine bars along the Wine Road, or to accompany you in those of your choice, for a wine tasting among the varieties and the fragrances of the Veneto wines (as well as others). We'll head up in the end to the breathtaking panorama of the Castello di Marostica, the view from extends across the broad Pianura Padana until it meets the Appenines. Our excursion will last until approximately 5p, re-entering from where we departed, but it's always possible to coordinate all the extra time that you'd like. |