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North from Venice: To Asolo and Beyond By Arnie Greenberg (A 6 a.m., the canals of Venice, above, are only starting to come to life with sound and movement. Italian Government Tourist Office photo) There is something magical about walking to the train station in Venice at 6 a.m. Not only can you hear your shoes on the narrow sidewalks, but the canals are only starting to come to life with sound and movement. Old women whisk away the night's debris, delivery barges emerge from the mist, and the pigeons react to the first sounds. In the station, hot coffee is just the thing, even if we're only going one long stop to the mainland village of Mestre.
(Two masked characters have an other-worldly appearance at the carnival of Venice. Italian Government Tourist Office photo) Here in a sun-baked parking lot our car awaits. We're heading into lush green hills that rise all too soon into one of the most awesome ranges of snow-capped hills I have ever seen. The journey from here is through the town of Morostica, Asolo, Vittorio Veneto, Belluno, medieval Cortina d'Appezzo, Bolzano, Merano, tiny Dorf in the Tyrol Mountains, and through the great Brenner Pass to Innsbruck, Austria. It is an adventure that will stay with me forever. You can head north out of Mestre or do as I suggest and return to Padua to see things you may have missed. Padua is a visual and historical city with excellent restaurants. It's only 20 KM from Mestre, but it puts you on the autostrada heading west. When you get to Vicenza, only 30 KM away, take time to visit the Basilica Palladiana, a World Heritage site and Villa Almerico Capra di Valmarana, named La Rotonda, with its special architecture. Medieval Marostica and "Human" Chess Games
Then head north on route S 47 to the lovely walled town of Marostica, built on the side of a sloping hill. This medieval city may turn out to be the find of your trip. It is here that on every second Friday, Saturday and Sunday in September of every even year, a human chess game is played out in the walled city's main square. It is called "human," since real people and horses make up the chess pieces, dressed as Queen's knights, castles and kings. Here, in the City of Chess, the reward is traditionally the hand of a beautiful maiden. Hundreds fill the stands for one of the most colorful spectacles in Europe. But you'll have to wait until 2006 for the next game. There are many places to stay, but book ahead for September 2006. I recommend B&B Locanda Valbella overlooking the Po Valley. It boasts a view from the huge porch and rooms with beamed ceilings.
(The Locanda Valbella Bed & Breakfast overlooks the Po Valley)
(The dining room of the Locanda Valbella Bed & Breakfast)
(A bedroom in the Locanda Valbella Bed & Breakfast)
Asolo -- the "Pearl of Traviso Province" I first went to the area on the suggestion of a friend who was born in Asolo. This 'Pearl of Traviso Province' is one of those peaceful, picturesque towns one dreams about -- a welcoming oasis you will want to linger in, with wonderful villas, gardens and plants in a spectacular setting dating back to Roman times.
(Asolo is one of Italy's first fortified towns and includes Eleanor Duse's palace. Italian Government Tourist Office photo) One of Italy's first fortified towns, it has decorated facades on palaces such as Longobard House, Eleanor Duse's palace built in the 16th century. Look for the fountain fed by a Roman aqueduct and a specially decorated fresco at Villa Pasini.
(The town of Asolo, with its magical light and colors, is a place dreams are made of. Italian Government Tourist Office photo) I remember the special hour we spent sitting on the main square, lunching with the locals and the ceramic purchases we made in one of the artisan shops nearby. Yes, Asolo is the place dreams are made of, and when we headed north, more dreams came true. We spent an uneventful night in a small hotel in Vittorio Veneto, just north of the Piave River. This area was a great battle scene during WWI, where American ambulance drivers toiled for the cause. It was on the Piave that Ernest Hemingway was wounded. Belluno -- the "Shining City" We stopped for lunch in Vittorio Veneto and then moved on towards a city that looks down on the Piave Valley. The blue sky and welcoming mountains make Belluno the "Shining City" dedicated to Beleno, the Celtic god of the Sun.
(Belluno is rich in art and history and is filled with skiers in season. Italian Government Tourist Office photo) The city is surrounded by fresh sparkling waters that are protected by the city. This is a city rich in art and history and filled with skiers in season. There are about 30 Km of ski slopes in this dolomite mountain region. There is also a 32,000-hectare National Park for visitors to enjoy. Stopping in Cortina d'Ampezzo
(Some of the mammoth rock facades of Cortina d'Ampezzo are covered with snow all year round. Italian Government Tourist Office photo) Back on the main road north, the vistas become awe-inspiring. Villages lie in the shadows of mammoth rock facades, some covered with snow all year round. As you approach Cortina d'Ampezzo, you realize why this would be the perfect place for the winter games. It is an overwhelming site, and even in the summer, the sunsets are something to tell your children about. The jagged rocks look down on flowered meadows, and the town itself is a Mecca for visitors. There are pedestrian streets and excellent places to eat or sleep at every price. Even non-skiers come here to hike, climb, and paint or just breathe in the fresh, scented air. It was for climbing that the first visitors came here. If you can pull yourself away, you have two choices. You can continue north until the road divides and then go west to hook up with the main route to Austria. But I suggest that when you reach the autostrada, you turn south for about 50 KM and visit Bolzano. Bolzano: Germans, Italians and People of Tyrolean Heritage It's the fastest route and the scenery is beyond belief. Bolzano is made up of Germans, Italians and people of Tyrolean heritage. Here, the signs are in both Italian and Germen. Bolzano is Bozen, Merano to the north is Meran. Either is correct. Bolzano was once an uninhabited swamp, but the Fascisti turned it into an industrial locale. Now it is filled with historical monuments and boasts a great Gothic duomo. Under 30Km to the north is the scenic city of Merano, set in a peaceful valley. But the imposing mountains that encircle it rise above the tree line to offer Merano protection. It was to Merano that the ancient Dukes of Innsbruck moved the civic mint. Yes, this was once Austrian territory, but is now part of Italy. Hence the different spelling. This is a city with a cultural feel. The theatre was dedicated to Puccini, the waters were proven healthy for therapy, and the Liberty-style buildings are some of the best in the entire Tyrol. In the Tyrolean Mountains above Merano, one finds tiny hamlets, one of which is called Dorf. I was fortunate enough to spend the better part of a week in Dorf by invitation to Schloss Brunnenberg, the home of Dr. Siegfried de Rachewiltz, whose wife is the daughter of the American poet, Ezra Pound. The address is 3 Ezra Pound Weg (Way) and is now an agricultural museum. It was a joy to walk around the chateau, eat on the ramparts and lecture on Pound in the great keep. Feeling Blessed in Merano From there, and from the tiny hotel next door, we could see the city of Merano below as though we were flying over it. Seated on our terrace in an orchard of pear trees or walking through the area, we felt blessed. Maybe it had to do with the fact that the road to the village is called Heaven's Way. This 12th century area is typical of the Tyrolian region.
(The Hotel Thurnergut sits on the southside of the hill between Dorf and Merano, surrounded by castles) A choice of hotels is long. I suggest Hotel Thurnergut on the south side of the hill between Dorf and Merano, surrounded by castles. Tel: 39 0473 443134 or e-mail Info@thurnergut.com The road north to the main route north is slow and winding, but the view is rewarding and the distance short. You will soon be at the Brenner Pass, which was heavily fortified by the Germans during the war. It is the lowest of the passes through the Alps at 1,375 meters and is only 12 miles long, easy to cross and less than an hour from fascinating Innsbruck. (Click below for more travel stories!)
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