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Sightseeing Tours of Veneto and Prosecco Road

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Sightseeing Tours of Veneto and Prosecco Road

tour duration

4 Hours

start time

08:00 AM
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat

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Pick-up at your hotel, more details at booking

Excursions of Veneto and Prosecco on the Road

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Veneto Hill Towns

Marostica - Night View
Marostica - ViewMarostica - PiazzaMarostica - FestivalAsolo - viewBassano del Grappa - BridgeBassano del Grappa - View

The Villa Barbaro, also known as Villa di Maser, is located on the foot of the Asolo Hills about 50 km from Venice. The villa was designed by the great Italian architect Andrea Palladio in 1560. Although its model is close to resurgent Roman villas like Villa Giulia or Villa d'Este in Tivoli, Palladio managed to combine the elegance of a summer villa with the practicality of a farm, seamlessly connecting the service area to the main building with large arcades. The artist Paolo Veronese decorated the interior with many influential frescoes while Alessandro Vittoria contributed stunning stucco decorations and several sculptures. The villa was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. Today, it is at the center of an agricultural holding known mainly for the production of wine named after the villa.

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The Barbaro family ordered the construction of this villa in the mid-1500s. Over the years, the villa passed on to the Trevisan family and later to the Basadonna family from whom Lodovico Manin, the last Doge of Venice, came from. The villa fell into disrepair during the early 19th century but was eventually bought and renovated by wealthy industrialist Sante Giacomelli. During the First World War, the villa was occupied by Italian forces who used it as headquarters and outpost. In 1934, the villa was purchased by Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata who continued to restore it; his descendants still live there today.

Andrea Palladio also built the Tempietto Barbaro, a small church that served both the villa and the nearby village of Maser. It is a compact domed structure with a temple front reminiscent of the Pantheon in Rome, two small bell towers prefacing the dome. It is likely that the church faced a small plaza which has long since been paved over.

Another particular feature of the Villa Barbaro is the Nymphaeum located behind it. These large monuments are typical of Roman gardens and were originally dedicated to the local water nymphs. The one at Villa Barbaro is decorated with several statues and frames a spring water fishpond.


Villa Emo    

Designed and built in the mid 16th century by the Italian architect Andrea Palladio, Villa Emo is one of Palladio’s best works and a countryside jewel. In fact, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, along with Villa Barbaro, another of Palladio’s edifices.

Located in the lush Veneto region of Italy, some 40 km from Venice, Villa Emo is a simple yet elegant union of summer palace and working farm. Devoid of embellishments on the outside, conversely the interior is richly decorated with frescoes by the late Renaissance artist Giovanni Battista Zelotti. These frescoes celebrate mythological scenes as well as agricultural life, noble virtues, family and fertility.

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Bassano del Grappa

Bassano del Grappa - View
Bassano del Grappa - BridgeBassano del Grapppa - Piazza RepubblicaBassano del Grappa - Panorama

Bassano del Grappa is a modest town in the Veneto region, located north of Venice and built between the foothills of the Venetian Prealps and the bank of the Brenta River. The 16th century painter Jacopo Bassano lived, worked and died in this town, even adopting its name as his own. Bassano del Grappa is also famous for the invention of the Grappa, a strong, pomace-derived spirit traditionally enjoyed after dinner as a digestif.

Bassano was founded as an agricultural estate in the 2nd century BC by a Roman called Bassianus, who then gave his name to the city. Over the centuries it flourished thanks to trade and its industry of wool, silk and metals. Its history remains relatively quiet up until the French Revolutionary Wars, when the town because the site of the Battle of Bassano in 1796. Napoleon Bonaparte is said to have remained in Bassano del Grappa for many months.

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Again, Bassano became the site of more, violent battles during World War I; many soldiers lost their lives on the nearby Mount Grappa. Originally called Bassano Veneto, the town changed its name in 1928 to Bassano del Grappa in honor of the dead soldiers. Interestingly, several American authors spent time in Bassano during the war, including Scott Fitzgerald, John Dos Passos and Ernest Hemingway. The latter settled in the town for a time and wrote his novel “A Farewell to Arms” based on his experiences.

Bassano offers several lovely sights and historical attractions, such as the Duomo Santa Maria in Colle, a cathedral built in the early 2nd century and later renovated in a more Baroque style. It is the oldest cathedral in the town and boasts a collection of works by Leandro da Bassano, Ottavio Marinali and other artists. The Church of St. Francis, built in the 13th century in the Romanesque-Gothic style, rises above Piazza Garibaldi. Within are 14th and 15th century frescoes, including “The Crucifixion” by Guariento di Arpo. Nearby is the civic museum which hosts a collection of archeological artifacts as well as various works of art by Jacopo Bassano, Antonio Canova, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Albrecht Dürer.

Finally, there is the Ponte Vecchio or Ponte degli Alpini, a covered wooden bridge that spans the Brenta River. It was designed by the architect Andrea Palladio in 1569 to replace a pre-existing medieval bridge. The bridge was destroyed many times, the last time occurring during World War II.

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Marostica

Marostica - Piazza Castello - view
Marostica - view from the topMarostica - Night ViewMarostica - PiazzaMarostica - detailMarostica - ViewMarostica - Festival

Marostica, also known as the “City of Chess”, is a small town in the Veneto region, located north-west of Venice. It is best known for its medieval-themed living chess festival and cherry festival.

Two castles, Castello Superiore and Castello Inferiore, guard the town and surrounding area. These castles, referred together as “Castello di Marostica”, were built in the early 14th century although the construction of the wall that connects them did not begin until later that century.

Castello Superiore, a large square building with four small corner towers and one large central one, stands on the hill above the town. Castello Inferiore, on the other hand, is a smaller square structure that guards the city’s walled gates. Directly in front of Castello Inferiore is the Piazza degli Scacchi (Chess Square), a square plaza built after World War II and tiled to look like a giant chessboard.

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Every evenly numbered year, Marostica holds a particular event where a huge chess game is played out with living pieces, including real knights on horseback. This tradition stems from a play written by Mario Mirko Vucetich in the early 20th century about an event that supposedly occurred in 1454, wherein two noblemen fell in love the daughter of a local Lord and came to quarrel. The two wished to duel, as was the custom, but the Lord forbade it, decreeing instead that they play a chess game where the winner would earn his daughter’s hand in marriage. This game was organized in the plaza, where supporters from each nobleman’s family served as the chess pieces. Although the story is fictional, Marostica reenacts the chess battle in its chequered square every September falling on an even numbered year.

Between May and June Marostica hosts the Cherry Festival, which dates back to 1933 and where the local harvest of cherries is celebrated with tastings, competitions and other events.

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Asolo

Asolo - view

Also known as “The City of a Hundred Horizons”, Asolo is a small town located in the Veneto region. It is considered one of the nicest cities in Italy thanks to its culture, architecture and of course, fine cuisine. Surrounded by a rampart, Asolo is built around a hill with the fortress La Rocca erected on top, overlooking the whole town. Old houses and narrow medieval streets with arches are the main components of the city.

Thanks to the Alps, Asolo enjoys a mild climate, best enjoyed with a walk through its historical streets, passing under arches, or by visiting one of its many gardens and villas. This small city has always attracted artists, poets, writers and singers, inspired by its charm. For instance the author Pietro Bembo wrote “Gli Asolani”, which makes a few references to Asolo, while the poet Robert Browning bought Villa Cipriani in 1889 and briefly lived in Asolo until his passing.

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Visitors can explore the medieval fortress on top of the hill and continue their visit to the Civic Museum. Another interesting place to explore is the Castle of Queen Caterina Cornaro (the queen of Cyprus between 1474 and 1489). She stayed in this castle with her court during the 15th century and it later became her official residence. As the years passed, the castle of Queen Caterina Cornaro became the symbol of the Asolan countryside. Three of its four towers still stand today.

Finally, a visit in Asolo is not complete without stopping in one of its restaurant to enjoy a delicious Italian meal accompanied by tasty wines from the area such as the Asolo Prosecco Superiore, a dry yet sparkling white wine.

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