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I Love Italian Wine and Food - Northern Veneto

If you are planning a European tour, consider the Veneto region of northern Italy on the Gulf of Venice. Venice is its best-known city and one of the most popular tourist destinations on earth. But the Veneto region has a lot more to offer. You'll find many, many excellent tourist attractions and you won't have to fight huge crowds. With a little luck you'll avoid tourist traps and come back home feeling that you have truly visited Italy. This article examines tourist attractions in northern Veneto. Be sure to read our companion articles on southern Veneto, on that Shakespearean city of Verona, and on the university city of Padua.

We start our tour of northern Veneto in Marostica, northeast of Vicenza and northwest of Venice. Then we head basically east, first to Bassano del Grappa, on to Asolo, and finally southeast to Treviso.

Marostica, population about thirteen thousand, is known for two castles: the Castello Inferiore (Lower Castle) a rather unique setting for Town Council meetings and the Castello Superiore (Upper Castle) up the hill. But on the second weekend of September in even years such as 2008 these attractions take a back seat to the Partita a Scacchi (Chess Game) with human players dressed in medieval costumes. This practice first started in 1454. It seems that two local noblemen Renaldo D. and Vieri da V. fell in love with the beautiful Lionora P., the daughter of the Lord of Marostica. They were ready to duel for the hand of that fair lady. The future father in law, good for him, said no dueling in these parts; if you want to win my daughter you must first win a chess game to be played in the square near the lower castle. The winner will marry Lionora and the loser will marry her younger sister, Oldrada. The whole town showed up to watch the match. Historians have not noted whether Lionora was rooting for the eventual winner or not. The not quite instant replay lasts from Friday night to Sunday and the moves are announced in the local dialect. Marostica is also famous for its cherries and holds a cherry festival every May and June.

Bassano del Grappa, population about forty thousand, was founded as a Roman agricultural estate more than two thousand years ago. It's a pretty town with old houses and squares at the base of Mt. Grappa. In its own way this mountain protected Italian partisans during World War II. In 1946 the Prime Minister of Italy awarded the city a gold medal for its military valor. This is commemorated every September.

The city boasts several unusual museums. The Poli Grappa Museum presents the ins and outs of Grappa, an internationally known distilled liquor. Tastings are free but you had better remember grappa is a lot stronger than wine. The Museo della Cermica's (Ceramics Museum) interesting collection includes several pieces dating back to the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century. You can purchase local ceramics in many shops in the area. The Museo degli Alpini (Alpine Museum) honors Italian Alpine Troops. The Town Museum displays archaeological remains, several paintings by well-known historical local artists, and drawings by Albrecht D? and Rembrandt.

Bassano del Grappa is home to several historic churches including the Eleventh Century Duomo (Cathedral) renovated several hundred years later, the Thirteenth Century Church of San Donato said to be visited by both St Francis of Assisi and St Anthony of Padua, the Twelfth Century Church of St. Francis, and the Fourteenth Century Church of St. John the Baptist restored in the Eighteenth Century.

The city's best-known monument is the Ponte degli Alpini (Alpine Bridge) over the Brenta River. This lovely bridge was designed in the Sixteenth Century by the architect Andrea Palladio to replace one constructed in the Thirteenth Century. You may know that Palladio was said to be the most influential person in the history of Western architecture. Read more about him and his work in the companion article I Love Touring Italy - Southern Veneto. Palladio's bridge was destroyed in 1748 and rebuilt three years later. What you see today was reconstructed after World War II from his own design.

Asolo, population about seventy five hundred, is known as "The Pearl of the Province of Treviso", and as "The City of a Hundred Horizons". Asolo is associated with the Italian verb "Asolare" meaning to pass time in a delightful but meaningless way. The famous British poet Robert Browning surely agreed with delightful, but not with meaningless; here in the Nineteenth Century he wrote Asolando, his final volume of poetry. Other famous writers including Elizabeth Barret Browning, Ernest Hemingway, and Henry James visited or lived this town.

Atop the town sits a converted monastery that now houses a university: CIMBA (The International Consortium for Management and Business Analysis). Students from all over the world live, work, and study in Asolo while earning their MBA. CIMBA has a sister campus for undergraduates in Paderno.

Treviso, population about eighty thousand, has had a long and bloody history. It was close to the site of an important battle in World War I and the site of a concentration camp in World War II. During that war the medieval city was heavily damaged with quite a loss of life. In spite of the massive destruction its center is still something to see. Treviso is home to the famous designer Benetton and has enough canals to merit the nickname "Little Venice".

Start your tour at the Piazza dei Signori (Square of the Gentlemen), the medieval town center, with several buildings of interest including the Twelfth Century Palazzo dei Trecento (Town Hall). Close by you'll find the Pescheria (Fish Market) on an island in the canal.

Among the churches to see is the Late Romanesque-Early Gothic Twelfth Century Church of San Francesco (Saint Francis), used by Napoleonic troops as a stable. It contains several paintings and frescoes of interest and the tombs of Pietro Alighieri, son of Dante, and Francesca Petrarca, daughter of the poet Francesco. The Church of San Nicol? a mixture of Thirteenth Century Venetian Romanesque and French Gothic elements. It is also loaded with historic frescoes. The Duomo di San Pietro (Saint Peter's Cathedral) was built in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries on the site of a Romanesque church. Among its artwork is Titian's The Annunciation.

What about food? Treviso is known for many specialties including various pasta and rice dishes with wild herbs and vegetables, such as risotto with wild asparagus (bruscandoi). When gourmets think of Treviso it's often for the local radicchio, perhaps served in risotto. Other dishes that the locals enjoy include bigoli, thick homemade spaghetti served with duck or sausage sauce, risi e bisi (rice with peas), and pasta e fagioli (pasta with beans). Meat and cold cuts are often served with peverada, a strong sauce made with liver and spices. Like several other areas, Treviso claims the famous Italian dessert, tiramisu.

Let's suggest a sample menu, one of many. Start with Sopa Coada (Pigeon and Bread Soup). Then try Ravioli ai Porcini e Ricotta Affumicata (Ravioli with Porcini Mushrooms and Smoked Ricotta Cheese). For dessert indulge yourself with Focaccia alla Ceccobeppe (Flat Bread with Dried Fruit). Be sure to increase your dining pleasure by including local wines with your meal.

We'll conclude with a quick look at Veneto wine. Veneto ranks 3rd among the 20 Italian regions both for the area planted in grape vines and for its total annual wine production. About 45% of Veneto wine is red or rose, leaving 55% for white. The region produces 24 DOC wines and 3 DOCG wines, Recioto di Soave, Soave Superiore, and Bardolino Superiore. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. Almost 30% of Venetian wine carries the DOC or DOCG designation.

Montello e Colli Asolani DOC is produced on the right bank of the Piave River north of Treviso. It comes in many styles made from a variety of local and international grapes. The best known is Prosecco, made from the white Prosecco grape with up to 15% of other white grapes, mostly local, but including Chardonnay. While Prosecco wine may be still or fizzy, it is usually sparkling. And it is usually not very special.

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I Love Touring Italy - Southern Veneto

If you are planning a European tour, why don't you consider the Veneto region of northern Italy on the Gulf of Venice? Venice is its best-known city and one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. But the Veneto region has a lot more than this great city. There are excellent tourist attractions elsewhere, and you won't have to fight the huge crowds. With a little luck you'll avoid tourist traps, and come back home feeling that you have truly visited Italy. This article examines tourist attractions in southern Veneto. Be sure to read our companion articles on northern Veneto, on that Shakespearean city of Verona, and on the university city of Padua.

Our tour of southern Veneto resembles a circle; one that isn't quite closed. We start our tour in the central Veneto city of Vicenza, one of the wealthiest cities in Italy. We bypass Padua and go southeast to the coastal town of Chioggia. Then we head back southwest to Rovigo, and then finish our tour by going northwest to Montagnana. We could continue north back to Vicenza. Or we could visit other parts of Veneto.

Vicenza, population one hundred twenty thousand, has had a checkered past. Over the centuries it passed from one occupier to another. Its heyday was in the Sixteenth Century as the home of Andrea Palladio, often said to be the most influential person in the history of Western architecture. He designed many of the city's buildings and all over the Veneto region. About two dozen of his Veneto villas compose a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Palladio was a major influence on Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, and probably on half of the state capitol buildings in the United States. Don't even think about touring Vicenza without visiting several of his masterpieces.

The Teatro Olimpico (Olympic Theatre) is Palladio's last work and one of his best. It is widely considered the first modern example of an enclosed theater. Actually he died six months into its construction but this magnificent building was completed from his sketches and drawings. The building includes five hallways designed to look like streets; each spectator has a view of at least one street. Unfortunately the theater was abandoned after a few performances. The Teatro Olimpico now hosts productions, but only in the summer because winter heating might damage its fragile wood structures.

Palazzo Chiericati is a Renaissance palace that took well over a century to complete. It was built in an area called Piazza dell'Isola (Island Square, now Piazza Matteotti), surrounded by two streams. It became the Museo Civico (Town Museum) in 1855 and, more recently, the City's Art Gallery.

We have left arguably Palladio's greatest work for last. Villa La Rotunda whose full name is Villa Almerico-Capra in honor of the Capra brothers who finished the building. This villa was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome and has been the inspiration for perhaps a thousand buildings across the globe. Strictly speaking Villa La Rotunda should not be called a rotunda; it isn't circular but takes the shape of a cross grafted on a square. While the edifice appears completely symmetrical in fact it isn't. No mistake here, it was designed to fit perfectly into its surroundings and the city of Vicenza on the horizon. Neither Palladio nor its owner lived to see it completed.

Chioggia whose population is some fifty thousand was once the center of local salt production. Perhaps that's why Genoa destroyed it more than six hundred years ago. Chioggia returned as a fishing port and a tourist attraction. It's on the Venetian Lagoon about an hour's boat ride from Venice that it resembles with its canals and Venetian architecture. You'll enjoy strolling on the Corso del Popolo (the People's Thoroughfare) with its cafes, restaurants and shops. Chioggia's Cathedral is old enough to have been restored in the Fourteenth Century. Other sites of interest include the Campanile (Bell Tower) about two hundred ten feet (sixty four meters) high and the Fourteenth Century Gothic church of San Martino.

The town of Rovigo, population about fifty thousand, is rich in history and culture. Its most famous cultural institution is the St. Stephen Cathedral built prior to the Eleventh Century and rebuilt in the Fifteenth and the Seventeenth Centuries. Be sure to see its interior artwork. Other churches worth visiting include the Thirteenth Century Immacolata Concezione (Immaculate Conception), and the Fourteenth-Fifteenth Century Gothic-Romanesque Church of St. Francis.

Several Rovigo Piazzas (Squares) have maintained their historic character. The largest is dedicated to Emperor Victor Emmanuel II and is the site of several palaces. Palazzo Nodari has become the city hall. Palazzo Roncale has become Pinacoteca dei Concordi (Concordi Gallery), one of the most important art galleries in Veneto. The building dates back to the end of the Sixteenth Century and many displayed paintings predate the building itself. The Fifteenth Century Gothic Duomo (Cathedral) faces this Piazza. Given its many restorations and renovations Romanesque and Renaissance period features abound. The Piazza has a statue to the emperor and a Saint Mark's lion.

How can you tell if a Veneto town is peaceful or not? The answer is quite simple; go to its Leone di San Marco (Saint Mark's Lion) statue. Take a close look at the tail. If the tail points down the town is peaceful. If it points up watch out; there may be trouble. The tail on Rovigo's lion pointed down. This call for peace didn't stop Napoleon's soldiers from destroying the statue. The statue that you see today was erected in 1881, and its tail still points down.

Montagnana, population about nine thousand, is a medieval city surrounded by walls with four gates and twenty-four fortified towers resembling castles. This city is really unique and you should see it from outside the walls when the sun is setting. Montagnana dates back to the Thirteenth Century when the town was rebuilt. Its highlight is the Castello San Zeno (Saint Zeno Castle) built by the infamous Italian dictator Ezzelino da Romano, who previously ordered the city burnt to the ground. Mister da Romano actually merited mention in Dante's Divine Comedy where his soul was consigned to you know where. In a sense one has to thank him for one majestic castle, originally set inside a dry moat and built around a center courtyard. The moat, crossed by a drawbridge, was filled in during the 19th century. The Castle's highest tower, the mastio or donjon, is open to the public and provides fabulous views. Castle San Zeno also houses the Municipal Historical Archive, the town Library, a Theatre Company, and a Study Center devoted to the protection of the castle and its surroundings, with quite a collection of books, maps, artifacts, and other items of historical significance.

What about food? Despite the great variety of food in this once poor but now fairly well off part of Italy many people often ate foods that we might find strange. I'm not talking about lamb and sheep's milk cheese from the Rovigo area. Pigeon is a specialty both in Padua and other localities. A Padua specialty that I haven't tasted is made from salted, dried, and smoked horsemeat.

We'll suggest a sample menu, one of many. Start with Risotto Nero (Risotto with Cuttlefish). If you don't like Cuttlefish and its ink you won't have trouble finding many other Risottos. Then try Baccal?antecato (Dried Cod with Nutmeg, Parsley, and Olive Oil). For dessert indulge yourself with Salame al Cioccolato (Chocolate Salami, Shortbread Biscuits, Figs, Butter, and Cocoa). Be sure to increase your dining pleasure by including local wines with your meal.

We'll conclude with a quick look at Veneto wine. Veneto ranks 3rd among the 20 Italian regions both for the area planted in grape vines and for its total annual wine production. About 45% of Veneto wine is red or ros?leaving 55% for white. The region produces 24 DOC wines and 3 DOCG wines, Recioto di Soave, Soave Superiore, and Bardolino Superiore. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. Almost 30% of Venetian wine carries the DOC or DOCG designation.

Bardolino Superiore DOCG is produced west and northwest of Verona near Lake Garda from a variety of Italian and international red grapes. This wine is living proof that Garantita is no guarantee of high quality, some are and some are not.

About the author: Levi Reiss has authored alone or with a co-author ten computer and Internet books, but to tell the truth, he would really rather just drink fine French, German, or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He knows what dieting is, and is glad that for the time being he can eat and drink what he wants, in moderation. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his new wine, diet, health, and nutrition website www.wineinyourdiet.com and his global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com.

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