Bassano del Grappa and Surrounds
Bassano del Grappa is one of the walled cities originally built by the Venetians and afforded us an excellent base for a week to explore the Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige regions of northern Italy. Without question one of Italy’s best kept secrets, the city itself was a beautiful example of medieval architecture with quaint cobblestone streets and some wonderful eateries to explore. The river Brenta bisects the old town, with the symbolic covered Ponte Vecchio spanning the water and providing a gathering point for sightseers and locals alike to enjoy views of the river and mountains to the north.
The excellent Italian food continued in Bassano, all our palates enjoyed sampling the fare of the Veneto region. Sappori del Sud was an exceptional pizzeria behind our apartment that received quite a bit of business from us during our visit, and we all enjoyed the traditional Venetian fare of Bar Osteria Alla Caneva. My roast rabbit with grilled polenta cakes at the latter was one of the most unique dishes I’d sampled since leaving the US. The gelato at Gelateria Terraglio was very good, and I can’t forget to mention finding Hazy Little Thing IPA at Birreria da Ponte di Pacelli. So good to down some beer with a little more heft after all the pilsners and lagers popular in Italy. Market days on Saturdays and Thursdays saw the old town come to life during the morning and early afternoon, with vendors hawking everything from delectable cheese to cheap t-shirts.
The weather was generally pleasant but at times hot during our week in Bassano, on stifling afternoons we invariably founds ourselves feeling the pull of the Brenta. There were a couple of great swimming spots within a short walk of our apartment on the edge of the walled portion of the city, the kids’ favorite was the rocky Spiaggetta Angarano just north of Ponte Vecchio. The crystal clear water flowing out of the Dolomites was an ideal way to cool off in the heat, although the icy temperature took a little getting used to. On one of the hotter afternoons we had a family competition to see who could submerse themselves to the neck for the longest. I was just able to edge out Lisa for the crown, it definitely left my skin stinging for a few minutes afterwards!
In addition to a few days just exploring Bassano itself – so many fantastic eateries and watering holes in the old town – we made some day trips to the surrounding Veneto region as well. Venice (which has a post all of its own…) was an easy adventure on the train, incredible to think of the engineering that went into creating the island city over 1000 years ago. Wonderful colors and such graceful architecture, we all enjoyed touring the city on foot (and getting lost a few times along the way!). Verona and Lake Garda was also a worthwhile day trip, I think Lilia and Max would still be at the waterslide park just east of Lake Garda if we hadn’t dragged them away.
Closer to Bassano we took a morning to grab a coffee at nearby Asolo, an medieval village perched on a hillside overlooking eastern Veneto. It was like traveling back in time exploring the quiet alleyways of the town. Asolo is evidently a popular spot for cyclists, we lost count of the number of roadies we saw cruising through while we were there. The kids had a great time exploring the towers of Castello Della Regina Cornaro, I suggested to Max the dungeon we could see from the main courtyard might be a good place for him to spend some time next time he’s in one of his sour moods.
Hiking Via Ferrata Del Canalone
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With the Dolomites at our doorstep in Bassano del Grappa we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to head into the mountains. The southern fringes of the Dolomites in Trentino province were only about an hour away by car, it was so nice to breathe some fresh mountain air after a few weeks in the heat of central Italy and southern France. It was a very picturesque drive from Bassano through the canyons to one of the spots we decided to explore for a day: Parco Naturale Paneveggio Pale di San Martino.
Parco Naturale Paneveggio Pale di San Martino is akin to Italy’s version of a national park and spans the Val di Fiemme, Val di Fassa and Primiero valleys. It’s always a little tricky to hone in on good adventures when in new places – especially when everything’s in a foreign language – but my trusty AllTrails app served us well and provided an excellent day hike up to Rifugio Treviso. The hike afforded incredible views of the Dolomites, the canyon up which we trekked had towering, jagged peaks on three sides for almost our entire journey. The trail crossed some very quaint mountain farms before we started the switchbacks to Refugio Treviso, one of them was outfit with a small restaurant and bar for weary adventurers on their way down from the mountains. Definitely one of the most picturesque farms I’ve ever seen, the cowbells slung about the necks of all the cows grazing the brilliant green pastures had us all feeling like we were in The Sound of Music.
The thunder started cracking when we were taking a break at Rifugio Treviso, but we ventured into the mountains prepared for the mountains and when the skies opened up we all had waterproof jackets to keep our upper bodies dry. The downpour only lasted for 10 or 15 minutes while we were hiking down from Rifugio Treviso through the forest, but boy oh boy did it rain! Huge droplets fell like a sheet of water, all our shorts were soaked within minutes but at least the temperature was still quite warm and we dried off reasonably quickly after the downpour subsided. And there’s nothing like the fresh smell of the mountains after a summer shower.
The mountains north of Bassano del Grappa are full of so many quaint villages, we veered off the motorway to drive through a few of them and stopped at Fiera di Primiero on our way back fromParco Naturale Paneveggio Pale di San Martino. There were lots of cyclists on the road around Fiera di Primiero and a few bike shops in town, the hotels even advertised the fact that they welcomed cyclists as guests. I spotted a few posters for MTB and road cycling events in the weeks after we visited, I have a feeling there’s lots of good riding to be had in the mountains aroundFiera di Primiero. Even with tired feet we took the time for a stroll through the quaint town center, the architecture and views of the mountains flanking the town had us feeling like we were in the alps. Max was not going to let the day end without hunting down a gelato shop, Gelateria Simion was some of the best gelato we’d sampled in all of Italy. An excellent end to a memorable day in the mountains.
Hiking Col de Ciampac
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Our most adventurous trip into the mountains took us on a three hour drive to the small ski resort village of Carezza in Italy’s South Tyrol region. It was only about 130 kilometers/80 miles on the road, but we traversed some incredibly steep mountain passes on single lane roads. The climb up and over Passo Manghen was switchback after switchback on a road so narrow that we had to come to an almost complete stop each time there was an oncoming car, and then creep by each other with inches to spare on either side of both cars. It was close to 5000 feet of elevation change to get over Passo Manghen, tons of road cyclists on the road grinding up the climb, some seriously powerful legs on a few of them. The views of the Dolomites from Rifugio Passo Manghen were very impressive, lots of hiking from the restaurant but we had our sights set further north…
The road took us through Predazzo and Moena, picturesque mountain villages flanked by ski resorts and the jagged peaks of the Dolomites. The region of Trentino where Predazzo and Moena are located was part of Austria before World War I, a very notable change in architecture compared to the Veneto region a short drive south. So lush and green with mountain bikes everywhere, I think we could kill a lot more time in this part of the world!
Our hike began at the base of the Carezza ski resort, a fun grind through the forest to the top of one of the ski resort’s chairlifts followed by a rocky trail that skirted the base of Aquila di Christomannos around to Rifugio Pederiva. From the top of the first climb we could see clear into Austria to the north. I love how a lot of the mountain hiking routes in the Dolomites have small taverns or, in the case ofRifugio Pederiva, accommodation nestled up in the mountain peaks. There were throngs of hikers up atRifugio Pederiva when we arrived in the early afternoon, some with packed lunches but a lot of them choosing to enjoy a stein and plate of very reasonably priced hot food from the tavern. The views from the high point of our hike were absolutely incredible, some of the most awe-inspiring scenery I’ve ever seen. We could see Marmolada to the east and had some excellent 360 degree views of the jagged peaks of the Dolomites. A very memorable adventure for all of us.
The route down crossed a picturesque little family farm nestled just below the crags of the Dolomites, some very friendly cows – so friendly one didn’t mind Max giving her a hug – and what looked to be some tasty yogurt and buttermilk on offer. The whole trek was a little shorter than Via Ferrata Del Canalone a couple of days earlier: 5.3 miles/8.5 kilometers and 1824 feet/556 meters of elevation gain. A perfect length for everyone, so refreshing up in the mountains with some amazing views.
Lisa wasn’t about to let a visit to Italy’s northernmost wine region – Alto Adige – pass her by without sampling the fruits of the area, so whilst we were exploring around Bolzano we ventured to the secluded mountain village of Meltina to visit Europe’s highest elevation winery. It’d been more than 100 years since the area around Meltina had been part of Austria, but the Austrian heritage was very evident: all the street signs and town names were written in German first, Italian second, and the primary language of the residents is still German. The architecture, food, everything was Austrian. Arunda winery was a great spot to visit, beautiful countryside with terraced vineyards on some amazingly steep hillsides. Lisa very much enjoyed tasting a flight of all the sparklings they produce and comparing them to the high elevation bubbles she’d made back at Stonestreet in California. There was a couple from Germany tasting with us as well as a group from Italy. The wife of the German couple asked me if the Deschutes Brewery t-shirt I was wearing was the one located in Bend, she recognized the logo from when she’d studied in Oregon on an exchange program many years ago. They chatted with us in perfect English about the area and the fact that they enjoy visiting because everyone speaks German in Alto Adige, also giving us direction on some wine regions in southern Germany to visit when we find ourselves in that area of Europe. Small world!
The Col de Campiac loop made for quite a big day of driving but it was so worth it. One of my favorite hikes of all time, just a magic part of the world.
The kids put Bassano del Grappa and the Dolomites up on a pedestal with Cinque Terre as one of their favorite spots in Italy. I tend to agree: the relaxing town of Bassano itself, coupled with the ease of exploring the Venetian towns and the Dolomites via day trips made it the ideal location for exploring the Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige regions of northern Italy. Great food, friendly locals, picturesque towns and brilliant mountain adventures: can’t ask for more than that!
Your hiking the Via Ferrata Del Canalone was like a wonderland … I almost expected magical somethings to descend from the cloud clothed peaks. What a wonderful wonder! I can almost smell the green. Love and blessings from the Q’s
As always, your photography’s out of this world (made smaller by your incredible travels). What beautiful sites and great planning to go off the main path. The sights are incredible! Thank you for sharing your travels, Carol would be so proud.
Love you..
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