Italian Welcome
12 hours on a train from Paris to Venice was a new experience. We departed Gard Leon at 7.22 and enjoyed our first-class seats through France and Switzerland changing in Zurich. The countryside was especially beautiful in Switzerland and by 5 pm we had left the grey, cool weather behind and arrived in Milan to warmer temperatures. That was the end of the comfort as we endured the final 3 ½ hours in a crowded hot train to Mestre – just outside Venice. Mr dear friend Cristina, who is my guide in the Veneto, nourished and pampered us before dropping us at our hotel in her village of Noale.
It was a day out from the beginning of the Italian tour and we had a night to spend with Daniele our bus driver and his family. They are a wonderful working team with Deborah now driving buses and her sister Martina following. Mother Marika drives and does all the office work. There are also two boys. But the girls are stepping up and I am so proud of them.
Another set of remarkable sisters is Elena and Sylvia who run the most exquisite hotel called Al Sole, in the equally beautiful village of Asolo. I have been here for lunch many times. The service, meals and divine breakfast were magnificent.
Only 3 of my group had arrived directly from NZ on our starting day. Once everyone assembled at Venice airport it was only an hour’s drive to Asolo, a time to relax in the most beautiful bedrooms. Before long we had a glass of prosecco in our hands, with time to introduce a new group to the wonders of Italy. We had four nights in Al Sole and three full days to explore the surrounding region. Cristina joined us for the first two days and with her expert knowledge and gorgeous personality she helped bring together the Italian lifestyle in this region along with its enormous history and wonderful cuisine and wines.
We are in Prosecco country – that meant by 10.30 we were into our first wine tasting of the DOCG Prosecco of Valdobiadene. The countryside is stunning with rows and rows of Glera grapes covering the hillsides like a carpet interrupted only by wine distilleries and a few houses. Sitting in all of this is La Chima – a smart restaurant with a cool outdoor dining room overlooking the Vineyards and serving a typical Italian lunch based on local produce. A lesson on the classic Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio with Cristina and a visit to his 16th-century masterpiece Villa Barbaro in the afternoon. She not only explained why the Vento has so many Villas of which 24 are designed by Palladio but introduced everyone to the artist Paolo Veronese and sculptor Alessandro Vittoria who had the job of decorating the building.
Along with Prosecco the Veneto is also famous for Grappa – a spirit made by distilling the skins, pulp, seeds and stems left over from winemaking after pressing the grapes. This grape-based pomace brandy contains 35 to 60 per cent alcohol by volume. Bassano Del Grappa and its surrounds has many distilleries. Today the town is beautiful and the shopping is excellent.
But, it has a tragic history during the conflicts of the First and Second World Wars and none more so than its beautiful bridge- Ponte degli Alpini. It has been rebuilt many times due to floods and fire. It survived World War I but not World War II as it was taken out by a bomb in 1945. Today Ponte degli Alpini retains its 16th-century appearance, as designed by Andrea Palladio, and is a rare example of a covered wooden pontoon bridge.
It was compulsory to each have a drink called Mezzo e Mezzo – served in an original bar beside the bridge. I loved the logo under the bar….
“ If you care about your life drink well ‘
It’s hard to come up with descriptions and explanations when everything is beautiful, stunning, gorgeous, exquisite etc etc . However, the walled town of Marostica with its chess board piazza and medieval castles was exceptionally beautiful. I wish we were here when the medieval-themed festival is on in September when a giant chess game is played with human chess pieces. Cristina had booked lunch at the family-owned ‘Osteria Madonetta’. It was a marvellous example of a family-run trattoria using vegetables from their garden, serving the thick local pasta Bigoli and offering specialties like Liver, Bacala (Codfish), polenta and radicchio. I asked the owner if he played chess and his answer was: Everyone in Marostica plays chess.
Finally, our 4 days concluded with a day in the Dolomite, driving through the valleys surrounded by fields of wildflowers, was so lovely and to complete our day we had a rather exhilarating Cabana ride for lunch and the chance to view the magnificent mountains above Cortina. The Olympic games are going to be here again in 2026 and it’s certainly incredible given the amount of ski fields in this area and the wonderful walking tracks everywhere.
Elena and her team excelled with another delicious meal at the hotel in the evening – tonight is was Gnocchi, followed by Veal and Creme Brulee. We have no trouble eating!!!!