Foothills getaway in Asolo

The hillside community of Asolo, about an hour northwest of Venezia, doesn’t bustle. Its cobblestone streets don’t teem with annoying ill-clad tourists, and selfies seem to have been relegated to other more popular destinations. Instead, a casual mountain ambience prevails, with the perfume of history meandering through the tiny street plan. A picture-perfect castle presides, overlooking the broad plains of the Veneto below. You can easily discover tasteful boutique shopping, after which you might linger in the Caffè Centrale’s vaulted Beaux Arts interior for an outstanding savoury lunch. Remember you are in the Prosecco Hills, where a glass of bollicine is always appropriate. Local grappas abound. Take your time. And if you must, an itinerary of Palladian villas can include in the programme. A popular biking destination, you can pedal along miles of unspoiled wooded roads.

Then there are the ghosts. Eleanora Duse, Sarah Bernhardt and Hemingway lurk in the alleyways. Carlo Scarpa’s famed Brion tomb is only a few miles away, as is the Museo Gipsoteca Antonio Canova in nearby Possagno. Antipodeans often come to Asolo in search of ancestral familial spirits who were born here.

By far the most simpatico lodging in town is the four-starred Albergo al Sole, a family-operated inn of 28 rooms, which sits conveniently at an elevated point atop the village. Room 202 is the A-ticket, a spacious and light-filled lodging, utterly comfortable, and need we mention shamelessly romantic. Furnished in heritage style with every luxury-grade amenity, the room rate won’t kill you, like in Venezia. You can walk everywhere. A leisurely soak in your elegant tiled bath after a day of trekking might precede your dinner reservation at Restaurant La Terrazza, the albergo’s ultra-fine dining spot. Weather permitting, you can occupy a table on the outdoor terrace, an al fresco alternative to the cozy 32-seat dining room with its elegant artisan glassware and glowing ceiling lighting by Ingo Maurer. The excellent sommelier Leandro can recommend from a list of local wines to accompany the seasonal bill of fare. Reservations a must.

Those in search of a respite from the accelerated tourist cities of the Veneto will find this treasure in the foothills a soothing alternative. Be ready to slow down and savour the clean air and leisurely pace that such a charmed place can deliver. Highly recommended for unforgettable honeymoons. •

Above, from top: Handmade artisan glassware at La Terrazza restaurant. Vintage glassware on display.

Stanley Moss is travel editor of Lucire.

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