Venice is gorgeous. The problem is everyone else in the world seems to think so too. In recent years, its issues with overtourism have become so desperate that it has introduced an entrance fee for day trippers in an effort to reduce visitor numbers.
So a day or two of complete contrast – a trip to a tranquil, traditional Italian town stuffed with cultural treasures, and where tourists are a rarity – can add another delightful dimension to a Venetian break.
The beautiful medieval town of Asolo, 40 miles from Venice, takes less than an hour to reach if you go by car and has previous when it comes to admirers. Prominent Victorian poet and playwright Robert Browning, Italian actor Eleonora Duse, and celebrated explorer and travel writer Freya Stark, who died and is buried in the town, no less.
Browning was so entranced by Asolo that he set his 1841 verse drama Pippa Passes here and his last collection of poems, Asolando, was named after the town. He clearly made quite an impression: the main drag is named after him.
What’s so delightful about this place is that it has not overly changed since Browning’s day, and there’s a real absence of chain stores, fast-food outlets and shops selling tourist tat that you so commonly see elsewhere. Instead, there are winding cobbled streets, beautiful Renaissance villas and pleasant little cafes for watching the world go by.
And watch the world go by I certainly did, at Caffe Centrale (where the locals once plotted to overthrow Napoleon) and at Gilda Patisserie Bistrot. Both are on the main square, Piazza Garibaldi, which overlooks the cathedral and the Civic Museum. It’s a pretty spot, surrounded by aged and frescoed buildings and a fountain topped by a Venetian winged lion.
Read more: Escape Amalfi’s tourist trail with this hidden gem
The museum’s collection includes archaeological findings, paintings, and sections devoted to Duse, Stark and the 15th century Caterina Cornaro, the last monarch of the Kingdom of Cyprus, who was forced to abdicate by the Venetians and given the castle and town of Asolo in return.
During my stay, on one day the tranquility in the main square was suddenly…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Independent Travel…