The next day we had a private tour of the area. This area was heavily involved in both WWI and WWII. Asolo was occupied by the Germans; the locals celebrate the liberation annually. We headed out to Bassano di Grappa--famous for the making of Grappa (high octane liquor), the alpine soldiers (Italians who had much alpine influence including dress and quite active in both wars). There was a foot race and a local street fair going on in this town of 3 campos (centers).
Below is the "Partisan Trees". As the Germans were losing, on their way out of town they hanged locals from the trees after token trials for being partisans. The trees are maintained as memorials and have plaques on them identifying who was hung from each tree. Very moving.
This area has quite the connection to Venice. The rich Venetians build palladios (palaces) here for their summer retreats from the heat and humidity of Venice. We toured the Villa Maser which was built by 2 brothers (1 of which was a priest) in the 1500s. They came each summer to keep an eye on the vast farming operation as well as the Venice escape. Getting back to the land was viewed as virtuous.
The villa is still in the family; there is a winery and a wonderful restaurant. These are pics of what we had for lunch while we were there. The interior walls have the most incredible frescoes. Highly recommend visiting here!
We have 3 more days in this area to explore on our own. Ciao!