Asolo
Asolo: Its name is connected with Caterina Cornaro, the Queen of Cyprus. However, Asolo has had many more visitors, such as Eleonora Duse, the great protagonist in the history of Italian theatre, who spent the last years of her life at Asolo.
Asolo Province Treviso
Asolo is a very small centre of agriculture and handicrafts in the province of Treviso. It is famous for embroidery and silk weaving.
The name recalls the splendour of the court of Caterina Cornaro, who became the Queen of Cyprus, surrending the island of the Serene Republic and receiving Asolo in its place. From 1489 to 1509, the castle positioned on the hilltop became the prestigious residence of Caterina. Few relics remain from this charming story and of the luxurious and refined court: the Torre dell'Orologio (Clock Tower), Torre mozza called Reata (cropped tower), the court room, some remains of the castle walls, the Duse Theatre, and the Belvedere of the Garden.
Due to its enchanting panoramic location between hills, Asolo has always been visited by artists and literary figures from all over Europe. It has also been painted by Giorgione. Among this visitors are: Giosuè Carducci, who called "the city of a hundred horizons"; the English poet, Robert Browning; Pietro Bembo, one of the most famous scholars of the 16th century; the musician, Gian Francesco Malipiero, who found inspiration for some of his compositions. Eleonora Duse, the famous actress and Gabriele D'Annunzio's lover, spent the last years of her life here in an elegant mansion. She was buried in the small, charming Sant'Anna cemetery, opposite Mount Grappa.
The centre of Asolo is medieval with porticoed streets, frescoed houses, and workshop. The cathedral stands out among the religious buildings, cherished for its paintings by Lorenzo Lotto and di Jacopo da Bassano. From Piazza Maggiore, famous for its frescoed façade of the Loggia del Capitano, one's attention is lost in the mesmerizing scene.
In the plain below, there are many famous Venetian homes, including the beautiful Villa Barbaro di Maser, a work of the full artistic maturity of Andrea Palladio. Standing on the slope of a hill, the villa is just as famous for its frescoes inside by the genius Paolo Veronese. The technique employed is trompe-l'oeil. There are also sculptures and stucco-works by Alessandro Vittoria. (Foto By Davide Bedin)