May 8 – Day 5: A Day in Asolo

If I had one complaint, and only one, with regard to our fantastic hotel, it would be that the walls are too thin. We did not get sound sleep due to our noisy neighbors slamming doors, flushing toilets, and even talking to loved ones by cell phone speakerphone at 2 AM – go figure. I guess it’s not the hotel’s fault. I mean the place was built in the 1800s. Anyway, we sort of “slept in” until 9 AM and mosied down to Caffe Centrale in Piazza Garibaldi, the local meeting place for coffee, a smoke, or chat. We had our now standard cappuccini and pastries (almond torte and chocolate croissant, yum!), along with some fresh squeezed spremuta, or blood orange juice. What a nice way to start the lazy morning.

After breakfast, we walked uphill towards La Rocca, an ancient walled fortress atop the town that dates back to the early 1000s and whose earliest origins, construction, and use are still somewhat unknown. It was exactly 276 steps to La Rocca, according to the signs, and a good warmup for hiking the Cinque Terre paths methinks. We were surprised to find the monument open on a Thursday, as it was only supposed to be open on Sundays – plus, thanks to the Cultural Week celebration in Asolo, the entrance was libero - free! Walking the ramparts was a great way to relax and take in the splendid vistas surrounding Asolo.

After an hour or so, we headed back into town to grab some lunch at a local bar – the usual panino, “toasty”, and bellinis with fresh peach juice. We noticed a trend of sorts when it came to lunch: ham, cheese, bread. Be it prosciutto or speck, local Grappa or gorgonzola, flat bread or toasted white – it all went together so well. There was an important gathering at the bar and next door at the museum, with local political and governmental types meeting today to decide how to protect the future for Asolo’s historical center. Naturally, the conference attendees were having a little drink at lunchtime, just like in the U.S., right? Afterwards, we stopped by a restaurant that I had researched to make a dinner reservation on the terrazza, the smell of grilling drawing us inside. We headed home to sit in the garden, write in our journals, and take an afternoon snooze (I love that Italian tradition).

We freshened up after our nap and went to buy some apple foccacia, asiago cheese, and water for breakfast in the morning before Rosario picked us up at 7:45 – the same store we had bought some sweet fruit-filled tortelloni from earlier in the day. Just enjoying more time in the garden watching the sunset before dinner alle otto (20:00 hrs.), and another stroll around Asolo’s centro storico, historical center.

Finally, it was chow (ciao) time. We had been anticipating this dinner since earlier in the day. We can say that this was our favorite meal to date in Italia. After picking out a corner table on the terrazza, we reviewed the menus. Definitely a quarter liter of prosecco and a quarter of the house cabernet. We have definitely been spoiled by good cheap Italian vino della casa (house wine), the complete antithesis of U.S. house wines. Kirstin started with tagliatelle with asparagus while I had agnolotti (big tortellini) with ham from San Daniele. Utterly amazing, molto buono, fresh handmade pasta! Then for secondi, Kirstin had roast pork with mushrooms, I had venison with polenta, and we split a plate of cooked seasonal vegetables. So amazingly good, overlooking the Asolo hills from our corner terrace table. To finish, naturally, due espressi.

As we left the restaurant, I spotted numerous photos of previous patrons, include Phoenix Suns coach Mike D’Antoni and family! (Kirstin was not nearly as impressed.). I had my second Italian conversation with the lady proprietor of the ristorante. I told her where we were off to on our trip, and she had glowing reviews of the Cinque Terre and Lucca. She said she was afraid of Florence, Room, and Padova – make sure to use your money belt and keep an eye on your possessions. Thieves can cut your handbag and make off with it! We had to finish the evening with a double cone of gelato (cinnamon and caffe) from Caffe Centrale, where we had sampled gelato the night before – the best to date per Kirstin’s palate. What a great way to end a perfect day in Asolo.

Ciao, Tom