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Sight Seeing
and Excursions
In cultural
terms the Dolomites and the Veneto offer a greater variety than
the typical Italian villa rental holiday: the enormous wealth of
Venice and the north Italian towns - Padua, Vicenza, Mantua and
Verona, as well as many smaller ones - have left plenty to see.
The meeting of Italian culture with the influence of the old Holy
Roman Empire is the central cultural theme of the Trentino. It is
as much illustrated by the juxtaposition of names such as Cornaro
or Contarini with Trapp or Thun among the tombs of the Prince Archbishops
in the crypt of Trento's cathedral, as by the contrast of gnocchi
and knoederli in the region's restaurants. This provides the background
to much of the local art and architecture, the history of the First
World War, the development of Roncegno's spa and the building of
Villa Gordon itself.
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Art, Culture and
Excursions
Culture
vultures can start in Roncegno: the parish church has an altarpiece
by Francesco Guardi (one of his rare religious works); and
then on to the Palace Hotel, with its art nouveau ballroom,
Viennese secessionist paintings and 1930s art deco bar.
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Trento
has one of the finest medieval/renaissance city centres in
northern Italy: as well as the cathedral and the imposing
Castello del Buonconsiglio, Trento boasts a large number of
old renaissance Palazzos with charmingly frescoed facades.
The castle is well worth visiting, particularly the Torre
dell'Aquila, a pearl-like interior whose decoration recalls
the illustrations of Les tres riches heures du duc de Berry.
The town
was the site of the Council of Trent in the 16th century,
which gave us the Tridentine mass: this gives you a clue as
to why there is a statue of Neptune in the cathedral square?
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The Adige valley is one of Italy's major wine producing regions.
North of Trento the German influence predominates: as well as
local red grapes such as Teroldego, there are good whites: the
village of Tramen is argued to be the origin of the tramminer
grape, grown locally. The Strada del Vino through San Michele
and Mezzocorona has many centres worth visiting. Trento is the
home of Ferrari, which boasts the best quality Italian champagne.
South of the city are the wine cooperatives of Mori and Aldeno.
Here you will find Marzemino, a red grape made famous in Mozart's
Don Giovanni, and Schiava Gentile, or gentle slave, a rosé ideal
for summer quaffing. At Mori and Aldeno you can taste the wines
and buy at wholesale prices. |
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the west of the Adige is Lake Garda: where scheduled boating
trips can take you down to Sirmione (about two hours) to visit
the resort and Roman ruins. There is also Gardaland (if you
can bear it), a large Disney style amusement park that will
appeal greatly to children. |
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The
Adige valley opens out to the plains at Verona, whose Roman
origins are still clearly visible throughout the town centre:
as well as the remaining city gates there is the large amphitheatre
or Arena, where in July and August an opera season is staged.
As well as its museum of art Verona has many fine shops and
a very picturesque open-air market. |
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Mantua is a little further on, but is well worth a day's excursion.
The town - Virgil's birthplace -lies on what is almost an island,
surrounded by the lagoons of the River Mincio. The Ducal Palace is
very impressive, featuring Mantegna's Camera degli Sposi, as is Giulio
Romano's delightfully eccentric Palazzo del Te. The Teatro Virgiliano
is like a little fairy-tale music box, while for the serious art historian
the visit would not be complete without tours of Alberti's two churches,
Sant' Andrea and San Sebastiano. |
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From Roncegno to the east the Valsugana opens onto the plains at Bassano
del Grappa (40 minutes drive), where the mountains come down from
1,800 metres to an abrupt stop. Bassano is famous for its food and
wine, its covered bridge over the Brenta, and its ceramics. The bridge
combines all these elements: a concentration of shops culminating
with Nardinis, an eighteenth century wine shop where you can taste
a bewildering selection of grappas and herbal liqueurs. Bassano also
has a good art museum and a ceramics museum. |
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From Bassano you are within easy striking distance of both the
small towns of the Veneto - Asolo, Marostica or Castelfranco,
for example, as well as the major centres of Vicenza, Padua
and Treviso. Wherever you go you will not be far from a Palladian
villa or a fresco by Veronese or Tiepolo. |
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| Venice
(148km) is two hours by car or train from Borgo; a day does
not allow for much, so it's best not to be too ambitious. Some
carefully targeted sightseeing in the morning, a good lunch
and perhaps a visit to the Lido in the afternoon for swimming
and snoozing would not be a bad way of passing the day. |
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The First World War left an indelible mark on the Trentino. The front
line passed over Villa Gordon twice, leaving bullet holes on the veranda
and damage still visible on brickwork below the roof. On the mountain
ridges you will find the traces of the Austrian trenches. This is
the landscape of Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. |
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There
are a number of Austrian forts south of Roncegno on the Altopiano
of Asiago, particularly the Forte Belvedere, whose Maginot-like underground
tunnels have been turned into a museum. Also worth visiting are the
Military Museum in Rovereto, south of Trento, and the war memorial
and museum on Monte Grappa, above Bassano. On a clear day you can
see Venice: it was from here that the Austrians lobbed shells over
to bomb the city |
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