This town is renowned for the production of grappa. Its landmark bridge, the which can be seen on arrival into town, was designed by Andrea Palladio in 1571 and rebuilt in 1948. Enter the old walls through Porta Dieda and head up Via Roma, past Museo Civico (closed Tue), which has works by the 19th-century sculptor Canova, to the splendid adjacent city squares, Piazza della Libertà and Piazza Garibaldi. The first is home to the Palazzo del Comune and the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista (open daily), the latter to the 13th-century Torre Civica (book at [email protected]) and the 11th-century Romanesque-Gothic Chiesa di San Francesco (open daily) with its pastel façade. Admire the views from Piazza del Terraglio and visit the medieval shell of the Castello Superiore and the Viale dei Martiri (pathway of the martyrs), dedicated to 31 Resistance fighters hung by the Nazis in 1944.

Exit the centre of Bassano, following the “tutte le direzioni” signs, then at the main roundabout take SP248 direction Marostica. Park by the old city walls, near Porta Vicenza.

Driving along the valley beneath the hills of the Colline Bassanesi, fairy-lights lead to the city’s upper castle, Castello Superiore, where the Venetian government representative lived until the castle was bombed during the Cambrai war in 1509. At the foot of the Pausolino, castle hill, is the Castello Inferiore (open daily) and one of three of the old city entries, Porta Vicenza, where the tourist office is located. The castle opens onto the colonnaded city square, Piazza degli Scacchi, which is inlaid with a giant stone chessboard used during the bi-annual festival. At the far end of the square the Palazzo Doglione, once the armoury of the castle, has held the daily market since 1930. Cross the main palazzo-lined street, Corso Mazzini, from where a stone pathway, Sentiero Panoramico, leads up through olive groves to Castello Superiore – its walls and main gate can be explored at will. The footpath back to Marostica is reached via the steps Scalinata dei Carmini (good walking shoes are essential).

Take the SP71, with signs marking the way up to Asiago. Pass through Gomarolo and Conco, then take the SP72. There is ample street parking and free car parks in Asiago.

The picturesque regional capital lies at the heart of the “Sette Comuni”, at 1,000 m (3,280 ft) altitude. The town is renowned all over Europe for its cheeses, and advertising billboards for the “formaggio di Asiago” skirt the country roads. Some cheese farms are open for visits. The medieval buildings of the town hall square, Piazza Risorgimento, were either fully re-built or re-clad after World War I.

Exit Asiago and turn left into the SP76, direction Gallio/Enego.

The road from Asiago to Enego cuts through several communities of the Altopiano. Gallio is the main sports resort and has ski circuits and a forested ice-track. The tiny 1830s Santuario della Madonna del Buso church was rebuilt after World War I, when the Altopiano became the frontline of the Italian Resistance. Foza is a tiny village, perched on an escarpment with views of the northern Alps. Enego is the last stop before the road descends on the other side of the tableland. At 800 m (2,625 ft) altitude, the austere, grey-stone houses of the town are encircled by the Dolomites mountain chain.

Take the SP76 through Fosse in the direction of Bassano del Grappa. On the valley floor, head south on the SS47, passing Cismon del Grappa, Valstagna and Solagna. After Solagna, turn left onto the SP74 to Romano d’Ezzelino, then right onto the SP26 for Possagno. Park outside the Tempio Canoviano.

The Tempio Canoviano (closed Mon; www.tempiocanoviano.it) dominates the town in which sculptor Antonio Canova (1757–1822) was born. He designed this Neo-Classical temple which was completed in 1832. The design is a hybrid of inspirations with Pantheon-like columns and the raised apse of a Christian basilica. In Via Museo Gipsoteca Canoviana (closed Mon) has several rooms of paintings and sculptures, and is set in parkland alongside the 17th-century oil-painting filled Casa del Canova, where the artist lived.

Continue on SP26 to Pederobba; turn left onto SR348 towards Feltre and right onto SP38, becoming SP29 and SP36, cross the river, following signs for Valdobbiadene. Car parks are signed; there is also street parking.

Overlooking the valley of the River Piave, this town is the capital of Italy’s Prosecco and Cartizze spumante wine-making industry. The Piazza Guglielmo Marconi is lined with Palladian Neo-Classical buildings including the Duomo (open daily), the 18th-century campanile and town hall. Also here are Prosecco boutiques, fine pasticceria and grand old Art-Nouveau cafés such as Caffè Vittoria.

Take the SP2 south, passing through Covolo-Levada, then the SP84 to Maser. The Villa di Maser is signposted all the way up to the road leading into it.

Trip 4: The Veneto | SHEEP’S HEAD PENINSULA

Trip 4: The Veneto | Bassano del Grappa

Trip 4: The Veneto | Bassano del Grappa

Trip 4: The Veneto | Bassano del Grappa

Trip 4: The Veneto | Shopping for cheese and Wine

This UNESCO-listed villa and its splendid gardens are alongside the road in Maser. Both were designed by 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio who transformed the ruins of the medieval palazzo of Maser into a Renaissance masterpiece. Palladio’s designs were inspired by the values of ancient Greek and Roman Classical architecture. Six rooms in the villa are decorated in a typically Palladian style with frescoes by Paolo Veronese and stuccoes by Alessandro Vittoria.

Continue down the SP84, turn right into the SP248 and follow the signs to Asolo città vecchia (old town) for parking. The main car park is in Piazza Garibaldi.

The historic heart of this hillside town is Piazza Garibaldi whose fountain still draws water from the underground aqueducts that fed the ancient Roman baths. Piazza Garibaldi spills out over the main street and the steps to the Cattedrale. At Piazzetta Pio X explore the art and archaeological collections in the Museo Civico (open Sat–Sun only). On Via Browning, Casa Tabacchi is where English poet Robert Browning (1812–92) wrote I Versi di Asolando. The Giardino di Villa Freya showcases flowers loved by English writer Freya Stark; the ruins of the Teatro Romano (open by appt; www.bellasolo.it) are also here. An old city door on Via Collegio leads to the 14th-century castle, La Rocca (open Sat–Sun only), on top of Monte Ricco. The medieval Castello della Regina (grounds open daily; castle open Tue–Sun) has views of Asolo and the surrounding countryside.

Follow the SP101 to Fanzolo where Via Boscalto leads into Via Stazione. Villa Emo is a short way along this road.

Another of Palladio’s masterpieces set in a large park, the villa was built for Count Leonardo Emo in the 1550s. Composed around a central flight of marble steps and four Greek temple-like columns, the long rectangular building is framed on each side by large storage barns typical of a Venetian villa. Well-preserved 16th-century frescoes by Giovanni Battista Zelotti decorate the porch and the central salon – depicting the Veneto region’s agricultural history with agrarian motifs such as festoons of flowers, fruits and crops.

Head to the centre of Fanzolo, and take the SP101 following the signs for Castelfranco, then turn left onto the SR667. Follow signs to the car park at Piazza Giorgione.

From the old market square, Piazza Giorgione, walk around the medieval 17-m (56-ft) high red stone walls to the semi-ruined Castello, then through the western Porta Cittadella. The hub of the historic centre is the Piazza del Duomo with its mid 18th-century Palladian-inspired cathedral (open daily) and the Oratorio Madonna della Grazie (open daily). Exit through the eastern Porta Davanti to see the adjacent clock tower, Torre dell’Orologio. Medieval frescoes adorn the castle’s walls, the town’s ancient arcades and the palazzi along Corso XXIX Aprile.

Leave town on the SR245, following the signs for Padova. Pass Resana and follow the SR307. Turn left onto the SP10 towards Borgoricco, then take the SR308 towards Cadoneghe. Come off the slip road on the SR514 which becomes the SP46. Approaching Stra on the SR11, turn left into Via Doge Pisani and the entrance to the Villa Pisani.

The Riviera del Brenta became a rural haven for wealthy Venetian merchants and aristocrats in the 14th century. Their splendid country homes were built in Palladian, Neo-Classical or Renaissance style with lavish interiors and sculpture-filled gardens. Today many of the houses are open to visitors and contain museums, parks, restaurants and hotels. From Stra to Mira, the “Naviglio del Brenta” (Brenta Canal) meanders its way past dozens of splendid villas.

The first villa of note is the Villa Pisani. Dating from 1700, this is the grandest villa on the Brenta. Venetian doges and European monarchs once stayed in the 114-room residence. It is now a museum of 18th- and 19th-century art, furniture and interiors. The French-style gardens and surrounding park are scattered with statues.

Continue along Via Riviera del Brenta to reach Villa Foscarini Rossi. Built in the mid-1600s, this was the residence of Marco Foscarini, Venice’s procurator and future doge. Part of the villa is now the Museo Rossimoda della Calzatura, which has a collection of fine footwear by one of the most prestigious Italian shoe manufacturers for designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy and Christian Dior.

Head back onto the SR11 to the medieval town of Dolo, once a vital midway point between Venice and Padova. Among Dolo’s several villas, the gardens of Villa Ferretti-Angeli are now a large public park.

Continue on the SR11 to Mira and the Villa Widmann Rezzonico Foscari. This exquisite Baroque villa has ground floor salons with silk-panelled walls and lavish Murano glass chandeliers. It also houses the Information Point of the Riviera del Brenta. Mira’s other villa attraction is the frescoed mid-18th-century guest quarters of the Barchessa Valmarana.

Continue on the SR11/SS11, then take the SS309 and follow signs to the “stazione” for the car parks at Mestre. A regular train runs from here to Venice, making it a good option for those who want to avoid driving into Venice. Alternatively, to drive into Venice take the SR11 and park at Piazzale Roma.

Trip 4: The Veneto | Villa di Maser

Trip 4: The Veneto | Asolo

Trip 4: The Veneto | Villa Emo

Trip 4: The Veneto | Riviera del Brenta

Trip 4: The Veneto | Asolo

One of the world’s greatest enigmatic beauties, floating on a labyrinth of waterways and bridges. Most visitors get lost in Venice, but that is part of the city’s charm. Before heading to its main tourist hub and most evocative square, Piazza San Marco, with the marble-walled Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace), try taking a stroll through some of the more peaceful sestieri (districts).

A two-hour walking tour

Catch a vaporetto to the Ponte di Rialto 1 – the most famous of the city’s 350 bridges and, until the mid-19th century, the only one across the Grand Canal. Cross the bridge and turn immediately left into Riva del Vin 2 to soak up the atmosphere of the Grand Canal – the 3.5-km (2-mile) long “main road” of Venice and its principal transport artery. Stop at a café and watch passing gondolas. Turn right into Rio Terà San Silvestro (o del Fontego) and take the passageway Calle di Mezo to the Campo San Aponal 3 in San Polo. This, the smallest district, is full of old craft ateliers and shops; some streets, squares and rivers are named after the goods once sold there. The Campiello dei Meloni 4 is a small marketplace where melons were sold – continue through here, over the Rio dei Meloni, following the signs/arrows to the Ferrovia (station), to reach the Campo San Polo. Cross the Rio Polo, across Ponte Polo 5, and take Calle Larga to the Campo dei Frari with its minor basilica, S Maria Gloriosa dei Frari 6. Take the Calle Fianco de la Scuola across the bridge behind the church – over the Rio de la Frescada 7 – to reach the art-rich Dorsoduro neighbourhood. At the sign pointing to Ca’ Rezzonico, turn left and continue along Calle Largo Foscari, cross the Rio di Ca’Foscari, and on to the Palazzo Foscari 8, rumoured to be the birthplace of the great Doge Francesco Foscari, who ruled from 1423–57. Continue through the peaceful square Campiello dei Squelini 9 and head to the Ca’ Rezzonico – a Gothic palazzo once owned by English poet Robert Browning’s son in the 1880s, which now houses the Museo del Settecento Veneziano 0 (closed Tue).

Cross the Rio di San Barnaba to Campo San Barnaba and take the Calle della Toletta to the Gallerie dell’Accademia q (open daily) in Campo della Carità. This former Palladian convent has a priceless collection of 15th–18th-century Venetian paintings, including works by Giorgione, Carpaccio, Bellini, Titian and Tintoretto.

Italy’s leading treasure-chest of early 20th-century art lies a short distance along the canal, over the Rio de San Vio: the Peggy Guggenheim Collection w (closed Tue) is housed in her former home, the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, and includes major works by Giacometti, Dalì, Picasso and Pollock. The museum has sculpture-filled gardens and wonderful views from the terrace over the Grand Canal.

From here it is a short walk across the Rio della Furnace to Campo della Salute and the vaporetto stop of Salute, which goes across to the historic hive around Piazza San Marco e.

Trip 4: The Veneto | Venice

Trip 4: The Veneto | Venice

Trip 4: The Veneto | Venice

Trip 3: The Majestic Ring of Kerry | Venice