Bassano del Grappa is perhaps best known for the distilled liquor that bears the town’s name, and its historic Ponte degli Alpini, a wooden bridge that spans the Brenta River, first designed and built by Andrea Palladio in the Sixteenth Century.

Some restoration work being done to the bridge piers

A view from the Ponte degli Alpini at night.

A lively town in the northern Veneto, Bassano is not exactly undiscovered, but if you’re looking for a comfortable, relaxed Italian experience largely untainted by mass tourism you may want to consider a visit.

Slightly over an hour by regional train from Venice Mestre station, Bassano del Grappa couldn’t be any easier to get to. It is also readily accessible from Padua, Treviso, and Vicenza. Public transportation is good and the connections frequent, making a car unnecessary.

A ceramics workshop at the end of the Ponte degli Alpini

One of the most interesting aspects of Bassano del Grappa is the great variety of shops, selling everything from grappa (of course) to salt cod.

A specialty alimentari featuring baccala – dried salt cod

A very historic pasticceria and panificio

An interesting shop featuring every type of shaving accessory imaginable

Mushrooms and grappa

White asparagus is a seasonal specialty in this part of the Veneto

Bassano’s outdoor market features white asparagus in virtually every size imaginable

On Sunday morning we were greeted by the sound of revving engines as a modern-era Abarth club filled the piazza outside our hotel

Matthew Daub is a professional artist and university professor with works in major public and private collections throughout the United States and Europe. He has been leading plein air painting workshops in Italy since 1994. In 1999, Matthew and his wife Barbara formed Arts Sojourn as “a vacation for artists and their friends.” The program is designed to appeal to artists of all levels as well as non-artists who enjoy the company of creative people in a slow travel format. Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.