How to visit Bassano del Grappa (Veneto's hidden gem)

Bassano del Grappa is a small city in the north of Italy situated in the Province of Vicenza (Veneto region). The city isn't well-known internationally but Italian people love to visit it every once in a while. I first visited Bassano in October 2019 and immediately fell in love with it. It truly is a hidden gem and a very underrated little city. That is why I wanted to write a post dedicated to the city of Bassano del Grappa to show people the beauty of it and to help you with your future travels to Bassano.

How to get there

As I already said in the beginning of this post; Bassano is located in the Veneto region. You can take a flight to either Treviso or Venice airport and then take a train or taxi to Bassano. From Belgium (where I live) it is only a 1,5 hour flight, though the car ride can take up to 12 hours. I would strongly suggest just taking the plane as it is way easier and quicker and you don't lose an entire day in the car.

Once you arrive in Treviso it is best to either rent your own car or take a taxi to Bassano. It will only take you 1 hour to reach the city of Bassano. The same goes for Venice, you either rent a car or take a taxi or train/ bus. The bus from the airport is about 15-20 minutes to the Venice train station and then you have another (small) hour to go on the train. As there isn't a lot of public transport in Bassano itself and also from and to other towns, I would suggest renting a car if you want to make several trips to other towns as well.

Where to stay

The easiest and cheapest way to stay in Bassano is to book a room in one of the B&B's located all over and around the city. I have stayed at B&B Alla Favorita, back in October, which has nice and cosy rooms and is only a 10-15 min walk away from the city center. Another B&B, a bit closer to the center, is La Loggetta, where I stayed this Summer 2020. The rooms are more basic and very Italian, compared to Alla Favorita but the city center is only 5 min away, by foot. Lastly there is Hotel al Castello located in the middle of the center. I haven't stayed here yet but have read some good things about it online.

My biggest suggestion is to look for a hotel close to the center as parking isn't easy to find in Bassano. Though, if you are looking for a parking spot I would recommend taking a look at Parcheggio della parrocchia, it is free and you will most likely find an open spot.

The tourist attractions

Bassano isn't a very large city so you can basically do everything by foot once you arrive. It isn't very touristy as well, so don't expect to see/ do a lot of tourist attractions. One of the most popular attractions is the Grappa museum, located right at the Ponte Vecchio. Here you can learn all about Grappa and even smell the different Grappa flavours.

You also have the Museo Civico de Bassano if you want to see some art. Another hotspot is to visit the "Castello", there isn't much to see but it has a nice little courtyard and you can pop into the small church to light a candle and say your prayers. You can get there by crossing the old bridge and then continuing straight ahead, up the steep hill to the top. On the square you will see the tower and then it is just a matter of finding the entrance to the courtyard.

Something that you MUST do is going into "La Distilleria Nardini", also located at the Ponte Vecchio. All locals come here for their daily glass of Mezzo e Mezzo, a drink made from Grappa. At the Distilleria they make their own grappa and you can even take a tour here (with an appointment). The drink is rather small but strong so don't drink it too fast. My dad ordered himself a glass of Mezzo e Mezzo and we all tried it. I wasn't a big fan of it, though my dad and mom did quite like it.

Sidenote: you should definitely also cross the "new bridge" for some stunning views.

The shops

Even though Bassano is very "unknown" it does have a range of beautiful shops/ boutiques. One of my favourites is Paper, where they sell trendy clothes for the younger public, though they do also have some very good basic pieces for everyone. They also sell some shoes, jewelry and sunglasses. On the other side of town you will find "Wooden" which is the male equivalent of Paper. They also sell some really cool stuff, though also for the younger public.

A place that both my mom and I really love is called XETRA, located on one of the big squares (Piazza Liberta). It is a pretty big store with all types of clothing and the prices are also very reasonable.

Next, we have SCOUT, which is a store that you may come across in several other Italian cities. They sell their own brand "Scout" which is really cheap and very trendy. I bought some sunglasses for only €7. They also sell brands such as Adidas and Subdued. Don't be fooled by their window displays, if you're "older", it is quite a "young" store but even my dad (55 y/o) bought himself some shirts here.

When looking for some nice and affordable jewelry, you should definitely go to Alisia, only 2 stores away from XETRA. They have handmade accessories in all shapes and colors. They can even custom-make something if you would like something in a different color. I don't know if it counts for every piece in the store but it is definitely worth asking for it.

Lastly, when looking for something designer you can go to Cenere G.B. Here they sell brands such as Fendi, Stella McCartney, etc. Right across the street they have a second store with the more "youthful" brands such as Off White, Valentino, Gucci, etc. and then more up the hill they also have a children's store.

There are many more lovely shops in Bassano, but these are some of my favourites.

Food & drinks

Bassano is also packed with restaurants and bars. From traditional Italian osterias to trendy cocktail bars. If you want to know where to go for food, you should check out my previous posts about Bassano (1) (2). For drinks I would recommend going to Palazzo Delle Misture for some really good cocktails, plus their interior is just gorgeous. Next to it you also have Nero Pece, where you can enjoy some nicely decorated cocktails. If you want to sip on some wine then go to Ca' Brando. You will definitely find many more bars around the city, but these 3 are my go-to's.

Palazzo delle Misture

How to visit Bassano

You can visit Bassano del Grappa in numerous ways, but the following schedule is what I think is the most ideal.

First, I would not stay in Bassano itself for more than 2 days. The town is lovely and you can shop, eat and drink as much as you want, but besides this there isn't much to do. I would spent one day exploring the town and shops and then another day you can either hike the "Monte Grappa" or take a stroll along the Brenta river.

How to reach the Brenta River:

• When you are facing the Ponte Vecchio in the street called "Via Angarano", take the tiny road on you left called Via G. Volpato.

• Walk down the road, pass the restaurant 'Al ponte" and many other buildings until the road splits into 2.

• There you turn right towards the water and VOILA you're on the walking trail.

• This walking trail goes around the Brenta river and ends on the other side close to the center. It is around 10 km if I remember correctly.

On the other days I would make a trip to one of the many lovely cities in the neighbourhood. You can reach Venice by train (1h), which is the best option as paying for parking around Venice is very expensive.

You can also take your own/ rental car to Padua, which is another beautiful city only 1 hour away from Bassano. There is a lot of beautiful architecture and many, many shops.

Another city is Vicenza, 41 minutes by car, or Treviso, 1 hour by car. I have visited both cities but wasn't a very big fan. Treviso is well-known but there isn't much to see besides some shops. Vicenza does have some nice churches and other sights but you have to pay for most of them which I think is a shame. I also visited Vicenza at a wrong moment during the day when the city was more or less empty and all shops were closed.

If you love walking you can also go to Asiago to go for a hike.

Asiago

And lastly, Asolo. Asolo is a very lovely and small town only 30 minutes away from Bassano. There are some shops, the Castello and you also have the "Rocca", where you have some amazing views, though be prepared to hike a long way up. I would personally recommend going to Asolo during sunset to explore the town a bit and enjoy the dazzling views and then have dinner at one of the restaurants.

Well, that was all for this post. I hope I made Bassano del Grappa a bit more popular as I truly believe it should get more attention from tourists. Even if you don't want to go to Bassano as your "final destination" it is definitely worth passing by.

A bientôt!

Bisous