Asolo, the town of a hundred horizons
Villa Cipriani stands just outside the walls of Asolo. The historic centre is a short walk away, and that closeness changes how you experience the village: there is no need to plan a visit, you simply step through the gate and climb towards its streets.
Asolo appears in ancient sources as Acelum, and in the Middle Ages it took shape around the Palazzo Pretorio and the Rocca. In 1337 it passed under Venice; from 1489 Caterina Cornaro, the former Queen of Cyprus, held court in the castle. It was in this setting that Pietro Bembo placed Gli Asolani, published in 1505.
Within the walls
The Rocca crowns the hill; lower down, the castle of Queen Cornaro, the Duomo, the museum and the arcades accompany a walk through the historic centre. Between the houses the view opens again and again onto the valley and the hills, which explains the nickname Giosuè Carducci made famous: the town of a hundred horizons.
A town of artists and travellers
From the mid-nineteenth century Asolo became a place particularly loved by writers, musicians, actresses and travellers. Robert Browning, Eleonora Duse, Gian Francesco Malipiero and Freya Stark are among the names tied to the town.
In 2002 Asolo joined the Borghi più belli d’Italia, the most beautiful villages in Italy.
For guests of Villa Cipriani, the historic centre is the first thing to experience without a car: a walk worth repeating at different hours, as the light, the workshops and the views over the valley change.
