Asolo is a town dating back to pre-Roman times, located in a magnificent spot above a hill overlooking the plain. Asolo has a charm that few other towns possess, starting with its glorious and unusual history. Famous figures such as the English poet Robert Browning, the actress Eleonora Duse and the explorer Freya Stark all lived here. At the end of the 1400's it was also home and prison to the Queen of Cyprus, Caterina Cornaro, to whom Venice offered the symbolic dominion of the town in exchange for rule over the Cypriot kingdom.
Asolo offers a vast artistic heritage. The centrally located Piazza Garibaldi offers a unique scenario: at the centre is a fountain powered by an antique Roman aqueduct, while all around, it is crowned by elegant buildings with the Queen Cornaro's castle (open to the public) dominating the scene from above. The Cathedral is worth a visit. Built in 1747, it houses a masterpiece by Lorenzo Lotto (1506).Next to the cathedral you will find the "Loggia della Ragione" once the centre of the city's political life, nowadays home to an interesting City Museum. If you walk along the colonnade of via Browning you come to Villa Freya, home to the Stark family.Pleasant walks:
From the castle, head out of the town along via Canova, lined with a succession of beautiful old buildings; you will come to Casa della Duse and then further on, the so called Casa Longobarda with its unique architecture. Head up the narrow via S. Anna, until you come to the pretty church of Saint Anna. The cemetery houses Eleonora Duse and Freya Stark's graves. On a pleasant spot at the top of one of the hills you will see Villa Contarini, one of the most famous monuments in Asolo.The villa is made up of two buildings built on opposite sides of a hill but connected by a tunnel running through the hill.