Bassano del Grappa is one of those little villages that steal your heart. It might not appear in most of the guides about the Veneto region but it’s one of the nicest places you could visit. It’s the perfect setting for long walks and has the most amazing sunsets. Placed under the mountains and crossed by the river Brenta, Bassano del Grappa will make you want to sell everything, buy a house by the river and forget abour the world.

The star of the village is the old brigde (Ponte Vecchio or Ponte degli Alpini). Every afternoon incredibly handsome and well dressed people come here to drink a Tagliatella, a very strong liqueur, admire the sunset and enjoy the fresh breeze that the river brings from the mountains. The atmosphere is relaxed but oh so cool.

My only recommendation about Bassano del Grappa would be to go there with a nice company and just walk and get lost, both in the streets and the conversation. Here and there you will find amazing corners, hidden squares and nice shops. Make a stop at Tassotti (Via Ferracine 16/18), a historical printing house where you can buy beautiful paper, note books, pencils and all the stationery items you can imagine. This time we chose some notebooks with a very nice print of old bycicles, but there are thousands of delightful prints to choose from. I really love their writing paper, the quality is excellent.

The village is full of lovely details, earth tones, old buildings… The light is amazing and you will be surprised by little wine bars and antique shops where you can buy the most beautiful glassware.

This area really suffered a lot during the Second World War and the old people from Bassano can tell you lots of terrible stories about it. It’s hard but it’s a very important part of their history and you can still see the war’s footprints in lots of buildings. But you can’t leave Bassano del Grappa with a bitter taste in your mouth. You should buy a bottle of Grappa, of course, and some funghi porcini secchi.  They are the best and they make the most flavourful risotto, which by the way will appear on the blog soon :)