The Rough Guide to Venice and the Veneto

Paleolithic settlements have been found in the region, but the earliest documented
settlement here was the Roman town called Acelum, which thrived from
the second century BC until its destruction by Attila. Following resettlement, a
succession of feudal lords ruled Ásolo, culminating with the vile Ezzelino da
Romano, whose parents were born in the town. Ezzelino wrested Ásolo from
the Bishop of Treviso in 1234, and a network of castles over much of the Veneto
shows the extent of his conquests in the years that followed. On his death in 1259
the townspeople of Ásolo ensured that the dynasty died with him by butchering
the rest of his family, who were at that time in nearby San Zenone.
The end of the fifteenth century was marked by the arrival of Caterina Cornaro;
her celebrated court was attended by the likes of Cardinal Bembo, one of the
most eminent literary figures of his day, who coined the verb asolare to describe the
experience of spending one’s time in pleasurable aimlessness. Later writers and artists
found the atmosphere equally convivial; Gabriele d’Annunzio wrote about the
town, and Robert Browning’s last published work – Asolando – was written here.
There are regular buses to Ásolo from Bassano; if you want to get there from
Venice, the quickest route is to take a train to Treviso (there’s at least one an hour),
where you won’t have to wait more than an hour for a bus to Ásolo (some change
at Montebelluna) – in addition to the direct services, all the buses to Bassano go
through Ásolo and Masèr. The bus drops you at the foot of the hill, a connecting
minibus (e1 return) taking you up into the town.
Caterina Cornaro
the northern veneto Ásolo and around
|
372
From 1489 to 1509 the Castello was the home of Caterina Cornaro, one of the
very few women to have played a decisive part in Venetian history. Born into
one of Venice’s most powerful families, Caterina was betrothed at the age of
fourteen to the philandering Jacques II, king of the strategically vital island of
Cyprus. The prospective groom then prevaricated for a while, until the scheming
of his half-sister (who wanted him overthrown) and the Venetian promises
of help against the belligerent Turks finally pushed him into marriage. Within a
year Jacques was dead, in all likelihood poisoned by Marco Venier, the Venetian
governor of Famagusta harbour. A few weeks later Caterina gave birth to
a son, after whose christening the Venetian fleet set sail for home. No sooner
had the detested Venetians left than the city was taken over by men of the
Royal Council, Caterina jailed, and her son handed over to her mother-in-law,
Marietta. (Marietta’s hatred of Caterina was to an extent due to resentment of
the latter’s beauty; when Marietta was the mistress of Jacques’ father she had
been caught making love to him by the king’s wife, who bit her nose off in the
ensuing mêlée.)
News of the insurrection reached the Venetian galleys, who promptly returned
and overpowered the city. Their reappearance was a mixed blessing. The death
of Caterina’s son at the age of one was taken by Venier as a cue to propose
marriage; spurned, he plotted to kill her instead, but was discovered and hanged.
For nine years Caterina resisted Venice’s political pressure until at last,
in 1489, she was forced to abdicate in order to gain much-needed weapons
and ships against a new Turkish attack. Brought back to Venice to sign a deed
“freely giving” Cyprus to the Republic, she was given the region of Ásolo as a
sign of Venice’s indebtedness, and a joust was held on the frozen Canal Grande
in her honour. In Ásolo her court was constantly under the eye of the Council
of Ten, who dispatched any man rumoured to be her lover for fear that a new
dynasty should be started. Eventually Ásolo, too, was taken away from her by
the Emperor Maximilian, and she returned to seek asylum in Venice, where she
died soon after, in 1510.