From Thiene to Bassano along the 'strada del torcolato' wine route

From joyful Thiene, a town which has always played a significant economic and social role in Vicenza province, with its villa Da Porto Colleoni, also known as the Castle due to the towers and battlements that surround it, the route goes east to Lonedo di Lugo, the home of Palladian Villas Godi Malinverni and Piovene. A few kilometres further and you come to Breganze, the heart of Breganze Doc wine and an age-old land of great wines. The town is dominated by one of the Veneto Region's tallest bell towers and was once a fortified town on the road to the 'Plateau of the Seven Municipalities', which will take you to the Montecchio Precalcino Fortress, praised for its wines, and along the gravel bed of the river Astico to delightful Sandrigo, the home of 'Baccalà alla Vicentina', Vicenza's famous and most typical dish.

After Mason Vicentino, you arrive at the medieval city of Marostica, surrounded by battlemented walls that englobe Piazza degli Scacchi and connect the lower and upper castles. Marostica is known the world over for its famous "Chess match" in which the pieces are living people dressed in medieval costumes. The match takes place every even-numbered year in September. The area also boasts cherries and ceramics at Nove and Bassano.

The Torcolato and Breganze Wine Route ends in the extraordinary town of Bassano del Grappa, one of the most beautiful places in the territory whose symbol is the famous Ponte degli Alpini, built according to Palladio's design. With Mount Grappa overlooking it, the Brenta river, its rich vegetation, historical buildings, museums and numerous annual exhibitions and events, Bassano is an absolute must when travelling in Vicenza province.