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An hour in Bassano

The home of grappa

By Georgios Vasilopoulos

August 12^th, 2022

The night before my best friend and I watched the queen stage of the Giro d’Italia (see more about this), we set up camp on a quiet backroad near the village of Pieve next to a stream. Technically speaking, this is not really allowed in Italy—however, if you find a road with little traffic and don't call attention to yourself, you tend to be left alone by both the locals and the authorities who do occasionally patrol during the night.

A stream near the village of Pieve—not a bad place to wake up in the morning

The Giro was due to reach the final climb in the afternoon, so we spent the morning working our way toward Bassano del Grappa, stopping at the stunning Passo Giau.

In Bassano del Grappa (yes, that grappa), we spent some time in the old town and stopped in at Grapperia Nardini, a small tavern on the east end of Ponte Vecchio which has run unchanged since 1779—there, visitors have the opportunity to try grappa-based bitters and other concoctions only available directly from this tavern. It is quite an opportunity to try some truly unique flavours, not intended for mass-market.

Crossing the bridge after a couple of one-off cups of grappa, the world around us had a bit of an extra sparkle to it as we enjoyed the views of the Brenta River and softly coloured houses with their immaculate gardens.

If you find yourself wandering through the Dolomites, this small town is worth a visit—a slightly lesser-known destination from Italy's usual hotspots.