An afternoon in Bassano del Grappa: uncovering one of Italy’s best-kept secrets is a travel blog post about our afternoon walk around charming, medieval town of Bassano del Grappa. We were in Venice when I decided that we should make a stop in Bassano on our way back home even though it was slightly off our route. However, since it was just an hour drive from Venice Mestre where we were staying at a hotel it was a great decision.

After we checked out and visited huge Lego exhibition in Mestre which our kids really liked we drove to Bassano del Grappa. We enjoyed our leisurely afternoon walk around beautiful Bassano del Grappa. There were more locals than tourists at a bar at a gorgeous square ( Piazza Liberta) where we had Aperol Spritz for just 4 EUR which came with loads of complimentary crisps and even some delicious bread. Do I need to add anything else to convince you to visit this hidden gem? Oh yes, it has plenty of interesting landmarks. Read on to find out about what you can do and see in the pretty town of Bassano del Grappa, one of Italy’s best-kept secrets.

About Bassano del Grappa

Bassano del Grappa is a small town in the Italian region of Veneto, less than half an hour drive from the town of Vicenza. The town is situated on Brenta river at the foothills of Venetian Prealps.

Bassano del Grappa has a rich history dating back to Roman times. The town was known as Bassano Veneto since it was a part of the Venetian Republic for centuries but after the horrible battles in WWI at Mount Grappa the town changed its name to Bassano del Grappa in honour of the killed soldiers. Even Hemingway spent some time in Bassano during WWI as an ambulance driver thus today you can explore a small museum housed in Villa Ca’ Erizzo Luca dedicated to his time in Bassano.

Bassano del Grappa is best known today for its old, wooden bridge and as the unofficial capital of Italy’s most distilled spirit: grappa ( pomace brandy).

What we did and saw in Bassano del Grappa

We parked our car at the free parking lot Prato 1 near the park of Ragazzi 99′ and climbed up the stairs to the old town. I read a bit about Bassano’s main sights online and decided just to wander around leisurely without the pressure to see it all in just a few hours. Read below about what we did and saw in Bassano del Grapppa.

Viale dei Martiri

As soon as we climbed up the stairs from the parking lot we found ourselves on the panoramic promenade with the best views of the mountains towering above Bassano.

Castello degli Ezzelini

We walked towards the castle Ezzelini but instead of entering its courtyard we first followed the walkway around the castle’s walls. I was surprised to see somebody living within the castle walls. You can see a part of the river from there and the famous Old bridge. Then, we entered the castle’s courtyard and saw the Church of Santa Maria, Bassano’s Cathedral.

Poli Museo della Grappa ( the Grappa Museum)

After visiting the castle we walked down straight to the Old bridge but then we stumbled upon the Grappa museum housed in the old palace just before the bridge. Upon seeing that it has free entrance we decided to go inside first and then to cross the Old bridge. The museum was quite interesting actually, even for our kids because it displayed all the strange equipment needed to produce this alcoholic beverage. Besides, there was a film about the short history of the process of grappa production as well as a room where you could smell all the different varieties of grappa. This is a private museum owned by Poli distillery.

Ponti degli Alpini (Ponte Vecchio)

We were finally at the iconic wooden bridge from the 16 ^th century. Its picturesque structure, featuring multiple spans, offers breathtaking views of the Brenta River and the surrounding mountains. The bridge was destroyed and rebuilt several times during history. It is really a stunning bridge. There’s the oldest tavern from 1779 (Nardini ) at the beginning of the bridge and the Museum degli Alpini on the other side of the bridge ( Alpini are Italian Army’s specialist mountain infantry). We had a peek around Nardini but all the tables were occupied. Our kids bought some trinkets in a souvenir shop on the other side of the bridge.

Palazzo Sturm

When we were at Ponte degli Alpini I saw something that looked like a huge silver rhino in the distance next to a beautiful building so once we crossed the bridge we decided to go back and try to find that sculpture. Thus, we came to an elegant Renaissance palace Sturm housing the Museum of Ceramics and the Remondini print museum. And there it was, a huge silver sculpture of rhinoceros.

Piazza Liberta

It was Aperol time. So, after seeing the huge rhino up close we walked towards town’s main squares. As I’ve mentioned above in the introduction we had Aperol Spritz and kids had orange juice in a bar at the beautiful square Piazza Liberta. There is also the 18^th century San Giovanni church, the Town Hall with a large clock and a statue of the Lion of St. Mark, the symbol of the Venetian rule.

Piazza Garibaldi

This is another beautiful square, just behind the Piazza Liberta. You can find St. Francesco’s church here, the tourist information office and the Town Museum in the monastery’s courtyard. There’s also 43 m tall Civic tower from the 14^th century. It is really a lovely square and we went inside the monastery’s courtyard to have a look around.

There are some other interesting sights in Bassano del Grappa too but we only spent 3 hours walking around since we still had a long drive back home. There are several more churches and palaces to see as well as parts of medieval walls. We saw a grandiose church of Tempio Ossario from our car as well.

Conclusion

Our afternoon in Bassano del Grappa was truly a delightful experience. From the stunning views along Viale dei Martiri to the historical significance of Castello degli Ezzelini and the picturesque Ponte degli Alpini, every moment was filled with discovery. Though our visit was brief we are convinced that Bassano del Grappa deserves a spot on your travel itinerary.

We visited Bassano del Grappa in August 2025.

This article is also featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Bassano del Grappa.