May 30, 2025
Bassano del Grappa
I woke this morning to our new alarm, the cuckoo bird outside the window. He/it was still going at 10pm last night and was at it again, softly coo-coo’ing, when the sun came up. I actually get a kick out of it because all I hear is a bird telling me (or maybe it’s addressing the whole world) that I’m cuckoo and it makes me smile.
It was warm enough to sit outside for breakfast, which is a real treat. The breakfast spread and service here has been incredible, such that I don’t think could be matched for the rest of the tour. Time will tell. Today, I started with savouries, like thinly sliced and lightly grilled baby zucchini, mini grape tomatoes, sliced mini cucmber, mini buffalo mozza balls and swiss cheese, along with a freshly baked bun. This was followed by fresh plain yogurt and strawberry puree, fresh blueberries, melon and strawberries, and a chocolate croissant to die for. A glass of fresh squeezed orange/grapefruit juice and two Canadiano coffees, washed it all down. David fared as well or better than me.
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We really have enjoyed our stay, but must be moving on.
After David lubed the chains, we were ready to get on the road, at about 9:30am. First order of the day was an uphill section to join the main drag of Santo Stefano, followed by the first of five climbs today. From there, it was downhill, coasting all the way to Valdobbiadene.
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Valdobbiadene is situated in the east bank of the Piave River, a major river for runoff exiting the Dolomites. Due to its considerable breadth, there are only so many bridges crossing it from east to west. Our plan was to cross the bridge nearest the city, but that was superceded and we got diverted to a more northerly crossing when our anticipated bridge was closed down to westbound traffic. My initial response was, ‘oh no’, and my heart sank when, after a few kms of the deviation, I saw our road heading for a very long tunnel through the mountain… 1.2km to be precise. We stopped and set up our lights and, just as we got closer to the tunnel entrance, I spotted a sign indicating the old road had been preserved for walkers and bikers. Our bacon was saved in that moment and I am so thankful I saw it across the highway.
After crossing the bridge, our route wound its way through the very green agricultural band at the base of the moutains. We gradually climbed up to Crespano del Grappa, surprising us both how challenging a small rise can be on a loaded bike. I am still adjusting to riding with a load and trying to find a comfortable rhythm. I will come.
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We really enjoyed the diversions suggested by our mapping app today (all of which was done sight unseen last November). It took us off the main route on several occasions, providing a reprieve from the SP route to Bassano del Grappa. We rode through small farm roads, complete with tractors driven by farmers who were considerably older than us. Oh, and there were chickens too, scratching around for whatever morsels they could find in the dirt. Add in the chimes of the church bells, and it made for a casual, relaxed ambiance, and idyllic day of cycle touring.
From Crespano all the way to Basanno, the route led us, without so much as a hint of a collector road. It took us right to the door of our B&B near the wooden bridge over the Brenta River, the top tourist attraction in Basanno del Grappa. Very impressive, indeed.
We had received the instructions via Whatsapp to let ourselves into the B&B, so that all went smoothly. We are in the Napoleon room, so named because his troops fired a cannonball across the Brenta at the building and destroyed this section. It had to be rebuilt. The building itself was built in the 16th C.
We rested a little, made a dinner reservation, then headed out for a stroll. We ended up in the Basso Clubhouse, which is a retail store/bar/restaurant that sells high end Basso bikes.
We were looking for a television where we could watch the Giro and this place fit the bill. We enjoyed seeing the end of today’s stage, surrounded by gorgeous bikes. Oh, the beer was refreshing, too.
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We had a little time to spare so we strolled the main Piazzas, Garibaldi and Libertà, the main hubs for restaurants and cafes, after the wooden bridge. I wandered in to the Civic Museum and found an incredible display of works from as far back as the 4th C BC.
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The Avenue of the Martyrs
On a historical note, Bassano del Grappa was the centre of a tragic history. We passed by this on our way into the city but did not take photos of it. Here’s what you can see today (photo not mine).
The avenue of martyrs is a tree-lined avenue in memory of 31 partisans who died for the liberty of Italy. On 26 September 1944, 31 young Bassanese partisans caught following a rampage on the Grappa and the other neighboring mountains were hanged. At each tree, the captive had his hands tied behind his back and carried a plate on his chest, reciting “Brigands”. In the afternoon of that September day, the order was given to kill the 31 young people. The bodies were on display for almost a full day, about twenty hours, to frighten the inhabitants and dissuade them from participating in rebellion against the regime. Each tree but one unknown bears the name, surname and a photo.
And, some more context to this: In the two-year period of the Second World War, a bloody struggle for liberation was in progress which earned the City of Bassano del Grappa the award, on October 9, 1946, of the gold medal for military valor. And on the Grappa massif, in the two-year period, the Free Italy, Matteotti and Garibaldi partisan groups fought: the terrible episode of the Grappa roundup from September 20 to 23, which in addition to counting almost 500 deaths culminated on September 26, 1944 in the hanging of 31 young partisans, mostly to the trees of Viale XX Settembre, since then called Viale dei Martiri. And the oaks of the avenue still preserve the images and the memory of those martyrs and that fact.
Thanks to our good friend, Bruce (a historian, among many other talents), here is a song about those days that’s become an Italian anthem.
Back to the Present Day
The jewel in the crown for a Bassano del Grappa is its historic covered wooden bridge spanning the Brenta River. Below are a few photos taken there. It’s much more impressive that I imagined from the photos I’d seen online.
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And, here are a few other sights along the way.
For dinner, we chose a restaurant that is very popular here, “Ottone”. We had starter salads, then I had the sea bream and David had the Hugarian goulash. Neither dish disappointed. We followed it with a shared pistachio semi-freddo and espresso.
We are staying two night here and have special plans for tomorrow. More on that to come in the next journal entry.
Today's ride: 48 km (30 miles)
Total: 230 km (143 miles)
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