When you live in a region with more and more attractions you are led to consider everything normal, but today I want to show you some of these pearls of my region, in particular the province of Vicenza. I leave home early in the morning with my bicycle and the air is very fresh even in summer. I follow the I2 cycle path that crosses the whole of Veneto, on a track and road with low traffic. The countryside with its colors and smells gives me good feelings and the blues music in my ears is at the same time the perfect soundtrack.
Photo 1: Marostica , the chess square
Photo 2: Marostica, the lower castle
Photo 3: Marostica, the lower castle
Marostica is a medieval town with two castles. Marostica is known all over the world as the city of chess, in fact in the main square, near the lower castle, a gigantic chessboard is drawn on the square, with red and white squares. They are used for the game that takes place every two years with human pawns in medieval costume. The hill of Marostica is surrounded by walls built in 1300 which culminate in the upper castle, right on the top of the hill. On the square near the chessboard, you can see a staircase that was the symbol of the Scaligeri family, the same lords of Verona in the medieval period.
Photo 4: Bassano del Grappa, The wooden bridge
Photo 5: Bassano del Grappa, The wooden bridge
Photo 6: Bassano del Grappa, The wooden bridge
Photo 7: Bassano del Grappa, a square
Photo 8: Bassano del Grappa, The wooden bridge with Brenta river
Less than 10 km, still in the countryside, under the hills, and I arrive in Bassano del Grappa. It is the largest town in the province of Vicenza, and at the moment it is the destination of many tourists, because it is very interesting for its antique shops and monuments. The most important is the Ponte di Bassano, in wood, designed by Andrea Palladio, one of the most important architects of the Renaissance. The bridge has been rebuilt many times since it was built 500 years ago, due to the heavy floods of the Brenta River. In fact, it has been reopened for a few months after a complete restoration and for me too it is the first time that I visit it after it had been closed in a scaffolding cage for a few years. Bassano del Grappa is also famous for grappa, a distillate of marc, but don’t expect detailed explanations from me because I’m a teetotaler! Another characteristic of Bassano are the artistic ceramics, which however have their main production center in the town of Nove which is on the way back home a few kilometers from Bassano.
Photo 9: Nove, no title! 
Photo 10: Nove, Historic house with ceramics
Photo 11: Nove, Historic house with ceramics
Here practically every house is a pottery workshop. I take the opportunity for an energy tablet after 50 km and take pictures of some historic buildings in Nove decorated with ceramics on the outside. Today I too learned something, many times it is enough to travel a few kilometers from home to discover wonders, pearls!
