For the first time since I moved to the States, I’m back in my homeland during summertime and I’m so thrilled! Italian summers are legendary and so much fun. The whole country comes alive with residents and tourists alike strolling the piazzas with delicious gelato, large groups of friends loudly chat over a spritzer or some iced drinks at outdoor cafes, families catch street performances or outdoor movies.
This was exactly the scene happening last night in the elegant mountain town of Asiago, (just 40 minutes away from my hometown of Bassano del Grappa and 100 miles from Vicenza and Trento), where the beautiful center, boasting classic and German-influenced palazzos, was crowded with people enjoying live music.
Nestled in the most beautiful green plateau at the feet of the Alps, this resort town was the theatre of an Austro-Hungarian attack on the Italian front in May 1916 during World War I, a battle in which also Ernest Hemingway fought. Asiago is world-known mostly for the sweet, tender cheese that goes by the same name and other local produces such as honey and milk. To my folks, Asiago is also a cool place to escape to when the rolling hills of Bassano gets too stuffy and humid in the August heat. Having experienced the scorching desert heat for the last three months, of course, I find the weather here extremely lovely and refreshing.
Around the World with the Duchess 
Looks like you guys are having a lot of FUN!