Asolo historical timeline

Origins

Acelum was a Roman municipium, and the hill was fortified long before that. A bishopric was seated here in the early middle ages before moving to Treviso.

Turning points

In 1489 Venice persuaded Caterina Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus by marriage, to cede her kingdom to the Republic. She was given Asolo and its territory in compensation and held court here until 1509.

Influential people

Her court drew Pietro Bembo, whose Gli Asolani (1505) is a set of dialogues on love staged in the castle gardens -- and, three and a half centuries later, gave Robert Browning the verb asolare. He named his final volume Asolando; it was published on the day he died in 1889.

Cultural evolution

The town became a retreat for artists and writers. Eleonora Duse, the actress, spent her last years here and is buried in the cemetery of Sant'Anna. Freya Stark, the traveller and writer, lived here for much of her life and is buried beside her.

Present-day significance

Asolo is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia, and Villa Barbaro at nearby Maser is part of the UNESCO inscription covering Palladio's Veneto villas.