At the foot of the Asolo hills, near the village of Maser, a long, golden villa looks out over the plain with the mountains behind it. Villa Barbaro was designed by Andrea Palladio in the 1550s for the brothers Daniele and Marcantonio Barbaro, cultivated Venetian patricians, and it is one of his most perfect works, combining a central house like a temple with long arcaded wings for farm buildings. Inside, the rooms are covered with frescoes by Paolo Veronese, among the finest of the Venetian Renaissance: painted landscapes, mythological figures and trompe l'oeil doors with servants peeping through, a game of illusion that still surprises visitors. Behind the villa, a nymphaeum with statues and a pool sits against the hillside, and nearby stands the Tempietto, a small round church also designed by Palladio. The villa is part of the UNESCO site of the City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto, and it remains a working estate producing wine.
Asolo, a few kilometres west, is a charming hill town once ruled by Caterina Cornaro, the Venetian-born queen of Cyprus, and later beloved of poets and travellers. To the east, the Prosecco hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, a World Heritage site since 2019, roll in steep, vine-covered ridges, a landscape of hogback hills and tiny villages.
The riding is delightful. Narrow roads climb and twist through the hills above Maser and Asolo, past vineyards, woods and villas, with views over the plain. The Montello, a long wooded hill to the south-east, has a grid of quiet roads and memorials to the battles of the First World War, fought along the river Piave nearby. The Prosecco roads are steep and winding, busy with cyclists and visitors on weekends, especially in autumn during the harvest. Surfaces are generally good, but narrow sections and tight bends demand care.
Cornuda, about three kilometres away, has fuel and shops. Try a glass of Prosecco Superiore from the hills, or the villa's own wine, with a plate of sopressa, a local salami, and polenta, or a risotto with local mushrooms in autumn. An afternoon at the villa, followed by a ride through the hills to Asolo, makes a perfect day.