Eleanora Duse and Asolo

Asolo has been a refuge for artists and writers over the centuries. My father, Douglas Bland, was one of those artists. Eleanora Duse, La Duse, was an actress, famous at the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She lived in Asolo and is buried in the Sant’Anna cemetery. Whenever anyone in my family behaves in a dramatic way, we tell them they are acting like Eleanora Duse.

 

Her casa, at the entrance of Via S. Caterina, was restored by my step-father, a local builder.

 We attended an unforgettable New year’s Eve party in the house some years ago and it was amazing to be in the same rooms that once housed the divine Duse, the first woman (and Italian) to be on the cover of Time Magazine.