Asolo Rocca – a medieval fortress

Wherever you go in the surrounding area you can’t fail to notice the rather austere fortress of Asolo, (also known as “La Rocca”).

It dominates the landscape from every angle and this is how we view it from our our place.

I’ve climbed up the steep path leading from the centre of Asolo to the summit of Monte Ricco and have gazed south towards Venice on the left and the Colli Euganei behind Padova on the right. When I swivelled around to the north, this was the panorama of the foothills of the Dolomites:

Although in the past attributed to Roman or even pre-Roman construction, the fortress was, in fact, built in medieval times between the end of the twelfth and early thirteenth century on the remains of an earlier settlement. At the start of the Middle Ages, Asolo was a possession of the notorious Ezzelino family. In 1388 the fiefdom came under the control of the Venetian Republic. My work in progress is set in this beautiful location.