During the last week we took two trips to Valdobbiadene and San Vito di Valdobbiadene to see family and family friends. It’s the hometown of my mother-in-law and where my husband would spend time each summer for 3 months as a boy. This post is from our first trip there, a day trip.
Sitting at the base of the foothills of the Dolomites this is an incredibly beautiful area.
Can you find the Italian word for smoothie?
Posters showing local college graduates.
After a brief visit to make plans to return in a few days we headed over towards Maser and Villa Barbaro. We’d failed to visit this Palladian villa during our last visit and I’d really wanted to see its nymphaeum. Sadly, I couldn’t take photos of it, but I took exterior images. (You can look up the interior online. It’s really quite impressive considering its age.)
The chapel was built later and is the last building designed by Palladio.
Not sure if this is a maple used as hedging, but it looked like it to me.
The courtyard where we entered had lovely wisteria in bloom.
Workers were tending to the grass.
A single potted plant graced the covered walkway to the main entrance. Since this is a working vineyard, a grape vine makes sense.
A working cat.
After our visit we drove down the road a few kilometers to the hilltop town of Asolo.
Wild snapdragon or bocca di leone.
The views there truly were quite incredible. 
This hotel (we think) had a patio full of potted Agave.
The King of his Castle watched me as I took photos through a fence. This guy clearly is in charge on this small street.
We returned to Vencie, took a nice slow walk back to the apartment, and then I tended to the needs of this poor sage plant. Left for us by our hosts, the last thing I want to do is kill it.
Amateur Bot-ann-ist 