Focus on: Italy - Castelfranco 'A Place That Feels Like Home'

By A Venturing Nomad.

Castelfranco is one of those places you might never stumble upon as a tourist or traveller. Fortunately, I had the luck many years ago, and my visits have been numerous and frequent ever since. While many places feel comfortable, Castelfranco feels like home.

The only reason I made that first foray back in the day was on my first visit to Asolo, the home of my heroine, Freya Stark. Whilst Asolo is beautiful and tucked away in the hills, Castelfranco is spacious and well-connected. It is where Freya used to get driven to catch the train to Venice for her steamer ships and her adventures in the Orient. The train service is still as convenient, and I've personally taken it many times to both the two airports, Treviso and Marco Polo, and onto the lovely lady herself, Venice.

The town gets its name from the dominant castle that envelops the inner medieval city. Moated and walled, this intact fortified town is both impressive and beautiful. Created in the 12th century, the local municipality of Treviso awarded 100 families of freemen living there whose farms and houses were tax-exempt, free from taxes and deductions, hence the name Castel Franco.

Castelfranco's 'son' is Giorgione, a painter from the late 1400's. One of the more mysterious painters of the period, Giorgione, was born in Castelfranco in 1477. Together with his younger contemporary, Titan, he founded the Venetian school of Italian Renaissance painting. His statues are everywhere, and examples of his works are still found in the local cathedral.

The town has a market every Tuesday and Wednesday, and stalls sell fresh produce from the local countryside, clothes, basketware, tools, and household supplies. During the Advent months, the sloped walls of the moat are home to a Christmas market that sparkles and glistens far more than our northern European versions. Despite being a little further south, the snowy chill from the mountains still makes it feel Christmassy. With my early December birthday, it's a favourite place to spend it.

The city walls dominate the town. By day and by night, the impressive structure stands guard, watching over its subjects like a sentry on duty. While spectacular, it is the feeling of normal everyday life that gives this special place its charm. There are no tourist crowds following the ubiquitous guide and their umbrella, for Castelfranco is off that track and is as Italian as it comes.

My favourite place in the town is Bar Borsa, a bar built from glass inside the ruins of the old corn exchange; late in the morning, they serve the best hot chocolate in the world, in which our spoon literally can stand up, unsupported. As the day progresses, the sun loses some of its intensity, and the heat of the day gives way to a more relaxed and cooler early evening; the Italian passion for Aperitivo is second to none here.

Order a prosecco, and in the words of Me Shell Ndegeocello in her song 'Im digging you'," sit back, relax and listen to the eight track"

Not travelling overseas until age 19, this Venturing Nomad's work and life have taken her to just under 70 countries, with more adventures always planned. Twelve years as a Diplomat led to excitement and adventures across the globe, and she is now enjoying travelling with her young daughter and seeing the world afresh through her eyes.

A published author in fact and fiction, she firmly believes in the mantra "take only photos - leave only footprints". More of a feeder than a foodie, she has cooked her way around the globe, from the hill tribes in Thailand, Nonna's kitchen in Italy to the beachfront hotel in Morocco. There is always a story and, more importantly, a recipe.

You can contact her at [email protected]