Marostica: The Living Chess City of Cherry Blossoms and Medieval Castles

The Piazza Where the Pieces Are People

There is a place in Italy where history is played out like a game of chess — literally. Marostica, a small walled city at the foot of the Asiago Plateau, is famous worldwide for its Living Chess Game: every two years, on the second weekend of September in even-numbered years, the castle piazza becomes a gigantic chessboard and more than six hundred costumed players in fifteenth-century dress bring to life a match that re-enacts a medieval tale of love. But Marostica is more than its most celebrated spectacle. It is a borgo of rare harmony, where two castles gaze at one another from above and below, linked by a battlemented circuit of walls that embraces the hill like a ribbon of stone.

The Legend of the Match

Tradition has it that in 1454 two noble knights, Rinaldo d'Angarano and Vieri da Vallonara, vied for the hand of the beautiful Lionora, daughter of the castle lord Taddeo Parisio. Her father, a wise man, forbade an armed duel and decreed that the contest would be played on the chessboard. The winner would marry Lionora, the loser her younger sister Oldrada. Whether the story is true or embellished matters little: since 1923, when the first modern re-enactment was held, the Living Chess Game has become the heart of Marostica's identity, an event that draws spectators from around the world and has earned the town the title of "City of Chess."

But even in odd-numbered years and in the months far from September, the Piazza degli Scacchi is worth a visit. The black-and-red chessboard floor is permanent, and walking across those squares — imagining the knights and ladies who occupy them during the match — is an experience that delights visitors of all ages. Along the sides of the piazza, statues of the chess pieces are displayed in the loggia of the Castello Inferiore.

The Castello Inferiore

The Castello Inferiore, or lower castle, closes the north side of the piazza with its battlemented facade and two corner towers. Built by the Scaligeri in the fourteenth century, it now houses the Museum of Chess Game Costumes, where the figurants' garments — sumptuous, philologically reconstructed — are displayed alongside documents that tell the story of the re-enactment. On the upper floor, the council chamber offers a perfect view down onto the piazza below: it was from here that the castle lord watched the match.

The Climb to the Castello Superiore

The Castello Superiore, perched on the summit of Colle Pausolino, is the true master of the landscape. You reach it by a roughly twenty-minute walk along a path that follows the battlemented walls — a panoramic walkway that ranks among the finest in the Veneto. The ascent is moderate and suitable for all, and at every bend the panorama broadens: first the borgo, then the Vicentine plain, then the silhouettes of the Pre-Alps in the distance and, on the clearest days, the Euganean Hills and the Berici Hills.

The hilltop castle is partly a ruin, partly restored. You wander along the perimeter walls, enter the tower and enjoy a view that justifies the visit on its own. In spring, when the cherry trees on the surrounding hills are in blossom, the sight is postcard-perfect: a white and pink canopy covering the slopes, with the castle emerging above like a stone sentinel.

The Walls: The Ribbon of Stone

The circuit of walls connecting the two castles is Marostica's most distinctive feature. Roughly one and a half kilometres long, with regularly spaced battlemented towers, it climbs the hillside in a line that faithfully follows the contour of the land. Seen from outside — for example from the road coming from Bassano — the composition of walls, towers and castles forms a picture of rare completeness, a perfect example of medieval military architecture integrated into the landscape.

The Marostica Cherry IGP

Marostica is also the capital of the cherry. The Ciliegia di Marostica IGP, grown on the surrounding hills, is considered among the finest in Italy: sweet, fleshy, deep red. The harvest falls between late May and July, and during that period the town comes alive with the Cherry Festival, a growers' market that fills the piazza and the streets of the centre. You buy boxes of freshly picked cherries, taste jams, liqueurs and pastries. The cherry clafoutis served in the local cake shops is an irresistible temptation.

- Ristorante al Castello Superiore: panoramic terrace, Vicentine dishes with local produce

- Trattoria Due Mori: baccalà alla vicentina, bigoli with ragù, cherry cake in season

- Pasticceria Baldin: cherry pastries and mandorlato, artisan production since 1936

What to See Nearby

Marostica is an excellent base for exploring the Vicentine foothills. Bassano del Grappa, with its Ponte degli Alpini and Nardini grappas, is just seven kilometres away. The Asiago Plateau, with its meadows and Great War trails, is thirty minutes' drive. Cittadella, another splendid walled city, is twenty minutes to the south. And the hills of Breganze offer a Torcolato passito that is one of the best-kept secrets in Venetian winemaking.

Getting There and When to Go

Marostica is reached from the A31 Valdastico motorway (exit Dueville, then the state road) or from the A4 (exit Vicenza Est). The nearest railway station is Bassano del Grappa, connected to Marostica by urban bus. The historic centre is pedestrianised and can be visited comfortably in half a day, but staying a night allows you to enjoy the climb to the castle at sunset and the illuminated piazza in the evening.

The ideal time is spring for the cherry blossom, or September in even-numbered years for the Living Chess Game. Autumn brings magnificent colours and peace. Summer is warm but lively, with outdoor events and cool evenings. Marostica is one of those small Italian cities that never disappoints: it has history, beauty, good food and not yet the crowds it deserves — or perhaps that is precisely why it remains so enchanting.