Escape the crowds and do Venice’s overstretched infrastructure a favour by making a trip to the medieval city of Bassano del Grappa instead. Just over an hour from Venice, it’s perched prettily on the River Brenta and offers stunning views of the Venetian Prealps. Once you’ve soaked up the Palladian architecture, Renaissance palaces and ancient churches, pay a visit to the Ponte degli Alpini, an enchanting wooden bridge that straddles the river’s banks.

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