Hotel Villa Cipriani

Venice is of course a wonderful place, but it can be a bit much; beautiful, delicate, and crumbling, it is besieged by tourists year-round. So why not stay where the Venetians themselves have historically gone to get away from it all?

Asolo is a small medieval town in the hills an hour from Venice, favored destination of the Venetian upper class and of English poet Robert Browning, who made his home in this very villa. Even today, this is where the beautiful people come to escape the sandals-and-black-socks crowd that has overrun the canals and piazzas of Venice.

Hotel Villa Cipriani was once a private residence, and despite the fact that it is a thoroughly modern operation (run by Starwood, in fact), it still feels like a home. Though it dates back to the 15th century, the decor is tasteful and unassuming, going rather light on the gilt and glitz one might expect from Venice. The views are spectacular, the rooms are luxurious if not exactly palatial, and the dining, unsurprisingly, is excellent, with a panoramic view from the retaurant that is not to be missed.

Asolo has many attractions of its own: the town's Renaissance villas exude old-world charm, and the nightlife is surprisingly vibrant. Shops here are quite a bit more chic than one may expect to see in a medieval village — and the antique market convenes one weekend a month, bringing buyers and sellers from all over Italy. And the more crowd-averse can always escape to the Rocca, the ancient stone fort that defends the town, for an unparalleled view of the town, the mountains, and the Venetian plain.