Located less than three hours drive from Aviano, the Asiago plateau offers many attractions for visitors who enjoy the outdoors, whether it's summer or winter. The plateau was the scene of fierce fighting during World War I and in the summer you can follow hiking trails which wind through former trenches and caverns and artillery positions blasted out of solid rock. The ossario close to the bustling town center houses the remains of more than 50,000 Italian and Austrian soldiers and is a sobering place to visit. In the winter, Asiago is a center for winter sports. Try out some of the 250 km of cross-country skiing trails, or the 100 km of downhill slopes.
The capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, Bologna makes a good weekend choice for anyone interested in food, and is less than three hours drive from Aviano. Within Italy, the city is nicknamed "La Grassa," meaning "the fat one," a reference to its rich cuisine. Bologna is home to numerous restaurants, serving all sorts of local specialties, including handmade lasagna, tagliatelle and tortellini--a type of filled pasta. The city also has a lively bar culture thanks to its large student population. The surroundings are attractive--despite the destruction of World War II many medieval buildings and features survive today, particularly in the area around the central Piazza Maggiore.
Located just over three hours drive from Aviano, Bolzano is a well-kept secret to those outside Italy. The city is the capital of the mountainous Alto Adige region and the area's German language place names and road signs may come as a surprise---the city even has two names, known as Bolzano (Italian) and Bozen (German). Bolzano's most famous resident is Otzi, a Neolithic man whose 5,300 year old remains were discovered preserved inside a glacier in 1991. You can see Otzi and an associated exhibition in the Museo Archeologico. Wine-lovers will also find Bolzano worth visiting: the city stands at one end of the Strada di Vino, or wine road, which winds through the area's vineyards. Vines have grown in these mountain valleys since Roman times and the red wine produced here often has a dark and intense flavor.
