- Asiago
"This article is about the settlement in the Province of Vicenza, Italy. For the cheese of the same name, see
Asiago cheese ."Asiago (
Cimbrian : "Schleghe", German: "Schlägen") is the name of both a minor township (population roughly 6,500, coord|45|52.55|N|11|30.5|E|type:city(5600)_region:IT) and the surrounding plateau region (the "Altopiano di Asiago") in theProvince of Vicenza in theVeneto region of NortheasternItaly . It is near the border between theVeneto andTrentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol regions in the foothills of theAlps , and about equidistant (100 km) from the major cities ofTrento to the west andVicenza to the south.Although probably best known internationally as the origin ofAsiago cheese , Asiago was also the site of a major battle between Austrian and Italian forces on theAlpine Front ofWorld War I . It is a major ski resort destination as well as the site of the Astrophysical Observatory of Asiago, operated by theUniversity of Padua .Culture
Until the middle of the nineteenth century many of the people of Asiago spoke Cimbrian, an ancient German dialect.
Asiago is the birthplace of author
Mario Rigoni Stern , and features prominently in his stories. It is also described inEmilio Lussu 's "A Year on the Altopiano".External links
* [http://www.altopiano7comuni.it/ Site Altopiano7Comuni] (Italian)
* [http://www.comune.asiago.vi.it/ Official site] (Italian)
* [http://en.comuni-italiani.it/024/009/index.html General information] (English)
* [http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/asiago.htm Battle of Asiago] (English)
* [http://www.pd.astro.it/asiago/ Astrophysical Observatory of Asiago] (English)
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