Beer in Boot-Shaped Glasses
Bassanese love to spend their time out of the house and in each other's company, and Bassano is flush with spots to enjoy an espresso, linger over a beer with buddies, or indulge in a grappa-tasting marathon. On the main piazza, Caffè Danieli, Piazza Garibaldi 39 (tel. 0424-529-322), retains its stuccoed ceilings and chandeliers from 1927. The beer, according to "an old, old tradition," is served in boot-shaped glasses, and there are lots of tables out on the square.
There are plenty of places on Piazza Garibaldi to grab a gelato, but most of the action is down by the Ponte degli Alpini. At the base of Via Gamba sits Birreria da Ponte, no. 1 (tel. 0424-521-613), with Spaten on tap, toasted sandwiches, beam ceilings, and tables spilling down the marble steps toward the bridge. Across the street at no. 4 is Al Saiso (tel. 0424-521-838), bigger than its cozy neighbor with more food (bruschette along with panini), and a better view down the bridge from outdoor tables.
For the best vistas, however, cross to the spare, crowded Taverna al Ponte, Via Angarano 2 (tel. 0424-503-662), flush against the far end of the ponte with a tiny balcony of three tables overhanging the river in the shade of the bridge.
