Casa di Eleonora Duse — Via Browning
Asolo earned the nickname 'La Città dei Cento Orizzonti' partly because it seduced so many artists, and no story is more compelling than that of the legendary Italian actress Eleonora Duse, who made her home here and is buried in the town cemetery of Sant'Anna. Walking Via Browning — named after the poet Robert Browning who also fell for Asolo — connects both stories in one atmospheric stroll.
Browning, Duse & the Poets' Street
Robert Browning first visited in 1838 and was so enchanted that he set his verse drama 'Pippa Passes' here, coining the word 'asolo' to mean the pleasure of aimless wandering — a concept the town still embodies perfectly.
Via Browning is the town's elegant main street, lined with 16th-century porticoed palazzi, antique shops and the occasional cat sleeping on a warm stone sill. The street leads directly to Piazza Garibaldi and the loggia of the old town hall.
Eleonora Duse's Final Resting Place
Duse, considered one of the greatest stage actresses in history and Gabriele D'Annunzio's famous muse, chose Asolo as her spiritual home. She died in Pittsburgh in 1924 but was brought back to be buried in the small Franciscan cemetery of Sant'Anna, just below the town walls.
Her simple grave, shaded by cypresses and often scattered with fresh flowers left by admirers, is genuinely moving. The cemetery is open to visitors and takes only minutes to reach on foot from the centre.
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