Practical Information for visiting Asiago

Asiago has no railway. The old rack line up from Rocchette closed in 1958 and is now a cycle path.

The usable stations are Vicenza and Bassano del Grappa, with buses on to the plateau. By road, Vicenza is about an hour and a quarter, Bassano about an hour, and Venice around two hours.

The approach roads matter: the plateau is reached by steep, winding climbs from Bassano, Thiene or the Val d'Astico, and in winter these require winter tyres or chains -- which are legally mandated in the season.

On the plateau itself, a car is the practical way to move between the seven communes, though buses connect the main villages. Distances are short but roads are slow.

Cycling is excellent in summer, particularly the old railway route down to the plain, which is a long, graded descent.

Mobile coverage is good in Asiago and the main villages, and patchy to absent on the higher plateau, in the forests and in the valleys -- normal for the terrain and worth planning around if you are walking.

EU visitors roam on their own plans; others can buy a prepaid SIM in Vicenza or Bassano, with a passport for registration. Wi-Fi is standard in accommodation, less so in mountain refuges. Download offline maps before walking.

Asiago is very safe, and its hazards are those of mountain terrain and of a former battlefield.

• Unexploded ordnance is a genuine and continuing risk. The plateau was shelled for two years and material still surfaces. Do not dig, do not pick anything metal up, and report finds rather than moving them.
• Old tunnels and trenches collapse. Enter only those maintained and marked as visitable.
• Mountain weather changes fast, and afternoon thunderstorms in summer are frequent and can be violent on open plateau with no shelter.
• Karst terrain means sinkholes and shafts, some unmarked, off the paths.
• Winter driving on the approach roads requires winter tyres or chains, which are legally required in season.
• Ticks are present in the meadows and forest edges from spring to autumn.

Asiago has pharmacies and a hospital -- the Ospedale di Asiago -- which serves the whole plateau; larger hospitals with full emergency services are at Bassano del Grappa and Vicenza, each about an hour away down winding roads.

EU visitors with a valid EHIC are treated on the same terms as residents; non-EU visitors should carry travel health insurance. Pharmacies operate a rota for nights and weekends.

Tap water is safe to drink. The practical considerations are the altitude -- modest at 1,000 metres but enough to affect the unfit -- sun exposure on open snow and meadow, ticks in the grass and forest edges, and the travel time to a major hospital.

Single emergency number: 112, free from any phone, covering police, fire and ambulance.

Mountain rescue: 112, which coordinates the Soccorso Alpino. Give a location as precisely as you can -- the plateau's paths are extensive and similar-looking.

Nearest emergency care: the hospital at Asiago itself; Bassano del Grappa and Vicenza for major emergencies, about an hour away.

Unexploded ordnance: report finds to the Carabinieri on 112 and do not touch or move anything.

Lost passport: contact your own country's embassy or consulate, most of which are in Rome or Milan.