In 1454, according to legend, two noblemen fell in love with Lionora, daughter of the Castellan of Marostica. Rather than allowing them to duel to the death, the Castellan ordered them to play a chess match — the winner would marry Lionora, the loser would marry her sister. Every even-numbered year in September, Marostica re-enacts this game: the Piazza degli Scacchi (a permanent chessboard built into the piazza paving) becomes the board, 500 costumed actors serve as pieces, and the game unfolds with pyrotechnics, horses, and medieval pageantry before 5,000 spectators. The rest of the year, Marostica is a Scaliger-walled town with a double ring of medieval battlements climbing from the lower castle (on the piazza) to the upper castle (on the hilltop), connected by walls that look like a castle from a fairy tale illustration. The cherries (Ciliegia di Marostica IGP) are celebrated in a May festival. Veneto →
Plan my Veneto trip →Piazza degli Scacchi: The chessboard is permanent — black and white stone squares on the piazza. The lower castle (Castello Inferiore, Scaliger, 14th century) frames one end. Partita a Scacchi (September, even years — next: 2026!): The living chess match — 500 participants in 15th-century costume, horses, fire-eaters, flag-throwers. Tickets sell out months ahead — book at marosticascacchi.it. Evenings (Friday and Saturday) are the main performances. €20-80. The walls: Walk the path from the lower to the upper castle (Castello Superiore, 30min climb) — the walls with their crenellated towers are extraordinarily photogenic. Panoramic views from the upper castle. Cherry season (May-June): Marostica cherries — Durone and Mora — are DOP-quality. The Mostra della Ciliegia (cherry festival) fills the piazza with fruit stalls.
Getting there: car from Bassano del Grappa (10min), Vicenza (30min). Bus from Bassano. Stay: €50-90/night (book FAR ahead for the chess match). Eat: Al Castello Superiore (€30-40 — hilltop restaurant with views), Trattoria alla Rosina (€25-35). Combine with: Bassano (10min — Ponte Vecchio, grappa), Asolo (20min), Vicenza (30min — Palladian architecture).