As our guide takes you up the two-lane road that leads from Vicenza to Bassano del Grappa (the door to the Dolomites), after only eighteen miles you stumble upon Marostica, a small town characterized by the presence of two castles. Outside the city’s walls, you will find the hills resplendent with cherry trees, the origins of some dating from the most ancient of pre-historic times of human societies. The remnants of those times, in the form of necropoli dating from the 13th century BCE, are found on the plains immediately below. Inside the walls, you will find the lower castle is near the main square while the upper one is just above the hill that surrounds Marostica to the North. As you enter the town through the main door of the ancient walls, the first thing that strikes you is the human-sized chess board that is in the center of the main square.

The legend of the chess board goes back to 1454, when Marostica was part of the territory controlled by Venice.  Two of the best local knights were in competition for the love of the daughter of the castellano (the nobleman who ran Marostica)  Knowing the fierce nature of competition between his knights, the castellano, Lord Taddeo Parisio, did not want to lose them in a bloody duel.  The podestà (mayor) of Marostica discovered an edict that prevented any duel related to love disputes to happen on the ground of any Venetian possession.  He decided that the matter was going to be solved by a chess game with pieces represented by actual people.

To make things even more interesting, Lord Parisio decided that the winner would be awarded his daughter Lionora as promised, but the loser would be a sort of a “lucky loser” by receiving his younger daughter Oldrada. (Lost to history are the opinions of the two daughters).

The game was to take place on a holiday with all of Marostica’s inhabitants participating in what became a public celebration.  Musicians, flag-wavers, archers, jugglers and comedians joined all the pieces of the chess game parading on the main square.  Lionora and Oldarda directed the moves.  At the conclusion, there was a party of all the town’s inhabitants.

Today the chess game is played on even-numbered years on the second week-end in September. However, since the chessboard on the main square was installed in the 1950s, the specifics of the legend might be fictional, but none the less fun and interesting. There are four shows scheduled for that week end. One each on Friday and Saturday and two on Sunday

Although the event has become more touristy, it is still very much felt by the locals as part of their culture.  The show, with about 550 participants in Medieval costume, lasts for about two hours.  The moves chosen are from one of two famous matches played in the 1850s by the Grand masters of the time – the American Paul Morphy, the German Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky, a naturalized Frenchman.  The people impersonating the two lovers give orders for the game in the original Venetian dialect.  There are ancient dances, fireworks and music in an attempt to recreate the atmosphere of the Renaissance festivities.

While you are in the area you might want to enjoy an excellent restaurant: Osteria Madonnetta.  Recommended by Michelin Guide and by the Slow Food movement, the place serves original recipes from the area.  Opened in 1904, the place maintains the same antique furniture that gives the feeling of stepping back in time.

Of the restaurant’s many choices, bigoli and baccala are absolutely a must. 

As notable is the chess match, the production of cherries may even be more so. They are produced by a local consortium, the members of which currently number 121, that dates back to 1400, even preceding the famous chess game. In fact, the aforementioned Taddeo Parisio, not only was credited with that possibly apocryphal contest, but with the actual planting of the Marostican territorial hills with cherry trees in celebration of the marriages of his daughters. The game may be the figment of a fertile imagination, but the trees are real, and give testament to the true fertility of their terroir.

The fruits, themselves have been a protected geographic product, “Ciliegia di Marostica I.G.P.” since 2002. It was the first cherry in Italy to obtain this European IGP recognition mark, Protected Geographical Indication, which indicates the peculiar characteristics of a product whose production takes place exclusively in a specific geographical area. As such, they must exceed a specific diameter, have their stems intact and be raised, packaged and certified under strictly defined conditions. Their skin color ranges from dark to fiery red, depending on the variety. They are characterized by a medium firm, juicy pulp with a full, sweet and very pleasant taste.

The production of Cherry of Marostica PGI takes place exclusively in a 58-hectare hilly area on fertile soils, rich in potassium, which allow them to obtain their sweet and tasty character

The harvest is carried out by hand starting from the middle of the first week of May and running through the end of the month.  An organized cherry market has been held annually in the Marostica area since 1950 with the celebration of the final harvest, the "Provincial Cherry Exhibition", held in the area on the last Sunday in May.

The "brides" for the September chess match are selected at this festival, tying the two together to bookend the summer's agricultural season.

If you are fortunate enough to visit during cherry season, there is no better way to end the day than relaxing with a bowl of cherries

If you are not there during the season, there are an abundance of other formulations, from jams to grappa to gelato available at local purveyors.  Enjoy!