Czech Handel Society at the Collaltos in early November 2025

(departure October 31, 2025, return November 8, 2025)

Photo-report by Libor Hofman

Four of us were supposed to go, but Covid intervened, so in the end only three of us went – ​​the same as last year and the year before – Michal Typl, Jarda Mansfeld and I.

On Friday, the last October day, we crossed southern Bohemia, Austria and northern Friuli to arrive in the evening in Susegana in Veneto, about 50 km north of Venice, where the San Salvatore castle stands on a prominent hill on the left bank of the Piave River where it finally leaves the mountains. Like the extensive vineyards in the surrounding area, it has belonged to the Collalto family for over a thousand years, whose oldest member, the 87-year-old Princess Maria Trinidad (her late husband was born at the castle in Brtnice near Jihlava), has been providing hospitality to our Society for over two decades in the Alberelle guesthouse near the castle. It then serves as a base for local-history trips to the near and far surroundings.

This year was no different. The weather was incredibly kind to us, after the last rainy days over the weekend, the sky turned out azure blue on Monday morning and it lasted (except for the full moon nights) throughout our stay.

And what did we see and visit this year?

Vittorio-Veneto and its surroundings (Santuario di Santa Augusta high above the city, the monastery in Follina…) on Sunday, Vicenza, Montagnana and Este on Tuesday, on Wednesday we went to Modena, on Friday we visited our friends, the sculptor Gilberto and the painter Renato, and together with them we went to Bassano del Grappa to the magnificent exhibition of Giovanni Segantini (1858‒1899, more on Wikipedia), a world-famous symbolist (if that can be classified at all). That was the highlight of the entire stay for me. Jarda went to Rome for two days. And on Saturday we moved north again with a short stop in San Odorico – from summer to autumn.

That's it in short. My photos will probably tell you more.

Libor Hofman