Night, stargazing at the Water Museum on Europe’s second largest karst massif

About

WHY GO

Come before sunset. The Museo dell’Acqua, literally the Water Museum, tells the story of a mountain shaped by water that spends much of its life underground. Rain enters the fractured limestone of the Asiago Plateau, travels through an immense karst system beneath the pastures and woods, then returns to daylight in springs far below. A few metres from the museum, the direction changes completely. Reclining wooden chairs face the sky. Telescope supports and electrical connections wait beside them. As the last light leaves Kaberlaba, you can settle into one of the chairs, bring your own telescope or simply stay there long enough for more and more of the night to come into view. Below you, one of Europe’s great karst landscapes. Above you, the Milky Way, planets and constellations over the Asiago mountains. The observation field is free and accessible throughout the year.

FIRST, FOLLOW THE WATER

The Water Museum makes much more sense when you see the landscape around it. The Asiago Plateau receives plenty of rain, yet lakes and rivers are surprisingly rare at this altitude. Limestone is everywhere, cut by fissures, hollows and cavities through which water travels deep into the mountain. The museum was created by the local Gruppo Speleologico Settecomuni, people who have spent decades exploring that hidden geography. Outside, the Anello dell’Acqua, Water Ring, crosses meadows and limestone terrain past old cisterns, watering pools, rainwater wells and stone marked by centuries of water. It is worth doing before dusk. You spend the afternoon following water through the landscape, then return to the museum as the first stars appear above it.

A FIELD MADE FOR LOOKING UP

Beside the museum is one of the observation areas created through European Skyscape, the European project devoted to dark skies and astrotourism. The design is wonderfully simple. Long wooden chairs recline at just the right angle for looking overhead. Local craftsman Marco Pangrazio made them for the Kaberlaba site. There are dedicated supports for personal telescopes and an electrical connection for astronomy equipment, so an evening here can be as simple or as serious as you want it to be. Bring a telescope and spend hours with a planet. Or bring nothing at all.

BRING YOUR OWN TELESCOPE

Kaberlaba is particularly good for amateur astronomers because the observation field was designed for independent use. Your own telescope is welcome. The field provides telescope supports and electricity for equipment, and ordinary use of the outdoor Skyscape area requires neither an admission ticket nor a reservation. The observation field is available throughout the year, although winter snow can naturally affect access.

BEST TIME

The observation area can be used throughout the year. Summer gives you long evenings outside and the easiest conditions for lying back under the sky. Autumn brings darkness earlier. Winter can be extraordinary on clear nights, with snow around the Plateau, although access may be more difficult. For the Milky Way and a darker sky, choose a night away from the full moon. For the Moon itself, choose the opposite.

SKYSCAPE FIELD

Free OPEN All year RESERVATION Not required for independent use BRING YOUR OWN TELESCOPE Yes TELESCOPE SUPPORTS Available ELECTRICITY FOR EQUIPMENT Available NAKED EYE STARGAZING Absolutely, the reclining chairs were made for it

ADDRESS

Museo dell’Acqua, Water Museum Via Casa del Pastore 11 Località Kaberlaba 36012 Asiago, Vicenza Around 10 minutes by car from central Asiago.

INFO

MUSEO DELL’ACQUA

Phone +39 0424 463170 Email info@museodellacqua7comuni.it ASIAGO IAT Phone +39 0424 462221 Email info@asiago.to