Event Details
Exploring the villas of Brenta Canal in the Venice province
This is an excellent bike tour to enjoy during your visit to Venice. This is a charming and attractive location just a few kilometers from Venice.
The Brenta Riviera is a place full of artistic and cultural interest. Between the 16th and the 18th centuries, some of the most important families from Venice had their summer residences built on the Riviera that runs alongside the Brenta river, a waterway that connects Venice to Padova. There are several varied bike routes you can take based on different travel interest.
The route follows the course of the Naviglio through the town of Mira with its lifting bridges and locks, ending in Dolo with its old mill and boatyard.
One of the highlights of this excursion is to visit a villa and discover its gardens with their timeless atmosphere.
Villa Valier, for example, is a charming 16th-century villa placidly located on the banks of Naviglio del Brenta. It’s set in luxuriant gardens with centuries-old trees, with a large outbuilding or barchessa and a fully-restored chapel.
It’s a quiet route along grassy riverbanks, the silence broken only by the flapping of ducks’ wings and the rhythmic creaking of the mill; and time, like the water in the canal, slips by slowly.
Hundreds of villas were built in the Veneto in the 16th century, when its towns and reclaimed land were embellished by the works of architectural geniuses like Palladio. These villas were places of retreat and leisure, but they were also working farms where agriculture grew from a mere subsistence activity to play a major role in the economy under the judicious guidance of aristocrats and agronomists.
The “villa culture” that emerged in this period found its greatest expression along the Riviera del Brenta, where the rural tourism now beloved of holidaymakers the world over had its beginnings. Today, these villas still exude the splendour of other times, their heritage preserved for the appreciation of those who know how to value them.
This is an easy route. It’s entirely flat and covers 15 km.
Availability: all year (subject to availability).
Departure point and Departure time: to be agreed. The Riviera del Brenta can be reached easily by public transport.
Languages available: English, Italian, German
Contact us!
Inclusions: Local and Naturalistic guide
Exclusions: What is not specified under “Inclusions”, Ticket to the villas, Lunch, bike
Upgrade Experience: Lunch, dinner, coffee break, cocktails in boat or in a restaurant, wine lesson, visits to the traditional farm and exclusive location.
