Veneto has unique villas and historical symbols in its territory and with a special itinerary, it is possible to admire most of these jewels. We’re talking about the wonderful Brenta Rivierahere where the magic lies in the possibility of discovering all its wonders from different perspectives: on foot, by bike, but also by river. Own along the course of the Brenta river, which connects the city of Padua with the Venice lagoon, you can discover ancient villas and various villages. Where it almost seems like reliving life at the time of the Serenissima, when the waterway was plowed by the typical boat, the Burchiello. To date, re-proposed as means of admiring the beauties of the Brenta Riviera on a mini-cruise. A unique part of Veneto, whatever means of transport you use, certainly waiting to be discovered.
Itinerary to discover the beauties of the Brenta Riviera
There perspective from the waters of the Brenta river on board the boat is certainly unique, but it’s not the only one I knowlution. You can visit the Brenta Riviera using the bike route or even on foot, even by booking organized tours. Certainly traveling by car probably remains the best choice for greater autonomy. In any case, each villa has its own peculiarity and every hidden corner of the Brenta Riviera deserves to be visited. To start, the first beauty of the itinerary on the Brenta Riviera13 km from Padua, is Villa Foscarini Rossi. Located in Stra, in the province of Venice, this villa, after years of history, has been restored and reopened to the public to restore its architecture and frescoes to their splendor. The peculiarity of this villa is the presence of a unique museum in the rooms of the villahere is the collection of shoes and the Footwear Museumwith well 1500 footwear modelsamong which some Venetian shoes from the 18th and 19th centuries. The museum can be visited and open every day. Having left Villa Foscarini Rossi, it is possible reach Villa Pisani, located in Via Doge Pisani, for a route which, also in this case, can be undertaken as a stop on the boat tour or as a route by car, on foot or by bike, at a distance of just a few minutes, whatever the means. If you arrive by car, the Villa Pisani a Stra car park is located approximately 200 meters from the entrance to the villa. Villa Pisani, now a national museum, was built in the eighteenth century commissioned by the Venetian Pisani di Santo Stefano family, who entrusted the works to the Paduan architect Girolamo Frigimelica, but then completed by Francesco Maria Preti. The villa has a rectangular plan with two internal courtyards. Its facade has a balcony surmounted by 8 Corinthian semi-columns and supported by four caryatids. Its most hidden, and certainly curious, feature is the hedge mazebuilt with a path designed to reach wisdom, represented here by the statue of the goddess Minerva. The villa, with its labyrinth, is open every day except Monday.
Veneto: from Dolo to Villa Widmann
The most famous villas on the left bank of the Brenta they definitely are Villa Foscari, Villa Pisani and Villa Widmann. The latter is about twenty minutes away by car, more than two hours on foot and by boat depending on the tour chosen. Proceeding by car certainly allows you to discover other hidden beauties along the route, so as to fully enjoy this wonderful coast. Traveling along the SS11, the road that connects the different beauties of the Brenta Riviera and which leads to the discovery of the ancient villas, offers other panoramic points and historical symbols. Among these, theoratory of Villa Tron Mioni and the wonderful village of DoloThe jewel of the Riviera. Among its characteristics, in addition to being an ancient port on the coast, it preserves the Dolo mill in Piazza Cantiere, and the only squero in the entire Brenta Riviera. Continuing towards Villa Widmann, which is a 10-minute drive from Dolo, you come across Villa Venier Contarini. This villa, located in Mira in the province of Venice, built around the sixteenth century, is certainly less imposing than the other villas, but its history is equally long and complex. For a long time it was the country residence of the Venetian Venier family. To date, the villa can only be visited internally with guided tours. After a journey, you reach one of the other most beautiful villas on the Brenta Riviera, Villa Widmann, an enchanted place both inside and out, in the Riscossa area, just outside Mira. The The interiors of this villa are a dream and are spread over three floors, with several very ancient symbols. Between one detail and another, Villa Widmann is the only one to preserve one of the examples of what was the covering of Venetian boats, called the felze. To visit Villa Widmann you need to purchase a ticket costing around 7 euros. The villa is open for tourist visits from Tuesday to Sunday, the opening hours are from 10.00 to 13.00 and from 13.30 to 16.30. But the Brenta Riviera really offers a lot, it is no coincidence that right in front of Villa Widmann, located however on the right bank of the Brenta, stands Villa Valmarana.
Riviera del Brente: the historical beauties between Padua and Venice
But at the culmination of a journey made of natural beauty and ancient buildings, we arrive at what is there closest villa to Venice, Villa Foscariknown as The Malcontentain Via dei Turisti, 9 minutes by car from Villa Widmann e 13 minutes from Mestre. The villa is the only one created by the architect Andrea Palladio along the Brenta Riviera, not far from the lagoon. The villa was considered one of Palladio’s most brilliant works, and today it presents itself as a single block with three floors, each of which was created for a specific purpose. The characteristic of the building is symmetry, which is why each of the Foscari brothers had three rooms. The interior was decorated by Battista Zelotti and Battista Franco. Its external appearance, with a particular portico with columns and its parallelepiped shape, it refers to the temples of ancient Rome. The Villa remains closed in winter and then reopens to the public from March, from 9am to 12pm and from 2.30pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Mondays the villa is closed and on Tuesdays it is only open for the morning hours.
The means to discover the Brente Riviera
For visit the numerous villasespecially the most famous ones, and the beauties of the Brenta Riviera, it takes a whole day if you continue by car or boat. By car the journeys are shorter and times are significantly reduced, on foot and by bike the situation is more complex and deserves more time and defined stages because the route is long and complex, it is recommended to combine journeys by car or by bus. Starting from Padua, the closest villa is Villa Foscarini Rossi and the recommended itinerary then continues towards Venice. From Venice, the closest villa is Villa Foscari, La Malcontenta, and then proceed in the opposite direction described above with the other villas. The tour on the Burchiello by river it is certainly the most evocative and unique choice and allows you to admire the Brenta Riviera from a fascinating perspective, the boat leaves from both Venetian locations. Precisely because the banks of the Brenta are full of elegant homes of ancient dynasties, you can start the route of the mini-cruise with the Burchiello from Padua in the Portello area, Pontile della Scalinata del Burchiello, or from Venice from Riva degli Schiavoni – Pontile San Zaccaria A. Other routes also depart or arrive in Oriago for a shorter tour. In fact, when booking it is possible to choose different tours that vary in price, duration and itinerary. Furthermore, in some cases it is possible to purchase a combined ticket for boat and bike rental.
