From Padua to Venice by bike
- Travelling time: 2 hours
- Difficulty: Easy
- Why we love it: For the bucolic landscape enhanced by the majestic villas of the Venetian nobility
- Length: 40 km
- Total Elevation Gain: 0 m
- Way to travel: by bike
- Cost: 0 €
- Our Advice: If you have a whole day available, stopped to visit inside the beautiful villas
Do you know the Riviera del Brenta? Wonderful villas, enchanting gardens, harmonious nature: this is the Riviera, a place of enchantment and historical, cultural and naturalist scenery that has nothing to envy to other more famous itineraries.
The Brenta Canal is the main theme of our journey, ancient communication way between Padua and the Venice lagoon.
We start from Padua, city of art and architecture from a glorious past and present.
Do not miss the visit to the famous Scrovegni Chapel with its frescoes by Giotto and the beautiful Church of St. Anthony.
And, if you want spend more time exploring the art treasures of this city, here you can find all the eco-friendly accommodations in Padua and surroundings.
We cross the university district, proceed along the Piovego canal up to meet the Brenta canal.
From here on we are surrounded by the famous Riviera del Brenta. We walk the same streets of the noble Venetian families who used to come here, to their residence in the countryside, through the waterway.
The magnificent villas of the '600 and' 700 are the most fascinating treasures of the route, made even more magical by the surrounding landscape. One of the first we encounter is the Villa Pisani in Stra.
A few meters from this beautiful Ducal Palace, which is currently accessible, we find the Villa Foscarini Rossi, 17th-century architecture, now a museum.
Continuing our pleasant ride, we reach the very picturesque village of Dolo, where we suggest you to visit the ancient monument of Squero and the old mills of the '500.
Biking ahed, we pass the Villa Barchessa Valmarana, in the municipality of Mira, but the latest villa not to be missed by architecture lovers is without any doubt the Villa Foscari, a true example of Palladian architecture.
We thus arrive in Mestre, where we leave our bikes. You can park it next to the station or then catch the train to Venice with it: the city of bridges is our destination for today. We leave you here, in this indescribable city, where roads do not exist, full of monuments but also of magic and spectacular corners.
Author: Chiara Marras
