Do you know the Riviera del Brenta? Between Venice and Padua there is a well-marked cycle route about 35 km long. Magnificent villas, enchanting gardens, harmonious nature, districts: this is the Riviera, a place of charm and unrivaled historical, cultural and landscape scenery. It is practicable in both directions of travel and on both sides.
We recommend picking up your bike from Mestre, boarding the train to Padova and cycling back to Mestre. Between Venice and Mestre is a 10-minute ride on the rail.
Padova is one of Italy’s most attractive cities and it’s perfect for bike riding. You will want to walk among the stalls of the ancient fruit and vegetable market of Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza della Frutta, enter the Palazzo del Bo, home of the ancient University, visit the Basil of S. Anthony and admire the frescoes by Giotto in the Chapel of the Scrovegni.
Departing in direction of Venice, you cross the neighborhood University of Portello, with the monumental Porta Ognissanti, and proceed along the Piovego canal before merging with the Brenta canal.
These medieval waterways guaranteed for many centuries communication between Padua and Venice. The cultural interest of this area is shown by the remarkable concentration of Venetian villas that have given birth to the river hamlets of Stra, Fiesso, Dolo, Mira.
The beauty of Venetian architecture is captured not only in the numerous noble buildings but even in rustic dwellings, which though having lost the original functionality, still retain the courtly details of the Venetian palaces: variety of chimney pots, elaborate cornices and porticoes.
By bicycle it is possible to travel the same routes and admire the same landscapes that astonished travelers in past centuries: the Pisani villa in Stra, the beautiful center of Dolo or the Villa Foscari, also known as “La Malcontenta”, the epitome of Palladian architecture. A little further on you arrive in Mestre.