DISCOVER THE EXCLUSIVE VENETIAN RIVIERA DEL BRENTA An Extraordinary Cycling, Walking and Gourmet Experience Indulge yourself in Adventure, Gourmet and Wine Travel DAILY EXCURSION – YEAR ROUND
INTRODUCTION
A flexible and varied daily excursion of the magnificent Riviera del Brenta. The Riviera del Brenta is famous for its extraordinary Palladian villas along the Brenta river, its museums and historical buildings and it is located only 25 miles from Venice. The Riviera del Brenta and its mainland include 7 small cities: Stra, Fiesso d’Artico, Dolo, Fossò, Mira, Oriago and Malcontenta. The excursion will include a tour of three of the small cities mentioned above: Stra, Dolo and Mira. The know-how of Jerry will make your tour an unforgettable experience. This wonderful tour experience is available all year and is cutomed-planned for every season.
The route of this exclusive excursion
THE VENETIAN RIVIERA DEL BRENTA, DAILY EXCURSION : It is a short and easy route for everyone. The company “custom-planned” two versions of the cycling tour: for cold and for hot tempreatures. The excusrion starts at 9.00am and departs from the Port of Venice from which you will transfered with a mini-van to the beautiful Villa Ducale located in Dolo. It’s an aristrocratic villa located on the Brenta river, which is today an exclusive hotel and fine restaurant. The travel distance from the port of Venice to Dolo is 25 miles. At about 9.40am there will be a welcome cocktail at Villa Ducale followed by a thorough breifing of the excursion and tourist info. 10.00am : Ready to start the excursion.
Villa Ducale
Jerry with the customers, ready to ride !
In the summer time the welcome cocktail and briefing will take place in the beautiful park of Villa Ducale while in the winter everything will be arranged in the elegant main room. The tour will start at Villa Ducale heading towards Dolo (arrival at 10.30am). Dolo is a small town, along the Brenta river. The main attractions are the small island in the middle of the river, the old watermill and the oldest venetian “squero� (boatyard).
The small island located in the middle of the Brenta river in Dolo
The watermill of Dolo Village and main square
The ancient “squero� and the main church in Dolo.
The weekly market (every Friday) and the route of our excursion along the river
From Dolo our excursion continues towards Stra where we will visit the magnificent Villa Pisani (arrival at 11.30am).
THE VILLA PISANI The splendid villa is located along the Brenta river. Nowadays it is a national museum owned by the State. It was erected during the XVIII century by order of an ancient Venetian noble family, the Pisani's. It is rectangular in shape and composed of two internal courtyards symmetrically placed in relation to the central part. Here, four big caryatides and four heads holding trophies of arms are placed in couplets at the sides of the main entrance (which rises slightly above the ground line). Inside, 114 rooms hold 1700s-1800s works of art, some of which are proper masterpieces: Giambattista Tiepolo (with his “gloria della famiglia Pisani� frescoed on the ceilings of the ball room), Jacopo Guarana (to whom the atrium frescoes are entitled), G. Bevilacqua, Giambattista Crosato, Jacopo Amigoni, Francesco Simonini. The stunning garden of the villa, winner of the 2008 prize for the most beautiful park in Italy, has a famous Labyrinth (G. Frigimelica) composed of nine circles made of box-trees. At the centre rises a small panoramic tower.
Various details of Villa Pisani
THE GARDEN OF VILLA PISANI The Garden covers a whole bend of the Brenta river, an area of 11 hectares and a perimeter of about 1500 metres. It was planned by the Paduan architect Girolamo Frigimelica de' Roberti and laid out when the villa was not yet built. The architect is the author of the famous maze and of some original lodges as the exedra, with two wisteria-covered passageways at the sides, the turret at the centre of the maze and the stables in the background of the large inner parterre. In the eighteenth century the breathtaking sight was mbellished with embroideries with huge statues at the sides. The garden is arranged with long perspectives following the French model used by Andr猫 Le N么tre at Versailles and the traditional fenced garden of Veneto, open through portals and windows which extend the sight on the Brenta river. The elegant eighteenth century Coffee House, rounded by a ring of water, lies on a small artificial hill, used to keep ice during hot season. During Napoleon's power, a small wood was added westward and ornamental kitchengardens were changed into orangery. The feature of the Austrian nineteenth century is the great care for potted and outdoor plants using greenhouses and big trees, before the twentieth century revival brought in long box hedges and the large basin of the parterre. In 1839 the second ice-box was built, west of the stables, among the trees of the small wood. An artificial hill was built in the east area in 1853, following the unsuccessful attempt to emperor Francis Joseph's life by a Hungarian nationalist, as says the inscription on the commemorative obelisk. The garden was fully refurbished and nowadays, together with the general design, offers a rich botanical collection all year long.
THE GARDEN OF VILLA PISANI
The maze in the garden of Villa Pisani
Following the visit of Villa Pisani we will visit the museum of the shoes in Villa Foscarini Rossi where we will admire 1500 models of shoes created by ROSSIMODA for major brands included Fendi, Genny, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Ungaro, Anne Kleyn, Richard Tyles, Vera Wang and much more‌
The museum of shoes in Villa Foscarini Rossi
Following this amazing visit of the museum we will return to Villa Ducale (transfer by van) to enjoy a gourmet lunch where we will savour the traditional cuisine as well as the special wines of the Veneto Region (Prosecco, Valpolicella...) – Arrival at 2.30pm
Main room and restaurant of Villa Ducale
Villa Ducale: main restaurant (for large groups) and other views
After lunch you will have some time to relax in the beautiful garden of Villa Ducale before the final transfer back to the port of Venice.
The garden of Villa Ducale and the typical landscape of the Brenta river
Special Informations : Total distance of cycling tour : 7,5 miles Group dimension : minimum number 6pax - maximum 12 pax
Group: minim 6 pax/maximum 12 pax (the minimum/maximum number can be customized) The price inludes: - tourist information pack - maps with the routes - transfer from/to the port of Venice to/from the Riviera del Brenta - transfer of small luggage - drinks during the cycling excursion - guide and assistance of Jerry during the excursion - rental service for the day of a hybrid bicycle or upon request mountain or road bike. Accessories available upon request: safety helmet, carrier, bag, computer, child seat, reflective waistcoast, installation of your personal pedals and the technical assistance - the company is covered with liability insurance - the tickets for the guided tours of Villa Pisani and Villa Foscarini Rossi - gourmet lunch at Villa Ducale (vegetarian and no-pork meals are available upon request) Extra: - extend insurance coverage: sports & activities liability insurance - special diet needs: vegetarian and no-pork meals
YEAR ROUND EXCURSIONS IN 2011 the dates of the excursions can be custom-planned upon request
For price information, please contact our customer service who will forward all the details. Our excursions may be organized and planned according to your special requests.
Do you want know prices and more details ?
For further information please contact our customer service CONTACTS : Jerry de Concilio Via Gramsci 85 30034 Mira (Venice)
Email jerry@rentalbikeitaly.com
Mobile : +39 346 847 11 41
Check our cycling experiences in our corporate blog www.rentalbikeitaly.com
Our company uses bicylcles built under UNI EN European standards. RENTALBIKEITALY.COM loves the environment. Š2010-2011 all rights riserved Gennaro de Concilio. Thank you to owners of some pictures contained in this document.