A unique experience to discover the Venetian villas of the Brenta Riviera. You will visit the majestic Villa Pisani and the elegant Barchessa Valmarana by minivan along the road that runs along the river Brenta, dotted with Venetian villas full of charm and history.
The tour the Venetian Villas of Riviera del Brenta will take you to discover the well-known waterway between Padua and Venice.
It is an interesting scenic area from a historical, natural, artistic and cultural point of view. French and Russian royal families stayed here, as well as the Habsburgs, the Savoy and even Napoleon.
Above all the Venetian nobility chose the Riviera as setting for their Venetian villas, thus transforming the river banks into a proper architectural jewel in which each pearl is a elegant and precious villa.
The first part of the tour will include the visit of Barchessa Valmarana or Villa Widmann (the choice will depend on the day of the tour and the opening of the villas):
The Barchessa Valmarana which belongs to the rich artistic heritage of the Venetian Villas. Built as a sumptuous noble residence in the 1600s and finely restored by the sculptor Luciano Minguzzi in the second half of the 1900s, Villa Valmarana now includes the sumptuous rooms of the Barchessa and the lush gardens that surround it.
Villa Widmann, built in the early eighteenth century by the will of the Serimanns, Venetian nobles of Persian origin, the Villa obtained its current form only in the middle of the same century, when the Widmann family, after having purchased the property, modernized it adapting it to taste French rococo. The central body thus became a welcoming home for parties and receptions. To embellish the main hall in about 1865, two artists were called, then much disputed in the Venetian environment, Giuseppe Angeli (1712-1798), a disciple of Giambattista Piazzetta, and Gerolamo Mengozzi Colonna, Tiepolo’s favorite collaborator. However, the attribution of the frescoes is not certain: some scholars believe them to be the work of Francesco Zanchi. In 1883 the Villa went up for auction and was acquired by Francesco Somazzi. After a few changes of ownership, the Villa returns to the Widmanns, but the last descendant Elisabetta in 1946 gives it to her son Ludovico, who in 1970 sells it to the Costanzo family. Currently the complex is owned by the Metropolitan City of Venice, formerly the Province of Venice.
On the way along the Riviera del Brenta we will cross the river village of Dolo, one of the towns on the Riviera del Brenta that lies along the banks of the river with its characteristic houses and the mill that are reflected in the water offering a glimpse of rare beauty. The mill of Dolo, built in the first half of the sixteenth century and immortalized in a famous painting by Canaletto, still represents one of the most evocative views of Dolo today.
We will then visit, among one of the following, a second villa, the majestic Villa Pisani in Stra.
Villa Pisani is the most impressive, the largest and the most visited villa on the Riviera. It was built on a pre-existing building to celebrate the glory of the Pisani family, especially when Alvise Pisani was elected doge in 1735. After the end of the Serenissima, it was owned by Napoleon, in 1814 the Austrians took over. When Venice joined the Kingdom of Italy in 1866, Vittorio Emanuele II stayed there for a short time and two years later it became the property of the state. Since the late 1800s it has been a National Museum.
In conclusion, you can only admire its majesty with your mouth open, imagining the great characters of history strolling through the gardens and discussing politics in the large frescoed rooms while the ladies drink tea in their sumptuous dresses.
Guaranteed departure with a minimum of 4 paying adults.
EXPLANATIONS DURING THE TOUR: only touristic guides can and are allowed to explain the monuments, the city and the museums. Accompaniers just help you in case you need it or take you to the most beautiful places chosen for your tour.
MEETINGS: In case the meeting point with the guide/accompanist is in the place of the tour it is necessary to give an active telephone number, which will be given to the guide/accompanist. In case you can’t find the guide/accompanist please call the number +39 333 994 52 88. If you don’t contact us, the agency cannot be retained as responsible.
OPENING TIMES OF THE MONUMENTS: Some monuments are not always open. If you are interested in visiting a special monument, tell us in the moment of request of quotation. In case you don’t asked us, the agency cannot be retained as responsible.
TRANSFER SERVICES: The transfer service for the client, if done with the Minivan of the agency, is included as a transfer service for free and carried out for courtesy only in order to full fill the necessities of the tour. For fares purchased that include train tickets: In case of public transportation strikes please contact us for alternative arrangements or cancellations. In the absence of alternatives we will cancel and refund the tour in advance. The value of train tickets already purchased will be retained and will not be refunded.
WEATHER: The tour takes place even in case of bad weather. If the tour is cancelled it is to protect your safety. The tours to Venice take place even in case of high water.
LANGUAGES SPOKEN DURING THE TOURS: Tours could be held in multiple languages at the same time.
RESPECT FOR TIMETABLES AND GROUPS: With the confirmation of the tour, you accept the timetable indicated in the program. In order to have an above-board tour, it will not be possible to change the timetable except it is a decision of the tour leader.
TECHNICAL ORGANIZATION: Lovivo Tour Experience by E3 srl, Viale delle Terme, 107 / B 35031 Abano Terme (Padua), T. +39 049 2969340 F. +39 049 2969349, e-mail info@lovivo.it www.lovivo.it,EUROP ASSISTANCE Insurance Policy n. 9040153, Guarantee Fund: IL SALVAGENTE s.c. a r.l. n. 2020 / 1- 3114, Authorization of the Province of Padua 1226 of reg. of 18.08.2016.
