The Venetian Villas and the Brenta Riviera

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.

Rates available:

From Terme Euganee: includes pickup by car / minivan from your hotel in Abano Montegrotto Terme for round trip. You will find your guide on board. Duration about 5 hours including transport.

From Padua: round trip includes pickup by car / minivan from your hotel in Padua city. You will find your guide on board. Duration about 4.5 hours including transport.