Brenta Canal Boat Trips
Want to see how the 16th century rich and famous of Venice enjoyed
their weekends and summer breaks? Well then the Brenta canal should be on you
itinerary if you are visiting Venice and have a day to spare.
In the 16th century this trip was THE luxury excursion for the upper classes.
Many of these same people built sumptuous summer villas along the
canal to escape from the sticky humidity of Venice – in fact well over
2000 of them were built back in the day and many of them are still here.
It needs to be said that some of them now look in dire need of
some attention but a few have been lovingly restored to their former
glory.
The trips were apparently summer outings of unfettered enjoyment
and pleasure. Napoleon put a stop to all this frivolity in the 18th
century but the boat trips have now made a comeback.
Trips normally start in Padua (Padova) and finish up in St Marks
Square but trips from Venice to Padua are also available. If you leave
from Venice the first bit (once you're out of Venice of course) is a bit
flat and boring with little to see.
It gets interesting again once you start reaching the villas.
The boats stop at all the main ones and you get a bit of a guided tour
around them.
Barchessa Valmarana is lovely but Villa Foscari, which was once
home to Lord Byron, and the Villa Pisani, are hands-down the best of
them.
Boat companies charge around 70 Euro for the cruise which
includes guided trips around three or four of the villas and a bus trip
back at the end of the cruise. Most of them also make a stop for lunch,
which is an extra 30 Euros or so. If you don’t want this lunch you can
bring your own picnic with you.
One of the better companies running the trips is
Battelli del Brenta.
Need a place to stay in Venice? I can really recommend you consider one of these excellent hotels.
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More boat trips in and around Venice.
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