A romantic mini-cruise from Padua to Venice (or vice versa) among the Venetian Villas of the Brenta Riviera-an artistic and historical heritage-following the route of the ancient 18th-century Venetian Burchiello.

For departure from Venice, the navigation is the same in reverse. 

The Burchiello was a typical Venetian passenger boat, equipped with a large wooden cabin with three or four balconies, finely crafted and decorated. It was used by the wealthiest Venetian classes to travel from the city to their countryside Villas.

Descending the river from Padua to Venice, the journey begins at the Portello, the ancient river port with its beautiful 16th-century Burchiello staircase, painted by Tintoretto, and its magnificent Istrian stone portal resembling a triumphal arch, with eight columns and a small clock tower. Boats departing from here travelled along rivers and navigable canals, connecting Padua and its province with the Venetian lagoon.

Navigating along the Piovego and skirting the ancient 16th-century walls and imposing bastions, the cruise passes under the old Graissi bridge, reaching Noventa Padovana, once Padua's river port. Here, boats and passengers stopped while goods were transported to Padua by cart.

The numerous patrician villas testify to the historic importance of this area. Among them is the solitary and majestic Villa Giovanelli, richly frescoed and built in the late 17th century by the Giovanelli family, combining Palladian elements with the innovative architectural trends of Longhena.

After passing through the Noventa Padovana Lock and the Stra Lock, with their respective water level drops, the cruise arrives at Stra, where the Brenta Canal branches off from the Brenta River.

Here rises the grandiose Villa Pisani, the famous mainland Ducal Palace-a sumptuous villa conceived by the Pisani family as a symbol of prestige. More than a villa, it is a palace adorned on the façade with powerful sculptures and decorated inside by the most renowned Venetian artists of the 18th century.

Between Stra and Mira, the route encounters 30 beautiful villas, many with their main façade facing the canal.

Among the many still inhabited and mostly not open to visitors, notable ones include:
Villa Soranzo with frescoes by Benedetto Caliari, brother of Paolo Veronese;
Villa dei Lazzara Pisani, known as "La Barbariga," admired for its architecture;
Villa Ferretti Angeli, designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi;
Palazzo Foscarini, once home to Lord Byron;
and Villa Contarini dei Leoni, visited by Henry III, King of France.

The cruise continues to Dolo, an ancient riverside village and a typical Venetian town, famous for its mills, its squero (boatyard), and its old lock-scenes captured by painters such as Bernardo Bellotto, Canaletto, and Francesco Guardi.

After passing through the Dolo Lock and the Mira Lock, the boat sails among the greenery of weeping willows, villas, and swing bridges, reaching Mira, where the greatest concentration of villas is found. Here one can admire the famous façades overlooking the canal, the lush bends, and the unspoiled corners where willows brush the water.

Notable here is Villa Barchessa Valmarana, with its wide colonnade rising over the garden.

Villa Widmann, a typical 18th-century summer residence with its delightful park, is a true jewel of the Brenta Riviera. The palace is the result of a major transformation carried out by the Widmann family around 1750 on an earlier Sceriman estate designed by architect Tirali.

Villa Corner, the scene of lavish receptions and luxurious, week-long festivities of the family;
and Villa Foscarini, where Lord Byron spent two years (1817�\"1818).

The cruise then continues to Oriago, once the setting of wars between Padua and Venice. Here stands the Termine, an ancient boundary column leaning against a modest building, erected in 1374 along with others to mark territorial borders during the long wars between the Carraresi, Lords of Padua, and Venice.

Here a stop is planned at Il Burchiello restaurant for lunch, which may be arranged or free.

Among other villas with a typically Venetian atmosphere is Villa Gradenigo, a 16th-century villa now reduced to its central body, decorated with frescoes by Benedetto Caliari, brother of Veronese.

Continuing on, the cruise reaches Malcontenta, where one can admire the elegance and monumentality of Villa Foscari, known as "La Malcontenta," one of the masterpieces of Andrea Palladio's genius. Leaving Malcontenta, the Burchiello passes through the Moranzani and Fusina Locks and descends into the lagoon.

After passing the island of San Giorgio in Alga, the boat enters the Giudecca Canal: on the right, the towering former Stucky Mill building, the Church of the Redeemer-masterpiece of Palladian sacred architecture-and finally the Zitelle.

Turning between Punta della Dogana and the church of San Giorgio Maggiore, the Burchiello arrives in Venice, in the magical marble setting of the St. Mark's Basin, where this fantastic journey ends.

Routes:

- Departure from Venezia at 08:50 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Arrival in Padova at 7:00 PM

- Departure from Padova at 08:00 on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Arrival in Venezia at 5:30 pm