Tour to the Venetian Villas and the Brenta Riviera from Padua
Description
The Riviera del Brenta, a well-known waterway between Padua and Venice, is an interesting panoramic area from historical, natural, artistic and cultural point of view. It is a natural extension of the Venice Grand Canal and is flanked by picturesque Venetian villages and surrounded by an agricultural landscape. The Riviera del Brenta has fascinated many important personalities at all times: Casanova, Galileo Galilei, Byron, Montesquieu and D'Annunzio have visited it, Canaletto, Cimaroli and Tiepolo have painted it and it has been praised in the masterpieces of Goldoni and Goethe . The French and Russian royal families, the Habsburgs, the Savoy and even Napoleon stayed here and the Venetian nobility chose it as the setting for their Venetian villas. Here the Venetians built magnificent residences, enclosed by monumental gardens, frescoed and designed by the most important artists of the time such as Palladio, Tiziano and Tintoretto.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Villa Pisani in Stra is a late Baroque Venetian villa located along the Riviera del Brenta, near the city of Stra, a few kilometers from Venice. 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 when Alvise Pisani was elected doge in 1735. After the end of the Serenissima, it was owned of 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. Countless guests and important visitors from all over Europe: Tsar Alexander I of Russia, Gustavo of Sweden, Maria Luigia of Parma and many others. In 1934 Hitler and Mussolini met there.
Visit to Villa Widmann and its park
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
FROM PADOVA Transfer by minivan from your Hotel in Padua included. Departure times in the booking are approximate and are subject to slight variations. The agency will contact you a few days before the tour to confirm the meeting or pick-up time. You must provide a valid contact (phone number with Whatsapp or email).
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Departure times in the booking are approximate and are subject to slight variations. The agency will contact you a few days before the tour to confirm the meeting or pick-up time. You must provide a valid contact (phone number with Whatsapp or email).
- The gardens of Villa Pisani are currently (September 2025) undergoing renovation and therefore cannot be visited.
Reviews(11)
It was a very nice experience and Nicola was very kind and told us so many beautiful things and made us discover things we did not know
Grazie mille per la recensione Laura. Siamo felici di sapere che l'esperienza con noi sia stata all'altezza dell sue aspettative. Speriamo di riaverla dei nostri in futuro.
Very interesting tour. Nicola was a great guide. Nice and professional Excellent communication in relation to the interaction arrangements prior to the tour. Highly recommended!.
Grazie davvero di cuore Daniela per le bellissime parole che ha deciso di spendere per noi. Siamo lieti di sapere che il nostro tour sia stato all'altezza delle aspettative e che il servizio offerto dal nostro tour leader sia stato la giusta combinazione tra professionalità e divertimento. Speriamo di averla nuovamente dei nostri in futuro.
Wonderful day, villas and places rich in great history with Nicola guide helpful and very kind. It will certainly be a good memory!
Grazie mille Danilo per la fiducia dimostrata nei confronti della nostra agenzia prendendo parte a ben due tour con noi. Siamo felici di sapere che facciamo parte del bel ricordo che porterà con se di questo suo viaggio nei nostri luoghi e speriamo davvero di rivederci per altre esperienze insieme. Grazie Mille.
We relied on Lo Vivo for our Venetian tour and booked with them various experiences. This experience was very pleasant, rich in history and nature. Our guide was a good storyteller and entertainer. Well organized times. Thank you Lo Vivo
Siamo felici di sapere che siamo riusciti a trasmettervi la passione e l'amore per i nostri territori e che abbiate colto ciò che per noi rappresenta il vero viaggio alla scoperta di un territorio. Alla prossima, grazie mille.
We traveled by car in a small group and got to experience the Italian villas between Siena and Venice. Chiara explained to us the history of the families and why there was such a big difference between the different villas. We loved seeing the beautiful gardens as well as the splendidly decorated interiors. She let us visit at our own pace, and a gentleman in our group bought everyone coffee to enjoy on the terrace. It is a side of Italy we wouldn’t have gotten to see—much recommended!
Thank you so much, it was great to have you here and to enjoy the day together!
A lovely excursion. The villas and landscape are very nice. The explanations give an idea of the whole set and are worth the visit
Muchas gracias, ha sido un placer!!
This tour let us experience how the other half lived in Venice's hayday! we were looking for an out of town trip that let us experience the countryside without driving all day. our guide Camilla met us near our apartment in Padova and we enjoyed the experience with a small group (only two others). We stopped first at a beautiful villa about 20 minutes from Padova to see how Venetian nobles lived. The exhibits were well organized and the villa even had a nice coffee shop (Camilla was kind to treat as she was a few minutes late in meeting us as the initial group was late meeting her). The second villa was more like Versaille palace, magnificent enough that mebers of Napoleon's family lived there. Yet at the smae time, hardly anyone was there! really great to see such a wonderful site without being surrouded by other tourists) The countryside was beautiful and the tour was very enjoyable. With the agreement of the other two, Camilla was happy to add an unscheduled stop in a small village where we had a delicious sushi lunch. Camilla is a good diver and is very knowledgeable about the tour sites.
Dear Mr Moody, Thank you for your positive review. We hope to have you as guests in future. Best regards. Staff Lovivo Tour Experience
We spent a wonderful day. The tour starts with a drive from Padua along the green banks of the Brenta river. The two stops include Villa Pisani and Villa Widmann, with enough time to visit the gardens. The guide is a great storyteller and has a captivating way to present paintings. The little extra was to do this as a private tour - we were only two and had the chance to visit at our own pace.
Hello Polina, Many thanks for your review. It was a pleasure to have you on our experience. We hope to have you with us in future. Thank you, yours sincerely, Team Lovivo Tour Experience
We were a small group of friends and we relied on this !agency to tour the Venetian villas. We had a great time. Very professional. We will definitely be back....
Buongiorno, ringraziamo per la valutazione positiva. Vi aspettiamo in agenzia per un'ulteriore esperienza in Veneto. Cordiali saluti Lovivo Tour Experience
Mrs. Angela, who accompanied us to Villa Malcontenta and Villa Pisani was really good and explained a lot of things along the way. She with the driver picked us up from the hotel and it was a beautiful day despite the bad weather. Only compliments and a thank you!
Grazie Linda, siamo felici che abbiate passato una bella giornata nella nostra splendida regione. Vi aspettiamo presto per un altro weekend :) Un caro saluti a tutte Lovivo staff
