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Martina’s tour between Venice and Vicenza

A Cycle tour in Vento
Seagulls by the canal in Chioggia, ‘Little Venice’

It’s the beginning of June and I’m really looking forward to my first Eurobike cycle tour, I decided on the Veneto Tour, 8 days. My husband Siegfried will accompany me. For this cycle tour I chose the electric bike, but this route can also be managed easily with a normal bike or the rental bike plus.

The journey by car goes from Salzburg via Villach to Udine to our first stopover. The journey leads us to the medieval town of Roncade, in the centre of which is the castle with its vineyards. We take in the flair of the city over an espresso, the temperatures are already noticeably warmer and milder, that’s how cycling in Italy should be.

Seagulls by the canal in Chioggia, ‘Little Venice’

Arrival at the Hotel Ai Pini in Mestre, which invites you to linger in its beautiful park, but we don’t have time for that today. After a nice check-in at the reception, the journey continues by bus in the direction of Venice.

Arrival in Venice

Once there, we will visit the historic centre of the lagoon city from the Doge’s Palace, St Mark’s Basilica and on to St Mark’s Square and past the cafes, bars and restaurants. I’ve never seen Venice so calm.

Venice fascinates me with its narrow streets, canals and bridges, which I can’t get enough of. All architectural styles from Romanesque to Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo can be found in the city on stilts. We end the wonderful day with a glass of Aperol Spritz at the foot of the Rialto Bridge with a view of the Grand Canal and its gondolas.

Rialto Bridge in Venice

Island hopping by bike

Strengthened by a hearty and delicious breakfast and after a brief introduction by our station manager Marco, we go from Mestre to Venice and take the ferry in the direction of Lido, where we let the lagoon city and all its sights go by.

Pier Lido Santa Maria Elisabeth: exactly opposite you will find the sandy beaches of Lido, which tempt you to swim or take a short walk by the sea. The cycle path leads through the streets and along the shore to the neighbouring island of Pellestrian. We pass small restaurants, where the wonderful smell of freshly grilled fish hits the nose and makes you want to take a break before reaching the destination of Chioggia, which is not unjustifiably known as ‘Little Venice’.

Seagulls by the canal in Chioggia, ‘Little Venice’

Travel through the agesspring awakening in July

It’s spring and nature is really blooming after the long rainy season and colder weather. The light southerly wind blows in your face and wafts the scents of blooming roses, linden, elderberry and lavender into your nose. It is a wonderful feeling to cycle through this landscape and experience these impressions up close.

The path leads us along a dam towards Abano Terme. Where the Roman’s used to relax, we also take a relaxing bath in the thermal water. The journey takes us to a different city daily, which of course we want to explore right away. We are always happy when we can swap the cycling shorts for a comfortable outfit. The suitcases were always on time at the hotel thanks to the luggage transfer.

Bicycle in front of the aeroplane museum, San Pelagio

Travel through the ages – in the footsteps of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio

Every evening you have time to explore a new city and again and again on this tour we come across buildings by the Italian architect Andrea Palladio.

On the tour of Vicenza you will come across numerous buildings by the architect. The sight of his first commissioned work, the Basilica Palladiana amazes us.

In the lovely Teatro Olimpico, which was his last assignment, the last tour unfortunately took place without us. The journey of discovery through this city took us further into the Gothic brick church of Santa Corona from the 13th century.

Palladian Basilica in Vicenza

From Vicenza via Bassano to Treviso

The next morning our Veneto tour takes us to the medieval town of Marostica, where the game of chess with living figures is played every two years in September. Siegfried and I enjoy the ambiance of this place in one of the bars on the town square before reaching our destination of Bassano. Arrival in Bassano del Grappa on the beautiful wooden bridge Ponte Vecchi (designed by Andrea Palladio) over the Brenta.

Then we went to the Grappa Poli Museum, where we had a lot of fun tasting the various grappa varieties together with the other couples travelling with us. We continue past vineyards to Asolo, the steep climb to this romantic place was really worth it and I really liked the café at the fountain. It’s the perfect place to have a snack before starting again and arriving in Treviso in time for the evening sightseeing tour. Finally we head back to Mestre, the tour is complete.

More than just pasta and pizza

Of course, when you go on holiday to Italy, you immediately think of pasta and pizza.

However, this region has a lot more to offer. The menu includes all kinds of fish and seafood, such as squid, eel, sardines, sole, cod, clams, mussels and much more.

Polenta (corn grits) is very typical in this area. In Veneto this is often served with fish and meat dishes or cheese. Radicchio is on the menu both baked, steamed and raw.

At the fish market in Chioggia

Conclusion

The Veneto Tour can be recommended to anyone who would like to take a leisurely cycling seeing new sights, historic cities and stay in specially selected Charm hotels.

My tip: always read the travel documents carefully! So you can look out the sights you want to visit in the cities in advance.

Ich stehe Ihnen bei der Planung Ihrer Radreise gerne mit Rat und Tat zur Seite

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