Grappa, ice cream and gondoliers
Cycling trips in Venetia
From the foothills of the Alps, in the Po Valley and along the Adriatic Sea, these cycling tours lead to the most beautiful sights of northern Italy. Easy, flat cycling stages, the delicacies of Italian cuisine, regional specialities (pasta, grappa, prosecco), great history and pure culture guarantee a cycling holiday with great pleasure. Our river cruises through Veneto offer wonderful views from the water. Discover Mantua, Ferrara and Venice by bike and boat. Or explore the entire northern coastal region of the Adriatic on a 3-country bike tour (Italy, Slovenia, Croatia) from Venice to Istria.
Venetian cycling
Our bike tours run almost completely flat, only on some routes there are some smaller climbs. You ride on quiet side roads, on asphalted bikes and well-paved field or farm roads, mostly along rivers and canals through Veneto.
Venice, but not only
Venice! City of winged lions, symbol of the evangelist and patron saint Mark, gondolas, canals and lagoons. It is also called La Serenissima, the most splendid. The morbid charm and grandeur of the palaces, the bell towers, the domes, the vaporetti rushing back and forth between the canals – all this is Venice. On millions of stakes, the city's works of art rest on wooden feet in the sea. It is said to be scattered on 118 islands, between which there are over 400 bridges and 177 canals. The Piazza di San Marco is, according to Napoleon, “the most beautiful salon in Europe”.
In Vicenza's Piazza dei Signori stands a column with the winged lion of S. Marco, the emblem of Venice's rule. Marostica with its two medieval castles, one upper and one lower, will also delight you. In Bassano del Grappa, every cyclist will be fascinated first by the covered wooden bridge over the river Brenta, designed by Palladio. Wide views up to the Po plain and on elegant villas in the distance offers Asolo. A town worth seeing with a cathedral, magnificent villas and a winged lion on the Fontana Maggiore. The Piazza dei Signori is the centre of Treviso with the dominating Palazzo dei Trecento. The Fontana delle Tette is just around the corner, the tit fountain.
Art in Veneto
The art metropolis of the region is clearly Venice. During the Renaissance, the city was a kind of art centre, where artists such as Tintoretto, Bellini, Carpaccio, Titian and the composer Verdi liked to spend their time. In the course of time many palaces and magnificent buildings were built in and around Venice. Throughout Veneto you can admire the country villas of Palladio that follow the strict classicist style. Impressive frescoes by Giotto can be found in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. But great works of art can be found in almost every place in Veneto.
Strawberries and cherries – asparagus and radicchio – grappa and prosecco
You should definitely try asparagus alla Bassanese with a sauce made from capers, anchovies and eggs in Veneto, provided, of course, that you are traveling during the right season. Another specialty: the heart-shaped, sweet-tasting Marostica cherry. Marostegana is the name of the local variety, from which many delicacies are conjured up, such as sea bass carpaccio with crudités of Marostica cherries. For those with a sweet tooth, dessert wine jelly with Marostica cherries is recommended. The dark red, white-striped radicchio from Treviso is considered the king of chicories. It is served raw, steamed or fried in restaurants. You should not miss pasta with radicchio rosso tardivio di Treviso and lardo (bacon).
At the eastern end of the bridge in Bassano del Grappa, Grapperia Nardini has been in business since 1779. The famous grape marc brandy is produced by fermenting the residues that remain after grapes have been pressed. It usually has an alcohol content between 37.5% and 60%. In and around Piazza Garibaldi in Asolo, for example, you can taste local wines outside in the open air. The glasses are placed on old barrels. Wine is everywhere in Veneto – and especially here. In and around Asolo, it is mainly the golden-yellow, slightly fruity-tasting Prosecco, which is made from 85% Glera and a maximum of 15% other grape varieties. Wines such as Merlot, Cabernet, Riesling, various Pinots and Chardonnays, the revived Recantina and the Bianchetta are just a few of those pressed here.
Lagoons and Islands
Veneto consists of a small part of the mountains or the Dolomites, of a few hills and mostly of the lowlands of the Po Valley and the lagoons. There is a lot of nature between the Adriatic Sea, rivers and nature reserves. The lagoon of Venice is a large wetland covering 550 square kilometres and is a kind of harbor separated from the Adriatic Sea by headlands and islands. It contains countless islands. The region is on the migration route of many birds. Birds of prey and nocturnal can also be found on the islands in the lagoon. Waders such as the white-tailed whistle and the dwarf tern nest in the dunes.
