An ancient city river port equipped with a 16th-century staircase, an elegant portal in white Istrian stone, and a small clock tower; this was where the boats, traveling along navigable rivers and canals, connected Padua and its province with the Venetian lagoon. Navigating along the Piovego and skirting the ancient 16th-century bastioned walls, one passes under the old Graissi bridge, arriving at Noventa Padovana.
In the past, boats, passengers, and goods would stop here, arriving from Venice along the waterway and then reaching Padua by cart. However, later on, due to the opening of the Piovego Canal, which allowed access directly into Padua, this location lost its significance. Nevertheless, numerous villas remain as a testament to this past: elegant residences for Venetian nobility. Among these, we find the solitary and majestic Villa Giovanelli, richly frescoed, built at the end of the 17th century, whose architectural structure combines compositional features of Palladio and Longhena; a unique monumental pentagonal pronaos, tall Corinthian columns with a pediment adorned with statues, a grand staircase: elements that make its external appearance imposing and scenic. After passing the locks of Noventa Padovana and Stra, descending a water level, one arrives at Stra, where the Brenta Canal originates from the Brenta River.
Not far from Villa Pisani stands the 17th-century architectural complex of Villa Foscarini Rossi. According to aristocratic custom, for their sumptuous building project, the Foscarini hired illustrious architects who, along with painters and decorators from the Venetian 17th century, created and decorated a residence capable of expressing the importance of the family. Arrival in Stra at around 10:00 PM and a visit to Villa Foscarini and the Foresteria with its spectacular hall covered in frescoes depicting mythological and allegorical subjects. A visit to the Footwear Museum, set up in the noble body of the Villa, is also scheduled. After the visit, at around 11:00 PM, boarding and return to Padua by boat is expected at a quarter past midnight.
