IT IS POSSIBLE TO VISIT VILLA FOSCARI IN MALCONTENTA INDEPENDENTLY BEFORE BOARDING THE MOTORBOAT
Villa Foscari is one of the most beautiful villas designed by Andrea Palladio in the mid-1500s in Malcontenta for the brothers Nicolò and Alvise Foscari. The villa stands on a high plinth that lends magnificence to the building, raised on a podium like an ancient temple; it is a particularly effective demonstration of Palladio's mastery of achieving monumental effects using poor materials. The main floor of the villa is decorated with a grand cycle of frescoes by Gian Battista Zelotti (a partner, in many other works, with Paolo Veronese) with themes taken mainly from Ovid's Metamorphoses.
PROGRAM OF THE BOAT TOUR
Along the verdant Brenta Canal, between the 16th and 18th centuries the Venetian nobility had sumptuous mansions, palaces and villas built as holiday homes so they could rest from the hectic life of Venice. Magnificent buildings, locks, movable bridges and green bends of the Naviglio characterize this waterway... We will follow the historical route of the Venetian burchielli - traditional boats - in the 1700s, skirting villages and summer residences of the Venetian nobility. Originally, the burchielli connected Venice to Padua and were mainly used by Venetian nobles to travel to their mainland estates. On their way through the lagoon they traveled pushed by the wind or oars, while along the Brenta Riviera they were pulled along the banks by men, oxen or horses.
Meeting with the guide and boarding the boat parked at the entrance of Villa Foscari Malcontenta (Via dei Turisti, 9, 30034 Malcontenta di Mira VE)
The boat tour starts from Malcontenta, following the course of the Naviglio del Brenta among villas, riverside villages and swing bridges with illustrations of several Venetian Villas seen from the river.
Navigation continues until arrival in Oriago at the pier of “Il Burchiello” restaurant.
Disembarkation and end of services.
Duration of the tour: 1 hour
