Mantua to Venice

There’s no area in Italy that offers “water lovers” such ideal, easy cycling through beautiful countryside and villages in Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia Romagna. You’ll pedal along the River Po (if navigation on the river is possible) or along the Fissero/Bianco canal, which runs parallel to the Po and connects Mantua to the Adriatic Sea.
Our comfortable “floating home” makes its way through a unique landscape and stops at towns that seem to have emerged from fairy tales. Highlights include fantastic Chioggia, often called “Little Venice”; Ferrara, meeting point for many local and international cyclists; Etruscan Adria; the delightful islands Pellestrina and Lido and romantic Venice, the “City of Water”.

The bike trails offer similarly dramatic scenery with daily routes all completely over flat roads and bike paths. Bikers have a unique opportunity to experience largely untouched nature, seeing swamps existing for several centuries and surrounded by lovely pine woods. Here natural watercourses, minuscule channels and fishermen’s huts hiding in the reeds are waiting to be discovered. Your cycling companions are an international group of cycling enthusiasts who enjoy a relaxed pace, great Italian food and flat, safe bike routes. Bring your camera! This is a reasonably priced Italian vacation you’ll never forget!

Highlights

• Cycling through tiny, picturesque Italian villages steeped in history
• Exploring the romantic bridges and streets of Venice, the “Repubblica Serenissima,” on foot
• Cruising to the lovely Chioggia to explore medieval architecture and a local fish market
• Watching herons and flamingos by the water’s edge in a nature reserve
• Staying overnight in a sleepy village of the beautiful Canal Bianco

Terrain: 95% tarmac, 5% unpaved