Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova

Day 1: Individual arrival in Mantova
Day 2: Mantova,  21 mi. (35 km)
Day 3: Mantova - Governolo - Zelo, 32 mi. (50 km)
Day 4: Zelo - Ferrara - Adria, 31 mi. by bike + 37 mi. by bus (50 + 60 km)
Day 5: Adria - Po Delta Nature Reserve - Pellestrina Island, 25 mi. (40 km)
Day 6: Pellestrina Island - Venice, 19 mi. (30 km)
Day 7: Venice, free day
Day 8: Venice, departure following breakfast.

Day 1: Arrival in Mantova
Your cabins will be available from 4:30 pm. The boat is moored at Porto Catena, just a short walk from the city center. The meeting with the tour guide and the crew is scheduled at dinner-time, approximately 6:30 pm. Mantova is one of the most beautiful towns in Northern Italy as many worldwide know artists have left their masterpieces for us to enjoy, thanks to the famous Gonzaga family! Benvenuti a Mantova!

Day 2: Mantova - round trip tour - 21 mi. (35 km)
This entire day is dedicated to the discovery of this wonderful city and its surroundings, dominated by the wealth and influences left by the Gonzaga family, who owned the city for over 400 years. Mantova was considered one of the most important cultural cities in the Renaissance and it still maintains a lot of the landscapes and the building that made it famous during that period. In the late afternoon, a local guide will lead you through the most known highlights of the town.

Day 3: Mantova - Governolo - Zelo, 32 mi. (50 km)
After breakfast, on board, you navigate from the "lakes" of Mantova and cruise through the lush wetlands that lead to Governolo Lock, where Mantova's Mincio River flows into the Po. From here, by bike, you follow the broad sweeps of the levee towards Ostiglia, renowned for its medieval fortress and fierce fighting in 1945, as the Allies drove Hitler's forces back.

Next: Bergantino, home of the distinctive Museum of Fairground Rides and its collection of street organs, all expertly restored (and thunderous!). This village is also in the heartland of Grana Padano, the arch-rival of Parmesan. A visit to the local cheese factory, sampling some well seasoned Grana, is a must-do. You meet the barge in Zelo, a sleepy village on the Canal Bianco, the waterway which runs parallel to the Po.

Day 4: Zelo - Ferrara - Adria, 31 mi. by bike + 37 mi. by bus (50 km by bike + 60 km by bus)
Following breakfast, you will start cycling towards Ferrara. Once you have reached the town, which earned the name of "city of bicycles", you will be enchanted by the historical center, still surrounded by the old city walls. You will enjoy a guided town tour. From Ferrara, a short bus transfer will bring you to Adria, an ancient Greek port, famous for trading amber coming from the Baltic. It's a remarkable museum that also bears witness to its Etruscan, Roman, and Venetian Heritage.

Day 5: Adria - Po Delta Nature Reserve - Pellestrina Island, 25 mi. (40 km)
After a short ride on board, you cycle into the delta of the life-giving Po. This unique wetland is the prime reserve in Europe for herons and home to a sizeable colony of flamingos. Weather permitting, as you continue towards Chioggia, you can also enjoy a stop at a beach and a dip in the Adriatic - not forgetting a hot savory piadina! Chioggia is also known as "Little Venice", a colorful fishing hub. The overnight takes place on the island of  Pellestrina, just in front of Chioggia.

Day 6: Pellestrina Island - Venice, 19 mi. (30 km)
Venice beckons, but first another world altogether: Pellestrina, the first of two islands you traverse today – a humble and tranquil fishing backwater, picturesque as ever with its cottages, boats, and nets. A short island-hop by ferry transfers to Lido. Fashionable in high society ever since the Belle Époque, the Lido di Venezia is now home to the International Venice Film Festival and its galaxy of stars. After rejoining the barge, you will enjoy a leisure cruise in front of St Mark’s square to the final destination. After dinner, you can savor Venice at night, now free of the crowds and at her most romantic: Benvenuti a Venezia!

Day 7: Venice, guided walking tour and free time
A guided walking tour of Venice begins around 11 am and lasts approximately 1.5 hours. It begins in St. Mark square and continues towards the bigger "sestiere" of the city, Castello. You will visit Campo Santa Maria Formosa where you can experience a characteristic market and then a city hospital and large gothic church in Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Later, you will go to Campo Santa Marina and to the Rialto Bridge. During this tour, the guide will explain these sites from the outside, no entrances are planned. However, the guide may decide to adjust the schedule and sites depending on weather and requests from the group. 

Day 8: Venice
After breakfast and the customary goodbyes, free time for individual visits of Venice before returning home.

Day 1: Venice
Day 2: Venice
Day 3: Venice - Pellestrina Island, 19 mi. (30 km)
Day 4: Pellestrina island - Po Delta Nature Reserve - Adria, 25 mi. (40 km)
Day 5:  Adria - Ferrara - Zelo, 22 mi. (35 km by bike + 35 km by bus)
Day 6: Zelo - Mantova, 31 mi. (50 km)
Day 7: Mantova round tour, 22 mi. (35 km)
Day 8: Mantova

Day 1: Venice
You are welcomed aboard your new home from 4.30 pm. onwards and then regroup for the introductory briefing at 6.30 pm with your tour leader, skipper, and crew, along with a first refreshing aperitivo. After dinner, you can savor Venice at night, now free of the crowds and at her most romantic: Benvenuti a Venezia.

Day 2: Venice
After breakfast, and perhaps following a bit of exploring off the beaten track with your tour leader, you will meet up with your Venetian guide for a tour through the historic center. Christened La Serenissima ("The Most Serene"), the Venetian Republic held sway over much of the Mediterranean (and beyond) for centuries - both as a military power and a beacon of culture, her explorers reaching as far as China and Newfoundland. After your guided tour, you have the afternoon free to enjoy the city at your own pace.

Day 3: Venice - Pellestrina Island, 19 mi. (30 km)
Leaving Venice behind after a leisurely cruise in front of St Mark’s square, your cycling adventure starts on the Lido, the first of two islands that you will traverse today. Fashionable in high society ever since the Belle Époque, the Lido di Venezia is now home to the International Venice Film Festival and its galaxy of stars. A short island-hop by ferry leads into another world: Pellestrina, where you ride past the picturesque cottages and boats of this humble fishing backwater. You rejoin the barge just in front of Chioggia - a bustling and colorful fishing hub known as "Little Venice".

Day 4: Pellestrina island – Po Delta Nature Reserve – Adria, 25 mi. (40 km)
You begin your day with a morning stroll through Chioggia, followed perhaps by a visit up the millennial clock tower – the oldest in the world – for some breathtaking views. Weather permitting, you can also bask in the sun at a fine-sand beach nearby and enjoy a dip in the Adriatic, topped off with a hot savory piadina. 

Then it is onwards into the delta of the life-giving Po. This unique wetland is the prime reserve in Europe for herons and home to a colony of flamingos. You moor for the night in Adria, a key Roman port, once washed by the waters of the sea which bears its name. Adria is also renowned for its Etruscan and Greek heritage. An after-dinner, you will enjoy a passeggiata into town for a well-earned grappa or gelato is in order.

Day 5:  Adria – Ferrara – Zelo, 22 mi. (35 km by bike + 35 km by bus)
After a short onboard cruise, you pedal following the Po through farmland and hamlets until  Ferrara. Under its ruling family, the Este, this city-state attracted architects, artists, and scholars for centuries, pioneering town planning principles that have been emulated worldwide ever since. To this day, Ferrara University ranks among the best, and the town is dubbed the ''Cycling Capital of Italy". A private bus and trailer take us back to our floating hotel in Zelo, a sleepy village on the Canal Bianco, the waterway which runs parallel to the Po.

Day 6: Zelo – Mantova, 31 mi.  (50 km)
This morning you head for the village of Bergantino, home of the distinctive Museum of Fairground Rides and its collection of street organs, all expertly restored (and thunderous!). But first things first: you are in the heartland of Grana Padano - the arch-rival of Parmesan - and after visiting the local cheese factory, you enjoy a degustazione of sharp and seasoned Grana, washed down with a glass of Valpolicella.

After the customary picnic lunch, you leave Bergantino and follow the river to Ostiglia, famed for its medieval fortress and the fierce fighting that took place here in 1945, as the Allies and partisans drove Hitler's forces back. You ride on and rejoin the barge at Governolo Lock, where Mantua's River Mincio flows into the Po. Veering north, you cruise through the lush wetlands that finally emerge into the glorious "lakes" of Mantua.

Day 7: Mantova round tour, 22 mi. (35 km)
A day dedicated to the discovery of this little-visited cultural gem, its three picturesque "lakes" formed by the Mincio, and its surrounding countryside - once a City State ruled by the Gonzaga family and now considered by many as Italy’s "Sleeping Beauty". This afternoon we meet our Mantuan guide for a walking tour of the historic center, and enjoy the rest of the day in town, at our own leisure.

Day 8:  Mantova
Departure after breakfast.