Riviera del Brenta

Riviera del Brenta is the coastline of the Naviglio del Brenta, a small river that had an important role in past times as a communication route between Venetian Lagoon and Paduan territories. The area of the Riviera del Brenta is famous for housing numerous villas (like Villa Ferretti-Angeli in Dolo, Villa Widmann-Foscari in Mira and Villa Foscari, also called “La Malcontenta” in Malcontenta) The river is navigable to river boats, whose best example is the famous Burchiello, which used to carry venetian noblemen from Venice to the countryside and which now is a tourist attraction.

Villa Pisani, placed in the little of Stra, is one of the best examples of Venetian villas and was commissioned by the patrician Pisani family. It was begun in the early 18th century for Alvise Pisani, the most prominent member of the Pisani family, who was appointed doge in 1735. Deserted by its eponymous family, the villa has had a share of notable and famous visitors: Napoleon Bonaparte who acquired the villa in 1807. It has been a national monument since 1882. Here Adolf Hitler first conferred with Benito Mussolini in 1934.