Agriturismo Ca' Marcello

Ca' Marcello is in a strategic position: in the heart of the Riviera del Brenta, just a few kilometres from Venice, but with the whole of Veneto within easy reach. Guests who choose to stay here often discover that Venice is just one of the many things to see and do. The first stop is the Riviera del Brenta itself, which starts practically on the doorstep. The Palladian villas overlooking the Naviglio, the well-kept gardens, the small villages like Oriago and Dolo: everything can be explored by bike, by car or on a cruise along the Brenta. Half an hour away by car is Chioggia, the charming lagoon town that many people don't know, with its fish market, canals and a unique curiosity: the bell tower of the Church of Sant'Andrea is home to the oldest clock in the world. Padua deserves at least a full day: the Scrovegni Chapel with Giotto's frescoes, the Basilica of Sant'Antonio, the lively squares and the atmosphere of one of Italy's oldest university cities. Around Padua you'll find the Euganean Hills, with villages like Arquà Petrarca, the thermal spas of Abano and Montegrotto, and walled towns like Montagnana — whose walls are among the best preserved in the world. Heading north, another chapter opens: Treviso, a city of water crossed by the Sile river; the Prosecco hills; and then Vicenza, the Palladian city par excellence, with the Olympic Theatre and Villa La Rotonda. Those who love medieval villages will be spoilt for choice: Cittadella and Castelfranco Veneto with their intact walls, Marostica with its famous chess square, Bassano del Grappa with its wooden bridge over the Brenta, and finally Asolo, the "city of a hundred horizons", from which on clear days you can see both the Dolomites and Venice. In short, you can spend a whole week without ever getting bored — and without necessarily setting foot in the lagoon.