Boat and bike MS Ave Maria | From Mantua to Venice

We welcome you aboard your new home-from-home from 4.30 p.m. onwards, and then regroup for the introductory briefing – at 6.30 – with your tour leader, skipper and crew, along with a first refreshing aperitivo. 

A short circuit from the lakes of Mantua which continues in the “Parco del Fiume Mincio”.The second part of the stage will follow the canals in which the river Mincio branches out.

This route is not difficult. Attention should be paid to traffic when you are crossing the bridge over the river Po after the village of Ficarolo. Transfer: about 70 minutes by private bus from Ferrara to Adria.

The itinerary starts with a double crossing on the river Po di Levante and with 2 km of unpaved road in good conditions. Be careful of the traffic when crossing the bridges on the river Adige and Brenta, where you will have to walk pushing your bike, sheltered by a guard-rail.
When you arrive in Chioggia, we recommend you to buy a 48 hour-ticket. When you take the first ferry on the following day, you have to validate it and then it will be valid for the next 48 hours.

After a short cruise we saddle our bikes and, following the Po through farmland and hamlets, we reach 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.

Wonderful last stage along the thin strip of land that separates the Venice lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. A short path but full of opportunities for pleasant stops.

After breakfast – and perhaps following a wander off the beaten track with your tour leader – we all meet up with our Venetian guide for a tour through the historic centre. 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. The guided tour will start from Piazza San Marco with a brief description of the monuments around it; then the walk continues towards the biggest “sestiere” of the city, Castello, up to Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo with its imposing gothic church and the Scuola Grande di San Marco (today city hospital). The guided tour ends at the Rialto Bridge; you have the afternoon free to enjoy the city at your own pace. (The programme may be subject to changes).

Departure after breakfast. Embarkatio till 09 a.m.