We Found the Forgotten Way Into Venice
The Floating Nomads
2,612 views
We took Il Burchiello from Padua to Venice along the Brenta Canal, a forgotten waterway kings used to use, and had no idea it still ran. After 15 years of arriving in Venice by plane, train or waterbus, this week we spend a full day on it, past the Venetian villas of the Riviera del Brenta and the palace where Hitler and Mussolini first met.
We start the night before at Portello in Padua, the old port Canaletto painted, where anyone who mattered once set off for Venice. The next morning the day does not go to plan, and we reach Villa Pisani before we reach the boat. It was built to celebrate Alvise Pisani being elected Doge, with a facade that looks like Versailles on purpose. Inside we see Napoleon's bedroom and the room where Hitler and Mussolini met for the first time in 1934. Then we board Il Burchiello for a day on the Brenta, through electric locks and past villa after villa, with a Venetian lunch on board.
At Villa Malcontenta, designed by Palladio, we hear how it got its name and see the plaque above the door recording a visit by Henry III of France. Then we pass the industrial port of Marghera, go through the last lock, where canal water becomes sea water, and cross the lagoon into Venice.
Our narrowboat is named Serenissima, the old name for Venice, so it was about time we arrived by water.
Episode Facts:
Can you still travel from Padua to Venice by boat?
Yes. Il Burchiello is a boat you can book that runs the Brenta Canal between Padua and Venice. The full day trip ends in Venice around 5:00 PM, and some passengers get off partway.
Starting point: Portello, Padua, the old port for Venice, painted by Canaletto
Villa Pisani: Built to celebrate Alvise Pisani being elected Doge, after his time as Venetian ambassador in Paris
Napoleon at Villa Pisani: Reportedly slept there only two nights before giving it to his stepson
Hitler and Mussolini: Met for the first time at Villa Pisani in 1934
Villas: Around 3,700 along the canal at their peak, according to the figure we were given on board
Locks: Electric. The final lock into the lagoon uses Istrian stone because it meets sea water
Canal: The Venetians began building it in the 1200s
Villa Malcontenta: Designed by Palladio, named after the legend of a Foscari wife kept locked up here
Lunch: Included on the full day trip. We had baccalà, sardines with vinegar and onion, polenta with squid and linguine al mare
Timing: On board by about 10:00 AM, arriving in Venice around 5:00 PM
If you are researching Brenta Canal cruise, Padua to Venice by boat, Il Burchiello, Riviera del Brenta, Venetian villas, Villa Pisani, Villa Malcontenta Palladio, how to get to Venice, alternative ways to arrive in Venice, Brenta Canal day trip, slow travel Italy, or Venice history, this is an honest account from two people who have been going to Venice for 15 years.
Original soundtrack composed and produced by Adam (PhD in audio-visual composition, University of Leeds)
Who are The Floating Nomads?
We are Rick and Adam, The Floating Nomads. We sold the house and now split our time between our UK narrowboat Serenissima and months of slow travel abroad by train, ferry and water. Whether spending winters in Malta and the Mediterranean or travelling from the Caribbean to Southampton on a repositioning cruise, we share the honest reality of life on the move. Our films combine Rick's marketing background with Adam's music PhD to capture the authentic atmosphere of every place we visit.
Support the Journey
New films: Every Friday evening (UK time).
Channel members: Early access every Thursday, starting at just £2.99 per month. Members also unlock exclusive B-Side videos. Click Join under any video to support our work.
Joining on a browser rather than the YouTube app means more of your support reaches us directly. Apple take a 30% cut from all in-app purchases. If you can, please join via a browser on your phone or computer.
Chapters:
00:00 The Forgotten Way Into Venice
00:53 Portello, Padua's Old Port to Venice
02:21 Not Quite the Plan
03:36 Villa Pisani and Napoleon's Bedroom
06:13 Hitler and Mussolini First Met Here (1934)
06:37 Boarding Il Burchiello on the Brenta Canal
08:25 Brenta Canal Locks and 3,700 Villas
10:24 Venetian Lunch on Board
14:52 Why Venice Moved the Brenta River
15:32 Villa Malcontenta by Palladio
19:27 Marghera and the Final Lock
20:38 Arriving in Venice by Boat
#Venice #BrentaCanal #IlBurchiello #PaduaToVenice #VenetianVillas #VillaPisani #Palladio #VeniceTravel #Veneto #SlowTravelItaly #NarrowboatLife #FloatingNomads
15 Comments
But what a route. You start off wondering whether the canal is navigable at all, then suddenly it’s Palladian villas, Napoleon’s bedroom, 1930s dictators lunch, locks and finally Venice appearing at the end of it all. Only you two could make “we got a boat from Padua” sound like the itinerary of a slightly eccentric Grand Tour. Seeing so many derelict villas was sad though.
I did enjoy the fact that after 15 years of arriving in Venice by just about every sensible method available, you finally found the one involving the most history, a never ending lunch, a wine called Serenissima, and all those locks, none of which you actually had to work yourselves - that must have felt so good.
It comes across very clearly how happy you both are to be back in Venice. Looking forward to next week’s video.
I live on the Brenta Riviera, just a few steps from where you began your journey to Venice, so watching your video today was like seeing places I know with your own eyes.
We Found the Forgotten Way Into Venice
The Floating Nomads
2,612 views
We took Il Burchiello from Padua to Venice along the Brenta Canal, a forgotten waterway kings used to use, and had no idea it still ran. After 15 years of arriving in Venice by plane, train or waterbus, this week we spend a full day on it, past the Venetian villas of the Riviera del Brenta and the palace where Hitler and Mussolini first met.
We start the night before at Portello in Padua, the old port Canaletto painted, where anyone who mattered once set off for Venice. The next morning the day does not go to plan, and we reach Villa Pisani before we reach the boat. It was built to celebrate Alvise Pisani being elected Doge, with a facade that looks like Versailles on purpose. Inside we see Napoleon's bedroom and the room where Hitler and Mussolini met for the first time in 1934. Then we board Il Burchiello for a day on the Brenta, through electric locks and past villa after villa, with a Venetian lunch on board.
At Villa Malcontenta, designed by Palladio, we hear how it got its name and see the plaque above the door recording a visit by Henry III of France. Then we pass the industrial port of Marghera, go through the last lock, where canal water becomes sea water, and cross the lagoon into Venice.
Our narrowboat is named Serenissima, the old name for Venice, so it was about time we arrived by water.
Episode Facts:
Can you still travel from Padua to Venice by boat?
Yes. Il Burchiello is a boat you can book that runs the Brenta Canal between Padua and Venice. The full day trip ends in Venice around 5:00 PM, and some passengers get off partway.
Starting point: Portello, Padua, the old port for Venice, painted by Canaletto
Villa Pisani: Built to celebrate Alvise Pisani being elected Doge, after his time as Venetian ambassador in Paris
Napoleon at Villa Pisani: Reportedly slept there only two nights before giving it to his stepson
Hitler and Mussolini: Met for the first time at Villa Pisani in 1934
Villas: Around 3,700 along the canal at their peak, according to the figure we were given on board
Locks: Electric. The final lock into the lagoon uses Istrian stone because it meets sea water
Canal: The Venetians began building it in the 1200s
Villa Malcontenta: Designed by Palladio, named after the legend of a Foscari wife kept locked up here
Lunch: Included on the full day trip. We had baccalà, sardines with vinegar and onion, polenta with squid and linguine al mare
Timing: On board by about 10:00 AM, arriving in Venice around 5:00 PM
If you are researching Brenta Canal cruise, Padua to Venice by boat, Il Burchiello, Riviera del Brenta, Venetian villas, Villa Pisani, Villa Malcontenta Palladio, how to get to Venice, alternative ways to arrive in Venice, Brenta Canal day trip, slow travel Italy, or Venice history, this is an honest account from two people who have been going to Venice for 15 years.
Original soundtrack composed and produced by Adam (PhD in audio-visual composition, University of Leeds)
Who are The Floating Nomads?
We are Rick and Adam, The Floating Nomads. We sold the house and now split our time between our UK narrowboat Serenissima and months of slow travel abroad by train, ferry and water. Whether spending winters in Malta and the Mediterranean or travelling from the Caribbean to Southampton on a repositioning cruise, we share the honest reality of life on the move. Our films combine Rick's marketing background with Adam's music PhD to capture the authentic atmosphere of every place we visit.
Support the Journey
New films: Every Friday evening (UK time).
Channel members: Early access every Thursday, starting at just £2.99 per month. Members also unlock exclusive B-Side videos. Click Join under any video to support our work.
Joining on a browser rather than the YouTube app means more of your support reaches us directly. Apple take a 30% cut from all in-app purchases. If you can, please join via a browser on your phone or computer.
Chapters:
00:00 The Forgotten Way Into Venice
00:53 Portello, Padua's Old Port to Venice
02:21 Not Quite the Plan
03:36 Villa Pisani and Napoleon's Bedroom
06:13 Hitler and Mussolini First Met Here (1934)
06:37 Boarding Il Burchiello on the Brenta Canal
08:25 Brenta Canal Locks and 3,700 Villas
10:24 Venetian Lunch on Board
14:52 Why Venice Moved the Brenta River
15:32 Villa Malcontenta by Palladio
19:27 Marghera and the Final Lock
20:38 Arriving in Venice by Boat
#Venice #BrentaCanal #IlBurchiello #PaduaToVenice #VenetianVillas #VillaPisani #Palladio #VeniceTravel #Veneto #SlowTravelItaly #NarrowboatLife #FloatingNomads