Recommended Tour

DAY 2: VENICE – City of art

Reachable:

– By train: from S. Bonifacio to Venezia S. Lucia in 1 h (recommended choice)

What to visit:

• Campo Santa Margherita, one of the most popular places for the spritz
• The squero of San Trovaso, one of the few places where gondolas are still built and repaired
• Gondola ride
• The Grand Canal seen from the Accademia bridge
• Scala del Bovolo
• Piazza di San Marco: basilica, palazzo ducale, campanile (bell tower)
• Bridges: Ponte dei Sospiri, Ponte di Rialto
• Chiesa dei Frari (for a fee) with the Assunta from Tiziano and Scuola di San Rocco with paintings by Tintoretto

DAY 3: VICENZA – Palladio’s city

Reachable:

• By train: from S. Bonifacio to Vicenza Central in 20 minutes
• By car: on the motorway with entrance at the Soave tollbooth, follow the signs for Venice and exit at Vicenza in 15 minutes.

What to visit:

• Palazzi del Palladio: Palazzo Breganze, Palazzo Thiene Bonin Longare
• Piazza Duomo: Cattedrale di Santa Maria Annunciata
• Piazza dei Signori: la Basilica Palladiana
• Piazza Matteotti: Palazzo Chiericati
• Chiesa di Santa Corona (where the tomb of Andrea Palladio is)
• Palladian Villas: of the many Palladian Villas, 24 are declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites and can be visited by appointment. To name a few: Villa Capra – La Rotonda, Villa Gazzotti, Villa Angarano, Villa Godi, Villa Caldogno, Villa Cornaro.

DAY 4: PADUA – City of the arcades / of the Saint

Reachable:

• By train: from S. Bonifacio to Padua in 35 minutes
• By car: motorway towards Venice, and take the Padova Ovest exit

Itinerary on foot in a day:

• Piazza Eremitani: Scrovegni Chapel (dedicated to Maria Vergine Annunziata) which houses inside a famous cycle of frescoes by Giotto; and then Eremitani Church.
• The Museum of Medieval and Modern Art: rich in works created between the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries including Canova, Tintoretto, Veronese, Tiepolo and many others.
• Bo Palace
• Prato della Valle: the largest square in Italy, surrounded by a canal adorned with statues depicting famous people of the past
• Basilica of Sant’Antonio, known as the Basilica of the Saint where the remains of the friar are kept
• “Piazza delle Erbe” and “Piazza della Frutta”, were for centuries the commercial center of the city, and even today are the seats of the market (one of the largest in Italy).

DAY 5: GARDA LAKE – Lazise, Peschiera, Sirmione, Bardolino, Desenzano, Garda, Malcesine

Reachable:

By motorway/train in about one hour from S. Bonifacio.

LAZISE

Its beautiful shoreline recalls San Marco Square in Venice. Along the arcades overlook houses, bars, restaurants and shops that continue into the characteristic alleys, some of which retain the name of “calle”.

Recommended activities:

• walk along the lake, visit the Castle of Lazise
• Famous for its proximity to THEME PARKS:
• Gardaland and Movieland Park: 6 km away
• Caneva Aquapark: 3 km away
• Zoo safari – Natura Viva Park: 5 km away
• Thermal Park: 3 km away

PESCHIERA DEL GARDA

Recommended activities:

• Water sports: sailing, water skiing, canoeing, swimming, windsurfing.
• Land sports: such as cycling on the banks of the river Mincio, hiking on Monte Baldo, or marathons.
• Beaches in gravel, sand and beaches dedicated to dogs, such as the new Braccobaldo Bau Beach.
• La Grande Mela Shopping and Cinema Centre with 120 shops, cinemas and bowling alleys just a few kilometres from Peschiera.
• Aquardens thermal baths/Spa of Verona
• It is located just 15 minutes from Borghetto sul Mincio

SIRMIONE – The pearl of Garda Lake

It is one of the most beautiful villages overlooking Garda Lake. Its castle on the water is unique in the world. It is also well known for its curative thermal waters.

What to see:

• Scaliger Castle, Caves of Catullus,
• Sirmione Spa,
• The historic center of Sirmione,
• Jamaica Beach and the other beaches of Sirmione
• Boat trip

BARDOLINO:

A town with a Venetian soul, famous for its lakeside promenade and historic centre.

Recommended activities:

• visit the nearby Punta San Vigilio beaches (including Sirens’ Bay),
• sports activities such as cycling, walking, horseback riding, etc.

DESENZANO DEL GARDA:

Considered the real capital of the largest lake in Italy.

Suggested activities:

• visit the archaeological museum and the oldest pavilion in the world
• the castle of Desenzano
• the cathedral in whose chapel of the Holy Sacrament is preserved the painting of the “Last Supper of Tiepolo”
• the Roman villa of Desenzano.

DAY 6: SOAVE – Wine city

Only 5 minutes by car from S. Bonifacio.

It is considered one of the most beautiful medieval villages in the Veneto, enclosed by massive walls that descend from the castle to the village surrounding the hills of vineyards. It is also famous throughout the world for the ancient culture of wine production “Soave”.

What not to miss:

• A walk through the historic centre: Palazzo Scaligero, Palazzo San Bonifacio and the 15th century Gothic Palazzo Cavalli
• The Castle of Soave: it can be visited every day from 9 to 12 and from 14 to 16
• “La strada del Soave”: It is a route divided into different itineraries along which you can discover wineries, taste wines, taste the best of local cuisine and enjoy the bucolic landscape.
• For more precise information visit: com
• Different routes for a mountain bike outing

MONTAGNANA – Medieval walled city

Just 30 minutes by car from S. Bonifacio, Montagnana in the province of Padua is one of the most beautiful villages in the Veneto.

Its old town centre is completely surrounded by medieval walls almost two kilometres long and is famous for the Prosciutto crudo di Montagnana (Protected Designation of Origin).

What to visit:

• Castle of San Zeno
• Cathedral of Montagnana
• Porta Vicenza
• Palladian Villa Pisani

DAY 7: VALEGGIO AND BORGHETTO DI VALEGGIO SUL MINCIO – The Village of the mills

It is a Venetian village of Lombard origin, less than an hour from S. Bonifacio and 30km from Verona.

It has been recognized as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. It rises above the Mincio, which, with its mills, offers a natural landscape of great breath and charm.

Recommended activities:

• walking, horseback riding or cycling along the river.
• Visit Sigurtà Garden Park, characterized by woods and lakes, in an enchanting botanical and scenic setting.
• Lunch based on the typical tortellini of Valeggio