Renaissance Gardens of Italy by Canal Boat & Tuscan Landscapes

Guests are met at the pre-tour hotel in Venice and transferred to La Bella Vita for a Prosecco welcome. An afternoon cruise takes us along the Giudecca Canal past some of Venice’s most famous monuments: the Chiesa del Redentore, the impressive Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute and the Punta della Dogana. We then reach our mooring outside the Naval History Museum. Then we have time for a short walking tour of the “secret gardens of Venice”. Learn the history that led to Venice’s locals building their gardens in such a difficult environment, as well as the important role gardens played in Venetian life. Travel a delightful route through hidden Venice before enjoying a Welcome Dinner on board our river ship this evening.

This morning we visit the lagoon island of Sant’Erasmo for a walking tour. The island is known as Venice’s countryside. This agricultural zone of the city is full of flower and vegetable fields and was historically the “Doge’s Vegetable Garden”. Late this afternoon, we cruise to Pellestrina, which separates the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. We traverse the Canal of the Orphans, passing lagoon islands with their ancient monasteries, painted fishing boats and tiny churches. There may also be time for a walk, or perhaps a ride, along the 18th-century Istrian sea wall.

After breakfast, we cruise to Chioggia, the setting of one of Goldoni’s plays. We wander through the colourful fish market before heading to the Padua Botanical Garden. Founded in 1545, it is the world’s oldest academic botanical garden and a UNESCO World Heritage site. We rejoin La Bella Vita at Porto Levante to cruise through the Po Delta nature reserve, where we may see flamingos and the occasional heron, snipe and other wildfowl. We continue upriver to Taglio di Po. Here we have dinner ashore, hosted by the owners of the beautiful 17th-century villa Tenuta Ca’Zen. This private stately home sits along the river, surrounded by private gardens. It was here that Lord Byron courted the Countess Giuccioli, inspiring some of his best poetry.

This morning we join the Bianco Canal, cruising to Adria, an ancient Etruscan town. Here, we visit the National Archaeological Museum. After lunch on board, we drive to the Bagnoli Estate to tour the Renaissance gardens and wine cellars of the 17th-century Villa Widmann Borletti and enjoy a private tasting of their renowned estate-grown vintages. We take a stroll around its vineyards, orchards and formal gardens with topiary and statues of theatrical characters. Afterwards, we rejoin La Bella Vita at its moorings in the town of Zelo, enjoying dinner on board.

This morning, visit Giardino di Valsanzibio with its tree-lined avenues, fishponds, fountains and statues. Built between 1665 and 1696 by one of Venice’s most eminent families, the Barbarigo’s, the garden was intended as a thank you to God for sparing them from the plague of 1630-31. The garden’s design seeks to convey to visitors a positive message: that one should stop and meditate, live life with joy, and that there is always a solution to life’s difficulties. Return to the hotel barge, moored in Trevenzuolo, for an afternoon canal cruise past villages and farmsteads to Governolo. This evening, we enjoy dinner on board.

The final leg of our cruise sees us approach the city of Mantua, which enjoys a captivating lakeside setting and was once home to the poet Virgil, as well as the artists Mantegna and Donatello. Mantua displays extraordinary neo-classical and baroque architecture, as evidenced in the 14th -century Ducal Palace, which houses some 15 gardens and courtyards, a museum, basilica and theatre. As we wander from room to room, we see intricate frescoes, the Gallery of Mirrors, the exquisite Rivers Room and around 12,000 paintings and sculptures. This masterpiece of art and architecture represents a grand finale to our Italian Renaissance adventure. Afterwards, a visit to the Parco Giardino Sigurta in Valeggio sul Mincio enables us to wander a beautifully landscaped area over 600 hectares in size. The park boasts vast lawns, a rose garden, a hermitage and a medicinal herb garden among many other features. This evening, enjoy a Captain’s Farewell Dinner on board.

After breakfast, we depart our ship and make our way to Bologna. On arrival, enjoy a short tour of the city, which includes Piazza Maggiore; San Petronio; the leaning towers of Bologna; and Orto Botanico, the city’s botanical gardens. During the 16th century, herbs for medicines were grown here. We enjoy lunch in a local restaurant, savouring the regional dish of tortellini, before continuing on to Tuscany and our beautiful villa, located in the serene countryside.

Today we make our way to Florence to visit three incredible gardens. Villa Gamberaia is a historic villa, built in the early 1600s and known for its magnificent gardens overlooking the Arno valley. Next we visit the romantic, English-style garden of Giardino Torrigiani, the largest privately owned garden situated within city boundaries in Europe. Finally visit Boboli Gardens, originally designed for the Medici, it represents one of the first and most important examples of the Italian garden, which later served as inspiration for many European courts. Alternatively, you may choose to visit Pitti Palace to view the vast museum and collection of works.

Today we visit two special gardens near the city of Lucca. At Villa Torrigiani, travel along the cypress avenue which leads to the entrance of this baroque garden and its incredible fountains. Next we visit another garden featured on Monty Don’s series, Villa Reale di Marlia. The range of gardens set around the villa include an Italian and Spanish garden, camellia walkways and a lemon garden. This evening, enjoy a Farewell Dinner.

After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport in Florence as our journey reaches its end.