Updated on November 8, 2024
Italy Lovers, cheer up. France seems to be trapped in the market About Barge Cruisebut you don’t have to leave Italy to take a slow sailing on the waterway cut into the countryside (barge cruises, unlike other forms of river cruises, usually on small boats that can be done in narrow and distant, which are not possible for the growing brothers.
The PO River and its many tributaries form the lonely inland waterways in Italy. A few river cruises lay water on small ships and barges. The parade either begins or ends VeniceContinue the excursion of that city and its lagoon islands with the artificial waterways along the wide valley along the attractions and scenery.
Above: Mantoya
Italy’s longest river originates from the alpine spring near the French border and walks eastward on approximately horizontal roads to reach 400 miles of the Adriatic Sea south of the Venetian Lagoon. Historically, PO has been one of the most important waterways in Europe, and it was the main source of irrigation and later hydroelectric power in the surrounding valleys.
The river has dozens of tributaries, as well as a network of locks and man-made tubes used to control flooding and regulate agricultural irrigation. The river has been undergoing seasonal changes, including catastrophic flooding and long drying spells. But climate change and decades of overconsumption have greatly reduced the water level, so that in the summer, even small ships have to move to nearby canals.
We’ve been on the PO area recently A beautiful lifeitinerary provided by a 20-person barge Barge Lady Cruise and European waterways. The all-inclusive 6-night cruise visited the Venetian Lagoon, Canal Bianco, Po Trimutaries, and depending on the water level, the PO itself.
In addition to the 10 chalets for two, the cozy barge is equipped with a restaurant, a piano lounge bar and a solarium. Bicycles can be used for rides along flat paths on most routes. A beautiful life It consists of a small, friendly crew, including the captain and a chef whose daily lunch and dinner focuses on regional dishes and seasonal produce. All food and drinks (and well-curated wine pairings) are covered on fares, as are the tours.
This is what you can expect along the way.
A beautiful lifeFrom Venice to Mantua vice versa. We started in Venice and met the boat teacher On the edge of the city. After the barge settled in our compact and practical cottage, it sailed very gloriously into Venice, at its first night’s berth near St. Mark’s Square.
Itinerary includes private afternoon tours nearby The Governor’s Palaceand then a welcome dinner, wandering around Venice after dark. The next morning we visited Venice Castro Neighborhood (or Sestiere) Before boarding Murano Conduct a glass blown demonstration. Like a similar tour in Murano, the presentation is short and all exits are led through the gift shop.
Leaving Venice late afternoon, we drove through the area of the lagoon Orphans canalpassing through a small isolated island that once housed a colony of lepers, a monastery, as its name implies, an orphanage. The ship is moored in Pellestrina (pictured above), one of a narrow island that protects and separates the Venetian lagoon from the Adriatic Sea.
exist A beautiful life Traditional, Captain Rudy Cicchetti Wait for us. Despite the rain and rain getting there, this simple happy hour is still one of our favorite experiences of the week – a small, special moment that many of us may never visit again.
The next day, we climbed the traditional BragozzoCharacteristics of wooden fishing boats in Venice, cruise through glass lagoon to busy harbor Chioggia. Similar to Hurricane Peleste (very different from the Venetian Tourism Board), Chioggia remains a fishing village where residents make a living on the water. The historic center of the town is divided into two by a wide canal, which gives Venice some sense but has a stronger human atmosphere.
Chioggia’s colorful seafood market reveals a wide variety of creatures with fins, shells, tentacles and kneadings. Most of the for sale are harvested from the bottom of a muddy lagoon or near the Adriatic Sea.
Back to A beautiful lifeWe cruised along the swamp nature reserve and joined the PO River Taglio di Po, which is located near the area with Emilia-Romagna. We had time to ride a bike along the flat trails along the river and then before a lonely dinner on the boat, at a 17th-century estate near the PO coast.
Consisting of a majestic Venetian villa tenuta ca’zen (pictured above) is the long-term residence of Ireland-born Elaine Westropp Bennett whose late husband is the heir to the place. Although many nearby estates have been empty for years, Countess Ellaine insists, “The old house like this must be lived.” She and her daughter, Maria Adelaide Avanzo, run the villa. farmhouse– Style accommodation and hosting passengers A beautiful life For a big dinner.
From the Taglio di Po we left the PO river behind and entered the canal Bianco, which follows a natural and man-made carved path north of the main waterway. Canals have been the main trading route from Mantua to the Adriatic Sea for centuries; today, the frequently used canal locks can regulate traffic flow.
We’re parked Adriaa considerable archaeological museum reveals modest urban history as a settlement and trading post for the Villanovans, Etruscans, Greeks and Romans. From Adria, we are transferred by coach to Bagnoli Manor and Villa Widmann Borletti (As shown above). More than 1,000 years of wine, rice and staple food are produced here. Until today, Bagnoli’s field Produces famous red, white and sparkling wines in a 300-year-old wine cellar. After the necessary cellar tours and tastings, we met A beautiful life At Zelo, our mooring is overnight.
We have leisurely spent centuries of Italian history Ferraraarrived through Zelo coach transfer. The entire historical center of Ferrara is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thanks to many well-preserved Renaissance palaces and a 9km (6 miles) defensive wall.
Ferrara’s status as a Renaissance gem was mainly due to a family, the house of Este, who ruled Ferrara and a wide range of large numbers Emilia-Romagna. Estes established Ferrara as an arts center and became a customer of many Renaissance giants, including Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Titian. The family’s hands were almost obvious everywhere in the old town, the most incredible It’s a castle (pictured above), the turbid moat still blocks the raiders and is filled with murals Schifanoia Palace.
The last day of our cruise was perhaps the most beautiful and dramatic as we drove into Mincio River And continue to Mantoya. Mincio is the main tributary of the PO of Lake Garda, wider and more winding than Canal Bianco, making the scenery more pleasant and diverse.
When we enter Xiahuone of the three 12th-century man-made lakes designed to protect the walled city, the medieval and Renaissance Mantua scattered before us. Another World Heritage Site in Mantoya attributes its well-preserved historical core to the sponsorship of the powerful Gonzaga family, which ruled from the 14th to the 18th century. They left huge Duca Palacethis Palazzo teand there is also a city full of magnificent churches, elegant arcades and squares (e.g. Piazza Delle Erbepicture above).
The PO River, the Canal Bianco and the surrounding waterways have been working for the rivers of trade, transportation, agriculture and manufacturing. That utilitarian past can still be seen on many waterways – so if you want to have panoramic views, you should be ready for some post-industrial debris.
Still, for every rusty warehouse or abandoned shipyard you will find a beautiful farmhouse, a football field with kids to kick, or a pile of herons and elegant swans. As some parts of the PO and its tributaries are no longer accessible, reaching Ferrara, other attractions sometimes involve long-distance buses. That’s why the method to Venice and Mantua is so pleasant – barges can be moored in the town.
A beautiful life It is the only commercial barge to cruise between Venice and Mantua, which can meet the needs of the English-speaking market, rather than charter-only. Outside of barges, river cruise operators croisieurope and Uniworld Itineraries including Venice and several other cities and attractions in the area, as well as Croisi’s Michelangelo The river boat (pictured above) also reached Mantoya.