BRENTA

The river of art

The Brenta stems from the rivers of Levico and Caldonazzo in the Trentino region. Along its course, there are cities of great architectural importance. The first artefact is Ponte Vecchio del Palladio in Bassano del Grappa; it then continues on in the province of Padua and transits near Cittadella with its medieval walls and Piazzola sul Brenta with the marvellous villa of Contarini del Palladio. Its natural minor branch – now called Naviglio del Brenta (the Brenta canal) – skims the marvellous Palladian villas. The river joins the Adriatic south of Sottomarina di Chioggia. It is navigable from Venice to Padua.