THE CYCLE ROUTE OF NORTHERN ITALY'S MAIN CITIES

STAGE 4

(Padua - Venice, 46 km)

After following the Bacchiglione, AIDA continues, also after Padua, along this theme of waterways, and until the gates of Venice Mestre it follows the Naviglio Brenta, punctuated by magnificent villas. From Mestre, you ride past the large railway station and through busy streets until you come to the start of ponte della Libertà, the long bridge that takes you into Venice's piazzale Roma, the end of the road before Venice proper, with the option of reaching the Santa Lucia railway station nearby.

From Basilica del Santo, Padua's very heart, you take the cycle path in via Cesarotti to the junction with via San Francesco (km 0.2), then continue straight onto via Ospedale Civile past the hospital. After that, take a left (km 0.5) into via Gabelli, then come out (km 0.9) onto via Santa Sofia next to the fine Romanesque parish church of the same name. Keep right, continue right onto via Altinate then, after the crossroads (km 1.1), straight onto via Belzoni. Turn left (km 1.6) onto via Portello, until you come (km 2.2) to the sixteenth century Porta Portello (or Porta Ognissanti) town gate. Go through the gate, over the Piovego canal, take a right and start riding along the unsurfaced left bank. After a fine cycle and foot bridge (km 2.7), after the east ring road underpass (km 5.8) and the A13 motorway (km 8.3), you get a glimpse of villa Giovannelli Colonna (km 6.8). You then come to the confluence of the Piovego and Brenta (km 10.0), which you cross, then take a right after the bridge and ride onto the right bank of Naviglio Brenta, which branches off in front of the Piovego. As you take the Naviglio you enter the province of Venice, in the municipality of Stra. On the opposite bank, the monumental villa Pisani (national museum) heralds the start of Riviera del Brenta, with its extraordinary string of Venetian villas that bedeck the waterway until it flows into the lagoon in Fusina. You continue pedalling along the Naviglio and its Venetian villas, some of which can be visited. On the other bank of the canal you ride past the towns of Dolo (km 18.2) and Mira (km 22,5), which are well worth a stop. You leave the Naviglio Brenta at Oriago (km 27.8) (those who would like to venture a bit further can continue on to Malcontenta and Fusina) by taking a left at the via Sabbiona bridge, then turning right in via Risato and via Bellini. At km 28.6 you turn right into via Lusore, and carefully go through a cycle and foot railway crossing. At the crossroads with via Este (km 29.0) you cross the bridge on the right, then immediately turn left into via Colombara. Continue and go under provincial road SP81 on a cycle and foot underpass (km 29.6) until you come to the SS509 Romea state road (km 31.7), which you also go under, and come out next to a large shopping centre in Marghera. You leave the shopping centre, take a left in via Arduino (km 32.4), then turn right into via Tron. At the crossroads with via dell’Avena (km 32.7), take a left into via della Trebbiatrice, then turn right through gardens and onto a square next to via Bottenigo (km 33.0). Take a right, then take a left into via Pasini, then (km 33.6) turn left into via del Lavoratore, and turn right (km 33.8) on the cycle path in via della Rinascita, which leads to the large roundabout of piazzale Concordia (km 34.7). Go through the square, on the clearly marked cycle and pedestrian path, continue on to piazza del Mercato, go through piazza del Municipio (km 35.1) and piazza Sant’Antonio, then turn right (km 35.3) into via Rizzardi. After riding around piazzale Giovannacci (km 35.6), when you come to the end of via Rizzardi turn left (km 36.1) into the long cycle and pedestrian underpass of the Venezia Mestre railway station. You will come out in via Dante (km 36.6) just a few yards from the entrance to the station, which is an important railway hub in the Veneto. If however you wish to go to Venice proper, continue on via Dante on the convenient cycle path, until the junction with via Cavallotti (km 37.2), where you turn right on the cycle path that continues in via Bembo and via Genova. At the crossroads with via Napoli (km 37.3) turn right, then turn left immediately after into the wide via Torino, always on a segregated cycle path. At km 38.6 you turn right into via Ticozzi, then left into via Paganello, and you come to the entrance of the Venezia Porto Marghera station cycle and pedestrian underpass, opposite the VEGA Technological Estate. You come out on the other side, always on a cycle path, and ride on via dell’Elettrotecnica, then take a right onto via dei Petroli. At the roundabout (km 40.6), the cycle path bends left into via dell’Idraulica, then crosses over on the other side and takes the SR11 regional road after turning right (km 41.2). After a short while the road runs parallel to the railway tracks, and you come to ponte della Libertà (km 41.9), the long and straight bridge linking the mainland to the old town of Venice, with breathtaking views over the lagoon. You continue on the cycle and foot path along the bridge for about 4 km, until you finally come to piazzale Roma (km 46.3), the road terminal of the city of the Doges. A municipal ordinance forbids riding or walking with bicycles throughout the city centre, except in the area between piazzale Roma and the Santa Lucia station. A bicycle parking lot at the municipal garage in the square has 100 safe bike boxes where you can leave your bike; otherwise, you can easily get to the Venezia Santa Lucia train station by walking your bike over the Costituzione bridge a short distance and you get right onto the tracks (km 46.7).