The Riviera del Brenta is among the most famous tourist areas of Veneto, and can be reached in a few minutes both from Padua (15 km) and Venice (which is adjacent).  Vicenza is approximately 50 km.

 
Venetian aristocratic families considered the Brenta canal as an ideal extension of the Grand Canal of Venice.
 
So when these nobles began to expand their interests to the mainland, built several dozen beautiful villas along this channel, in testimony of their wealth and power.
 
Today these villas are offered to our contemplation, many of them are in excellent condition, and some is also internally visitable.
 
The best way to explore this fascinating corner of Veneto is to sail with the characteristic "burchielli", ie boats built in imitation of the ancient ones which sailed these waters, with guide who explains the Villas and the places that you meet during the route. The navigation allows you to immerse yourself in a quiet and relaxed pace of the past,  and is the best way to have the best view.

 
You can go through The Riviera also by other means, for example by car, or bike.
 
Among the main visitable Villas that we find along this channel, we remember the very sumptuous Villa Nazionale Pisani, and Villa Foscari "The Malcontenta", the latter built by Andrea Palladio