The plan to create a bike path on the rail bed of the former Treviso-Ostiglia military railroad, which had been progressively decommissioned since the Second World War, dates back several years and only since 2011 finally has taken shape in the provinces of Treviso and Padova. Currently (October 2013) the bike path is virtually complete from the Treviso airport to Campodoro (PD); the only missing piece is a bike bridge over the Brenta River. And missing altogether is the second section through the provinces of Vicenza, Verona and Mantova.
The section from Treviso to the train station at Levada di Piombino Dese is the first section to be completed with the placement of the “Cervara” Bridge over the river Sile in August 2011; the bike path is unpaved, but bikable without any particular difficulty and without the need for a mountain bike. Still it seems to be more of a pedestrian path.
A second stretch, from Levada to Camposampiero and San Giorgio delle Pertiche in the province of Padova, was opened on October 20, 2012; then during 2013 the path was gradually extended to Campodoro, the last town in the province of Padova before entering the province of Vicenza. The Padova section, by contrast to the Treviso section, opted for a paved path, a solution undoubtedly better for cyclists who can ride easily and faster, but perhaps a little less pleasant for pedestrians.
This section, after crossing the river Muson dei Sassi, and the bike route with the same name, reaches the FS train station at Camposampiero on the Padova-Castelfranco line, then continues along the railroad tracks until the Brenta River, where we’re lacking the bike bridge; one is forced to take a detour onto the highway bridge at Campo San Martino; after the bridge one can get on the bike path again which then continues as far as Campodoro, where for now the bike path ends.
The remainder of the former train route touches upon Grisignano di Zocco on the Milano-Venezia train line, then Legnago and concludes at Ostiglia sul Po. For this section, through the provinces of Vicenza, Verona and Mantova, the bike path is still in the planning stage. Only along the stretch between Ponte di Mossano and the former train station at Barbarano, where the Treviso-Ostiglia railroad tracks ran next to the Vicenza-Montagnana tracks, is there a section of a bike path as far as Noventa Vicentina.
This bike path is, among other things, a good route to visit, with minor side-trips, several well-known Venetian villas, in particular: the Barchesse of Villa Badoer, Villa Marcello at Levada; Villa Cornaro at Piombino Dese; and Villa Contarini at Piazzola sul Brenta.
