The Ciclopista del Brenta [bike route of the Brenta River] purportedly connects Lago [lake] Caldonazzo with the Venice lagoon, but so far the only section that is really well developed is the bike path through the Valsugana area.

This page, on the other hand, is focused on the less cycle-friendly section of the bike route, the section between Bassano del Grappa and Padova, but that touches upon places of great interest and some famous Venetian villas.

In this area there is no real bike path along the river and therefore the proposed route uses side roads of relatively low-traffic.

Point of departure is the train station at Bassano del Grappa, a small city on the Brenta River famous for its wooden, covered bridge constructed in 1570 from a design by Andrea Palladio.(*)

Upon leaving the FS train station at Bassano turn right towards Viale Venezia and follow the route out of Bassano as indicated on the GPS trace, with broad views of the city, of Monte [mount] Grappa and of the Ponte [bridge] degli Alpini [mountaineers – the Alpini are an elite branch of the Italian army. RB].

Once across the Brenta turn left and cross the Brenta again using the Ponte della Vittoria; immediately after turn right onto Via Colomba, then Strada dei Santi Fortunato e Lazzaro. At the end you will arrive at a large highway interchange and shortly after at Cartigliano, a village dominated by the large Villa Morosini, which today functions as its town hall.

One continues on this road [SP 59], which initially is quite busy with traffic, successively coming upon the villages of Tezze sul Brenta, Camazzole and Carmignano di Brenta; here one runs into railroad tracks which one can get across by turning right and descending down a path that takes one to an abandoned but still usable underpass, or by going left, taking a viaduct that crosses over the tracks.

Once across the tracks one continues to the village of Grantorto where you join provincial highway SP 94 which takes you to Piazzola sul Brenta, a village that has developed around the enormous Villa Contarini.

From Villa Contarini get back on the road at the far end of the piazza that is the SP 94 to Padova; after a few hundred meters/yards you will cross the Treviso-Ostiglia bike path; the bike route continues rather busy with traffic and without a bike lane along the side; in Limena a beautiful barchessa(*) has been made into the town hall of this village. After 7 km/4.4 miles one will reach Padova and its train station.