A route that I have called Palladian because it touches upon two of the most famous of the Palladio villas, Villa Contarini at Piazzola del Brenta and Villa la Rotonda to the south of Vicenza, and which ends at Vicenza, the birthplace of Palladio.
Point of departure is the FS train station at Padova; leaving the station take the street on the right which goes under an overpass and which runs for just under a mile along the train tracks, then take the first street to the right (Via Bezzecca) and continue going towards Piazzola del Brenta (18 km/11 miles) a village built around the large Villa Contarini, one of the largest of the Venetian villas.
From Piazzola del Brenta take the road to Camisano Vicentino, which unfortunately is very busy with traffic; at Camisano take the road to the left for Santa Maria and then go to Sarmego where the route crosses first the Statale [state highway] N. 11 (Padana Superiore) and then the Autostrada; from there one continues to Secula and Longare where one crosses the Statale N. 247 and after which one immediately finds the Longare-Vicenza bike path; this follows first along the left and then along the right of the statale, finally ending up, after about ten kilometers [six miles] in front of the Villa Almerico-Capra, better known as Villa la Rotonda.
The route ends near the FS train station in Vicenza; but before getting back on the train, it is essential to take a giro [spin] through the historic center of Vicenza which is an art city of the first magnitude; in the Piazza dei Signori one will find the (*)Basilica Palladiana and next to this the statue of Palladio, the perfect spot to conclude this route dedicated to “the architect of Vicenza”.