Detailed directions about the route can be obtained from the altimetry (last figure of the gallery), from the captions of the individual photos and from the "Google Map" at the bottom right, which can be enlarged as desired. Double clicking on the photos you can view them at the highest resolution.
Description of the route
A bike/pedestrian route with a double name: Muson dei Sassi is the secular name taken from the small river that this route follows; Cammino di Sant’Antonio [the (*)walk of Saint Anthony] is the religious name based on a journey by the famous saint of Padua.
The starting point could be the main train station at Padua, or better yet, to avoid passing through the neighborhoods of Padua, start at the Ponte di Brenta station on the Venezia-Padova line (note: only Regionali [local trains] stop at this station).
Upon leaving the station take the ramp to the right to get down to the street, Via Antonio Ceron, which turns to the right and passes under the train tracks; keep following Via Ceron to its end, and then take Via Fornaci to the right until you come to the riverbank of the Brenta, which you follow to the left [west]; shortly after a footbridge allows you to cross the Brenta and continue on the opposite side along the Lungargine [“along the river bank”] (which initially is unpaved and closed to motor vehicles, then later is paved and open to traffic). Eventually, at Cadoneghe, you leave the Brenta to join its tributary Muson dei Sassi to the right [north]; cross the first bridge and on the right you will find a sign indicating the Muson dei Sassi bike/pedestrian route.
The route in this first section runs along the left [west] side of the river; it starts along a route that is in part unpaved and closed to motor vehicles, then in other parts paved and open to traffic. Pay attention therefore, not all of the route is safe and relaxed for the cyclist; the route may have low traffic, but on the other hand it is quite narrow.
Towards the end of this section along the left bank you leave the Muson, where it veers off to the east, and shortly after you will find a narrow footbridge [does not yet appear on Google maps RB] over the canal that takes you to Via Ponte Canale on the right and that enables you to rejoin the Muson River, this time on the right bank. You will pass by the village of Camposampiero and after a few kilometers the path ends near Loreggiola.
Here there are at least three possibilities: a) go back to Padua along the same route; b) turn right and reach the river Sile and then Treviso; c) turn left towards Loreggiola to continue to Castelfranco Veneto.
Here I describe briefly the last alternative, which is also the shortest; cross over the train tracks and you will come to the village of Loreggiola, and there turn right to get onto Via San Pio X; follow it as far as the next village of Treville; but just before going into the village turn right, you will cross the tracks once again and the Muson dei Sassi, immediately after turn left onto the road that follows along the right side of the Muson heading north.
The road soon becomes unpaved and runs through farm fields with a beautiful view of the towers and campanili [bell-towers] of Castelfranco; shortly after a narrow stairway underpass allows us to pass under the train tracks from Vicenza; once through the underpass you are now in the village of Castelfranco and on Via Muson, of course.
Via Muson takes one onto the busy Borgo Vicenza, turn right onto it, and immediately right again, towards the FS train station of Castelfranco, where there are trains to Venice and also to Bassano, Vicenza and Treviso.
Anthony had become ill with edema and in 1231 went to the woodland retreat at Camposampiero with two other friars for a respite. There he lived in a cell under the branches of a walnut tree. Anthony died later that year at Arcella, on the way back to Padua, at age 36.
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