Discover a truly magical cruise aboard La Bella Vita on Italy's Venetian Lagoon, River Po, and Canal Bianco between Venice and the lakeside Renaissance city of Mantua. Visit the Naval Museum, which houses notable vessels like ceremonial barges and warships, as you travel with a guided tour of Venice's historic buildings. Explore Chioggia and take in the vibrant fish market and charming canals. Continue sailing through a nature reserve, passing flamingos, herons, snipe, and other wildfowl. Proceed to Bagnoli Estate for a wine tasting, followed by a trip to the wine cellars of the 17th-century Villa Widmann Borletti to sample their renowned estate-grown vintage wines. Moreover, embark on a morning excursion to the Renaissance city of Ferrara before disembarking and returning to Venice.
Highlights
Enjoy dinner at the 17th Century home, Villa Ca’Zen with your private group of up to 20 guests
Tour Chioggia with its Roman, Etruscan and Byzantine history
Cruise on the Canal of the Orphans and pass by picturesque lagoon islands
Tour historic Venice, The Naval Museum and the Pavilion of Gondolas
Activity options vary depending on destination and operator. Activity level is determined by the range and intensity of activities you choose to participate in. Discuss with your Trip Planner which options are best for you.
All guests are met in Venice and transferred by a private chauffeured minibus to the ship. Passengers are welcomed, and a chilled Prosecco awaits. The cruise begins by sailing through the Giudecca Canal and by some of the most famous monuments in Venice, such as the Chiesa del Redentore, the impressive Basilica di Santa Maria Della Salute, and the Punta Della Dogana to your mooring outside the Naval Museum. Then you have an opportunity to stroll and roam around St Mark’s Square and Doge’s Palace. Dinner served on board.
A guide accompanies you while roaming around the Castello District. Explore the hidden beauty of Venice, such as the gardens of the Biennale Exhibition of Modern Arts, Palladio’s Church of San Pietro in Castello, and the Venetian Ships Pavilion, an annex of the Naval History Museum Venice, housing vessels of historical importance, including ceremonial barges and warships. By late afternoon, La Bella Vita continues to cruise to Pellestrina and past the lagoon islands, where you can find tiny churches, ancient monasteries, and painted fishing boats. If you want to explore more of this beautiful place, you have the opportunity to walk and bike along the waterway. Dinner served on board.
Visit the 18th century Church of San Domenico to see Carpaccio's St. Paul and his last recorded painting. You can also see other works of art by Tintoretto and Bassano. You can shop at the fish market at the Piazzetta Vigo and have the opportunity to enjoy a short tour in a locally-built boat to roam around Chiogga's amazing canals. Once back on board, La Bella Vita continues sailing through a nature reserve where you find flamingos and occasional heron, snipe, and other wildfowls. Then travel to Taglio di Po and enjoy dinner ashore, hosted by the owners at the beautiful 17th Century Villa Ca'Zen.
Cruise to Adria along the Bianca canal, an ancient Etruscan town where you visit the Archaeological Museum. After lunch, the tour continues to Bagnoli Estate to explore the Renaissance gardens and wine cellars of the 17th Century Villa Widmann Borletti. Here you can enjoy a private tasting of their famous estate-grown vintages, which have been in the Venetian market for centuries. After this tour, return to La Bella Vita moored at Zelo and have your dinner on board.
Today, enjoy a morning cruise and tour of the Renaissance city of Ferrara and Schifanoia Palace, famous for its exceptional 15th Century frescoes. Discover the explicit exterior of the Estense Castle and visit the spectacular cathedral with its sculpted images in front that is described as an illustrated Bible. You then return to the hotel barge, which again sails past villages and farmsteads to Governolo. Dinner served on board.
For your final day of cruising, approach the home of the poet Virgil and the artists like Mantegna and Donatello, Mantua. This city exhibits explicit neo-classical and baroque architecture, portrayed in the 14thC Ducal Palace, housing some 15 gardens and courtyards, a museum, a basilica, and a theatre. The intricate frescoes, Gallery of Mirrors and exquisite Rivers Room and 12,000 paintings and sculptures all create a Grand Finale to our Italian Renaissance adventure. Tonight, enjoy a Captain’s Farewell Dinner on board.
Day 7: Mantua | Disembark
1 Breakfast
After breakfast, guests are transferred by private chauffeured minibus back to Venice.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$90,500
or $4,525 per person based on 20 max passengers
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Stateroom
105 sq. ft. twin/double stateroom including en suite facilities. Private bathroom, shower, wardrobe, small tables, desk and a chair. Located at the Lower Deck
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Junior Suite
110 sq. ft. twin/double junior suites including en suite facilities. Private bathroom, shower, wardrobe, small tables, single couch, desk and a chair. Located at the Upper Deck
Notes
- All children under the age of 18 years accepted onboard qualify for a discount of $300 per child per week.
Initial deposit is 25%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure by Credit card, check, and bank transfer. All final payments by credit card subject to a surcharge of 2.5% and maximum of $20,000 charge
Beyond expectations! Then again we weren't sure what to expect. Lovely stay at the lodge, met other like-minded travelers (many had their trips planned by Adventure Life) and the owner was a gracious hostess. It felt like you were one happy family, visiting with a favorite aunt.
Nancy Sin
TrustScore 4.8 | 176 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 176 reviews on
1 day ago
Adventure Life is always an excellent choice when planning complicated, extreme, or exotic vacations or expeditions. They provide friendly professional services and advice and are enthusiastic and encouraging in helping us to prepare and thoroughly enjoy our trip. They handle all the details which greatly reduces the stress of planning a difficult trip. I'm very impressed with Adventure Life and definitely recommend them to friends and family.
Scott Trochim
3 days ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
5 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
6 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.