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
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
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 | 254 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 254 reviews on
2 days ago
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.