SMALL GROUPS TOUR
TOUR OF THE GARDENS AND VILLAS OF THE VENETO
This 6 night tour splits between the two cities of Padua and Verona , both with clusters of significant gardens in and around them whilst their villas benefit from the influence of the great Palladio . Also in this region , due to the importance of the cities of Padua and Verona , there are very particular gardens of historic interest inside the cities themselves . Please note that this holiday does involve walking tours of up to 2 or 3 hours in duration and the gardens have terraces and steps . This tour operates with a maximum of 14 people .
THIS TOUR ALLOWS YOU plenty of time to explore the beautiful cities you stay in . Also , because of the proximity of the gardens to the cities , there is little driving time in between each visit or each day in total . The tour starts with a drive of abut 30 minutes south-west of Padua and the Villa Barbarigo Pizzoni Ardemani whose gardens take the form of an amphitheatre surrounded by hills but reached by avenues containing all the attributes of an Italian garden : box hedges , lemon trees , sculpture and water features , including water games which may soak the unsuspecting visitor . Nearby on the edge of the Euganean Hills is Villa Emo at Rivella . This villa dates from 1588 and is attributed to Vincenzo Scamozzi , a pupil of Palladio . The main lines of the garden are straight and Italianate but the planting is informal with lots of indigenous flowers such as primroses , hellebores and hepaticas , mixed with salvias , iris and arums in the water . Padua is a delightful , small city and at its heart is the Botanic Garden . Just under 30 minutes ’ drive from Padua , on the Brenta Canal , is the Villa Pisani , whose gardens reflect the French influence at the time with its gates and grilles offering views to the countryside outside of the park . There is also a labyrinth , gentle lawns , avenues of water and decorative statues . Our time in Verona is spent exploring the city with a local guide but also visiting the Giardino Giusti , set on a steep hillside behind the villa courtyard , inside Verona and one of the oldest Renaissance gardens in Italy , dating from the 1570s and much visited by artists over the centuries . Goethe was inspired by the huge cypress trees . Our final garden is that of the Villa Rizzardi that lies about 11 miles to the north of Verona . Its most outstanding feature is a green theatre , the finest of its kind in Italy dating from 1796 . The alleys and vistas have been designed to glimpse the hills and mountains whenever possible . An avenue of cypresses interspersed with palm trees leads to a belvedere . There is also a wild bosco where stone beasts lurk .
Villa Pisani
Majestic Toscanelli , Padua , entrance Hotel il Sogno di Giulietta , Verona
Villa Barbarigo
10 12 For our complete range of Italian holidays see www . expressionsholidays . co . uk or telephone 01392 441250