La Dolce Vita 2006 Family Cruise itinerary,
Venice, Italy

luxury cruise vacations along
the calm waters of the Venetian lagoon and the
beautiful canalised Brenta River

From Venice to the Fishermen’s Island for Dinner
Sunday, Day 1 Venice - Burano Guests are met at 5 PM at Best Western Hotel Villa Mabapa, where the barge is moored and the crew is ready to serve a welcome drink of Prosecco. Sailing past the Fort of Sant’Andrea, the ancient Venetian artillery defence base, La Dolce Vita hugs the coast of Sant’Erasmo, Venice orchard and vegetable garden, before arrival at Burano, the fishermen’s island in the northern lagoon, where we moor for a superb fish dinner. The Still Waters of the Smaller Islands
Monday, Day 2 Torcello – Burano – San Francesco In the morning we walk through the colourful streets of Burano and visit the Lace Museum. We then move on to Tre Porti from where we can easily reach Jesolo and take you and your children to Aqualandia for a fun excursion to the water amusement park. Should you prefer to follow our standard itinerary we sail on to Torcello, the first island of the lagoon to be colonised 2000 years ago. We see the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, a beautiful example of Veneto-Byzantine style. We have lunch moored in front of Torcello and in the afternoon we slowly sail on to San Francesco Island for a visit to the monastery and a tea on the still waters around the island. Both in case you choose to go to Aqualandia or to visit Torcello, in the late afternoon we cruise to Murano to moor on the Grand Canal of the island of glass and have dinner. Cruising the Grand Canal and Dinner in the Wild Lagoon
Tuesday, Day 3 Murano – Venice – Valle Zappa We visit Murano, the museum of glass, and eventually a workshop of glass blowing, which made the island famous worldwide. We move on for a tour of the Grand Canal in Venice aboard a taxi boat. Later in the afternoon we sail to the peaceful southern Venetian lagoon to take you for dinner in front of Casone Zappa, a masterpiece of early 20th century Italian Liberty style architecture. In case of bad weather we cruise to the city of Chioggia at the very end of the southern lagoon. Peaceful Bird Watching and Breathtaking Dinner
Wednesday, Day 4 Valle Zappa – Chioggia - Lido Early this morning we sail though the hunting and fishing areas in the wilderness of the southern lagoon heading to Pellestrina. Once there you can choose if you want to go with your children to the beach for some hours or proceed to Chioggia following our standard itinerary. Once in Chioggia we can visit the picturesque fish market. In the afternoon we cruise along Lido Island till our mooring in front of Villa Laguna Hotel, with a breath-taking view of the Giudecca Canal and Saint Mark’s Basin. During the cruise along Lido island it is possible for you to ride the bicycle some 10 km on the island itself, going to the beach again, shopping, and to visit the famous historical hotels Excelsior and Des Bains, where movie stars stay during the Venetian Film Festival. On Lido Island it is also possible to ride horses, play golf or miniature golf. Dinner at a local restaurant in Lido. After dinner you can easily take a water taxi and reach Venice in 5 minutes for an evening walk. From the Inner Canals of Venice to the Brenta River
Thursday, Day 5 Venice – Brenta River to Mira Guided tour of historical Venice, including Saint Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace. A gondola tour of the inner canals and under the Bridge of Sighs is possible upon request at an additional charge. At lunchtime we head to river Brenta, which we cruise up to Dolo. Along the river you will be able to admire the ancient villas, masterpieces of famous architects such as Palladio’s Villa Foscari. In the afternoon we take you to visit Villa Pisani, which should be a lot of fun for your children as there is a maze labyrinth in the park. Cruising up the River Surrounded by Masterpieces of Architecture
Friday, Day 6 Mira - Stra This day we go for our longest excursion on a minivan to Gardaland amusement park past Verona on lake Garda. We spend the day there, as there are many attractions for you and your children to have fun with, including different types of fantasylands and roller coaster. We drive you back to the barge in the late afternoon. A Drive Along the Brenta After Our Farwell Breakfast
Saturday, Day 7 Dolo - Venice After breakfast you are transferred to a hotel in Venice or to Marco Polo airport. By that time you will be able to say if you truly appreciated the Venetian style of living and… of barging!

This itinerary is subject to change.

Meeting Place: Best Western Hotel Villa Mabapa
Riviera S. Nicolò 16 - Lido, Venezia, 30126
Telephone: +39 (0) 41 5260590
Fax: +39 (0) 41 5269441
Email: info@villamabapa.com
http://mabapa.hotelinvenice.com

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