Stra Off The Beaten Path

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The garddens of the villas were also a main fature - again often decorated with fine statues on the immaculate lawns and other parts of the ground - they really did want to impress their friends and neighbours!

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Apart from the frescoes decorating the walls of the villa ther are various other exhibits displayed in the rooms - like this old gondola - and in the grounds the stables and coach house had various carriages on display.

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Villa Widmann is in Mira, built in the 18th century. This was one of the other villas we visited on our Brenta cruise. Not a huge villa to see but again stunning whole cycle of paintings, really vibrant colours - this time by Angeli. The paintings had a special effect too - virtually 3 Dimensional, it looked so effective - pleas see other pics by clicking the link :-)
The entrances of the villas - as in this case - were usually grace by statues.

Opening: March (Sundays), April-October (from Tuesday to Sunday)
Hours: 10.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.(June- September 10.00 a.m.-6.00 p.m.)
phone 041 424156 - 041 5609350

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Villa Foscari is also known as "La Malcontenta" and has a tranquil setting by the Brenta. Its greek temple-front design is unmistakable by Andrea Palladio.
Opening: April - October (Tuesdays and Saturdays).
Hours: 9.00 a.m. - 12.00 a.m. Other days: book to visit. (opens for tour groups doing the Brenta Cruise) We had a 30 minute stop here and this was enough to view the few rooms on display and a short walk in the gardens.

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Villa Foscari is one of the finest examples of Palladio's small country mansions. It was built in 1558 for Nicolò and Alvise Foscari and still belongs to the descendants of that noble family.
According to legend the villa earned its name “Malcontenta” from the wife of one of the Foscari who was confined here against her will - hedr portrait can be seen on the wall of one of the rooms.
Beautiful colourful frescoes adorn the walls too - by Giovanni Battista Zelotti and Battista Franco, two local 16th-century masters.

You may walk around freely and without restrictions inside the watermill and watch the different functions.
There is also a grocery- and souvenir-shop inside the mill.

I made a picture-combination with the most interesting machineries, so you have an idea, what you may see there.
I personally always enjoy a lot the atmosphere in such places, with the noisy water rushing through...

Take a look inside the lovely baroque church of Dolo, maybe simply in order to make sure it is in fact a really beautiful baroque roman catholic church and not just a greek temple...
:-)
In general most of the churches in Italy are open to the public during the day and you may get inside without restrictions, except at some churches in tourist-places, where guards will make sure, people are dressed correctely.
But in small villages like Dolo nobody will really care a lot.

You will see plenty of cosy corners for a picknick or a simple walk on Brenta canal.

At plenty of places you may park your car beside the street, take out your easy-chair and take a rest.

Car-trafic is not very heavy eighter in the small villages along the Brenta-canal, as most of the streets are too small for big trucks, and so you will meet only a few local people and a few tourist buses there.
You would not believe, that busy and touristy Venezia is in a distance of just 15 km.