Starting from the Venice Lagoon you soon reach the Riviera del Brenta to visit some of the handsome villas built by the Venetian nobles between 1500 and 1700. The first wonderful villa you encounter along the Brenta River is Villa Foscari "La Malcontenta". Planned in 1556 by Andrea Palladio and considered a masterpiece of architecture. Continuing your drive in a magic setting of willow and sycamore trees, you pass through the ancient towns of Oriago, Mira and Dolo known for their warm hospitality, and discover the treasures of this area, sometimes reflected in the dazzling waters, sometimes hidden. Admire Villa Gradenigo, Villa Widman, Barchessa Valmarana and many others. Further up the canal is Villa Pisani: situated in a green expanse in a loop of the River Brenta at Stra, with ballroom frescoes by Tiepolo, the park with its botanic gardens and hedge, is one of the most splendid and famous in the world. It's time to leave the Brenta and its canal locks and swing bridges to enter the countryside of the "Marca Trevigiana" where small rural villages and cultivated fields gently roll by until your arrival in Treviso. Famous for radicchio and Prosecco wine, Treviso is one of the Veneto's best-kept secrets, a "Venice in miniature", laced with little canals diverted from the River Sile, with a peaceful atmosphere of willow trees, swans, and lazy water wheels. Enclosed by sixteenth-century walls, the city is also known for its museums, elegant shops and friendly osterias. Heading south towards Venice is the ancient Roman "Terraglio" road where elegant Venetian holiday residences can still be admired. The unique atmosphere of the lagoon is where your tour of artistic and natural wonders ends .