Bridge Over the Bacchiglione River

Bridge along the Bacchiglione cycle path

The Bacchiglione (Latin Medoacus minor) is a 118 km long Veneto river: with a catchment basin that originates from some streams of the Vicenza foothills, it extends for 1400 km², flowing in the provinces of Vicenza, Padua and the metropolitan city of Venice: a Ca 'Pasqua, near Chioggia, joins the Brenta river, forming a large riverbed and then flows into the Upper Adriatic after 6 km

The Bacchiglione is the longest resurgence river in the Veneto and perhaps in Italy (118 km) which originates from the natural area of the homonymous Risorgive, located just north of Vicenza in the municipality of Dueville, a beautiful and idyllic area, worth visiting, where the river originates, continuously drawing water throughout the year from the upper Vicenza plain and the Altopiano dei 7 Comuni and from where a route can start along the banks that reaches the southern lagoon of Venice, where it flows into the Brenta river near Chioggia, without particular differences in height (about 60 m), crossing the cities of Vicenza and Padua. It is an almost entirely navigable river and at the time of the Serenissima it was the main means of transporting goods between Venice, Padua and Vicenza via rafts, which were pulled by oxen along the banks as they went up the current, also thanks to the help of locks that can still be admired along its route. It interfaces with many cycling routes of considerable interest such as the Anello dei Berici, the Treviso/Ostiglia cycle route, the Anello degli Euganei and many others that allow you to discover the vast territories of central Veneto characterised by the presence of the Berici Mountains and the Euganean Hills (both candidates for recognition as a Unesco MAB Biosphere). For much of its route, the Bacchiglione itinerary is in fact one of the most significant sections of the Monaco/Venice cycle route, which after descending from the Brenner Pass and running through the Adige valley, turns east to Verona to reach the Bacchiglione river in Vicenza, which it will then follow to the sea. Following the course of the Bacchiglione it is possible to intercept 3 of the 9 places in the Veneto region included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, namely “Vicenza and the Palladian Villas in the Veneto”, “The 14th Century Fresco Cycles in Padua”, “Venice and its Lagoon”.
Given the considerable length of the route, it is possible to reach primary railway stations in several points that allow for an easy return without having to resort to cars or other motorized means. The stations of Vicenza and Padua are a short distance from the route but with modest effort and following well-marked and passable cycle routes you can also reach the station of Grisignano di Zocco following the Treviso/Ostiglia or Grimana cycle paths.