A visit to Padua ticks off Giotto's frescoes, St. Anthony's relics and Donatello's equestrian statue. But with everyone and their mother rushing to hit the highlights, getting more than a surface glimpse of this Italian beauty requires an insider's introduction. Take a private Padua tour with a local guide to avoid the crowds and discover this city's personality while you admire her good looks.

Padua burnt to the ground in 1174. A setback, surely - but one that cleared space for some glorious architecture. Meet your guide at dawn at the Basilica Pontificia di Sant'Antonio, then walk to the Palazzo della Ragione, the Abbazia di Santa Giustina, and the Cappella degli Scrovengi .

Commune with the dead in the crypt of Santa Sofia, then mingle with the living in the Prato della Valle, Italy's largest public square. Or just sip and be seen at Caffee Pedrocchi, a 200-year-old coffee house decorated in Greco-Roman, Neoclassical and Egyptian motifs.

Padua

Accompanied by an art expert, plunge into the sweet and unforgettable landscape of the territory around Vicenza, which hosts most of the Palladian Villas.
This tour lasts about a couple of hours and a half: after a ten minutes drive from Vicenza, we tour the exteriors and interiors of the world renown Villa Rotonda, archetype of harmony between Nature and Architecture, and main inspiration for Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.
The interiors of the Villa Rotonda are only open on weekends usually from the end of March to early November, so please mind to plan the date of your trip accordingly.
Then, we explore the love stories depicted by Giambattista Tiepolo in the interiors of Villa Valmarana ai Nani, which is at a walking distance from La Rotonda: the best lifestyle of the last century of the Republic of Venice will live again before your eyes, among mythological heroes and fantastic animals.

Half-day tour to Villa Rotonda and Villa Valmarana in Vicenza

The Palladian Villas with an Art Historian

Day Trip to the Venetian Villas along the Brenta River

This tour wants to offer a panorama of influential villas along the Brenta River, owned by the richest families in Venice. A day inthe green and lush landscape close to the river, visiting Gardens and architectural gems.

Villa Pisani, the renown Doge's Palace on the mainland, a sumptuous villa ordered by the Pisani family as their status symbol; rather than a villa, it is a palace decorated with mighty sculptures on its façade and by the most famous venetian painters of 18th-century inside (Gian Battista Tiepolo).

Villa Widmann is a typical summer residence of the 1700's with its delightful park, a true jewel of the Riviera del Brenta.
For lunch we could indulge in a wine tasting in the villa. (This part is optional and can be paid separately on site).

Day trip to admire the great architecture of the Venetian villas

Join me for an in-depth visit to the greatest monument of Venice!
I will explain you why and when the wonderful Basilica of St. Mark's was founded. . . Erected in just 31 years and later enlarged, it took us more than 500 years to complete its astonishing decoration.

Enter with me skipping the endless line with the reservation tickets I'll have bought for you and let yourself feel overwhelmed by the magnificent beauty of its 42000 square feet of mosaics and let me explain you their religious and political meanings. Access the area of the Chancel where a sarcophagus contains the holy relics of Saint Mark the Evangelist preserved here since year 828. Follow me to admire the famous Golden Altarpiece visible only to few like you!
Access the upper external terrace where you'll have the most amazing view on St. Mark's Square! From here I'll illustrate you the history and functions of the main sites of the "Piazza".
Admire the original four Horses, stolen by the Venetians in 1204 during the conquest of Byzantium.

The most complete tour of the top monument in Venice!

Enjoy St.Mark's Basilica, Skip the Line!

Tour of Vicenza, From Local Architecture To World Heritage

All Palladian buildings have been included in the Unesco Heritage List since 1994. I live in Vicenza, it is my home town and I am so proud and happy to have the possibility to introduce my guests into this delightful city.
Our walking tour includes the Olympic Theatre, the architectural masterpiece of Andrea Palladio and the first indoor theatre in the world. We'll then stroll in the ancient town through the main street, Corso Palladio, and take charming little roads to visit the Church of Saint Corona, to admire the exceptional Baptism of Jesus Christ by Giovanni Bellini, some of the most renowned gothic palaces, and the Piazza dei Signori with the Basilica. Finally, we will visit Palladio's first public building, which was recently restored and brought back to its original splendor and the Loggia of the Venetian Captain, Palladio's most famous attempt to use colored architecture.

Andrea Palladio and his works: the architectural style that changed the World

Asolo and the Palladian Countryhouses of the Prosecco Road

Explore the rooms of the world renown Villa Barbaro with an art historian at your side: Andrea Palladio and Paolo Veronese were able to create one of their most admired masterpiece here, and its arcane frescoes deserve an appropriate description. Between nature and architecture, the culture of the Venetian villas is at its best in this area: you'll see an amazing Palladian house surrounded by a unique scenery and enriched by its ancient vineyards.
After a short drive, we reach the iconic Villa Emo, which is a haven of peace and a wonderful example of the stylish and efficient Renaissance countryhouses of the Venice mainland.
We will then enjoy a stopover in Asolo to know the story of Caterina Cornaro, the only queen that the Republic of Venice enice ever had: a sort of female Lorenzo de' Medici, who used to welcome and mentor some among the most important Renaissance artists, poets and politicians.

A stroll among Asolo, Villa Barbaro and Villa Emo

The Venetian countryside treasures some among the most amazing Palladian architectures, such as Villa Malcontenta and Villa Emo. During the tour, we also visit the world-renown Villa Rotonda in the surroundings of Vicenza, the city where Andrea Palladio used to live and work.
Locals do say: "Venice is beautiful, and Vicenza is its little sister". Indeed Vicenza's city centre, though initially modeled on the Venetian style, actually is an original Renaissance setting that seems frozen in time and is totally out of the beaten track.
As an Art Historian and an experienced local guide, exploring all these breathtaking beauties with me can make your journey different. Build your nicest travelling memories while being not far from Venice shore.

For a full-day Classical Art experience (with transport from/to Venice)

Day Trip to The Palladian Villas

Andrea Palladio was one among the most inspirational architects of all times, and built the majority of his works in Vicenza and its beautiful countryside. This tour includes the vist to the interiors and exteriors of two among the best early Palladian villas: Villa Godi and Villa Pisani.
Being the first Palladian architectural work ever, Villa Godi has a peculiar, immature Renaissance charme that conquers visitors at every step into its breathtaking frescoed rooms and flowery gardens.
Villa Pisani is the first real masterpiece planned by Palladio and among the works he was mostly proud of. The estate was conceived for the rich venetian Pisani Dal Banco family. Still surrounded by a beautiful scenery among vineyards and rice fields, totally out of the beaten track, this privately owned countryhouses expresses the most authentic classical Italian lifestyle and art.
These villas open on demand. Therefore, before booking please contact me in advance so that I can book them just for you.

Villa Pisani's sink designed by Andrea Palladio

Half-day tour at Villa Pisani and Villa Godi with an Art Historian (transportation included)

The Palladian Villas: the early years

Palladio: His Style And Heritage, A Multiday Tour

In 1816, Colonel Isaac A. Coles had a conversation with the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson and said that they had "conversed at length on the subject of architecture". Jefferson's words were: "Palladio was the Bible - you should get it and stick close to it".
This tour is a full immersion in Palladio's legacy, from his first steps as a apprentice "stonecutter" to his last astonishing works, such as the Olympic Theater and the little Temple in Maser. In this three day tour we will have the possibility to discover the reason of his World fame and how this man, the most imitated architect in Art History, was transformed into a myth by the universal valid practical rules of his architecture and the publication of the Four Books on Architecture in 1570.
The 111th Congress of the US named him as the "Father of American Architecture" because some architectural monuments in the USA were directly or indirectly inspired by Palladio's writing and theory.

The stage of the Olympic Theater with the beautiful perspective during the light and sound show

Villa La Rotonda, a symbol of the entire Palladian architecture

From Palladio's first work to his last masterpiece

Palladio's Villas, Canova's temple and Asolo

This tour wants to offer a panorama of influential architects who where born and operated in the Veneto region from '500 to '900.
Following a chronological order we start with a visit of two countryside villas by Andrea Palladio. Palladio lived in XVI century but his architectural theories became famous worldwide and he influenced many architects in the centuries to follow; think for example of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and the University of Virginia.
A stroll in medieval Asolo offers an elegant and relaxing panorama thanks to its surrounding hills.
After lunch we proceed to Possagno to admire the outstanding shape of Canova's Temple. Canova is a representative of Neoclassicism, a cultural trend that developed all over Europe in XVIII and XIX and looks back to Greek and Roman aesthetics.

Day trip from Venice to admire the great architecture from the past

This is a tour of Vicenza and its architectural treasures designed by the renowned Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio can be a fascinating and enriching experience. A mix of the life of a still very active and alive city, its inhabitants and the traditions with the incredibly reach history of the city. Please come and follow me for a day, no regrets!

Padua tours

Explore with 10 tours and 6 guides.

Francesca M.

$ 230 (USD)

Chiara Z.

$ 463 (USD)

Romy R.

$ 347 (USD)

Deborah M.

$ 286 (USD)

Francesca M.

$ 578 (USD)

Francesca M.

$ 1,574 (USD)

Francesca M.

$ 694 (USD)

Deborah M.

$ 3,468 (USD)

Isabella B.

$ 2,084 (USD)

Elisabetta A.

$ 737 (USD)

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