Before you continue along the Treviso-Ostiglia cycle path we suggest stopping in Camposampiero to visit this beautiful medieval village and the Shrines to St Anthony. The Santuario del Noce and the Santuario della Visione stand on ground made holy by the presence of Saint Anthony during the last weeks of his life. Pedal slowly along the tree-lined avenue that leads to the Santuario del Noce and savour the silence that surround this place.
Now you are ready to continue along the cycle path: reach the railway station and take the underpass to the other side of the track. Ride parallel to the tracks and you will come to the access point for the Treviso-Ostiglia. The pleasant shade of the trees shields you from the heat as you go past Santa Giustina in Colle and San Giorgio delle Pertiche, through scenery dotted with the typical “case cantoniere” (maintenance workers’ homes), tollhouses, the pleasant area of Contrada Ceccarello with its permanent wooden structures that come alive every Christmas as part of a lovely artistic nativity scene. All the elements in the small Cocche rest area recall its former function as a railway. The path runs all the way to Campo San Martino on the level and then, at Pieve di Curtarolo, it rises above ground level and links up with the new suspension bridge over the river Brenta. Stop for a souvenir photo or just to admire this amazing piece of engineering that crosses one of the most important rivers in the region.
The beautiful town of Piazzola sul Brenta is just a short pedal further on: the view is dominated by sumptuous imposing Villa Contarini, the largest of the villas in the Veneto region. Its park and interiors are definitely worth a visit. The piazza is wide and spacious with many shops and bars and restaurants under the colonnade. The strongly urban feel of this town is a result of industrial development in the second half of the nineteenth century. Areas once occupied by a spinning mill and jute mill are today a skilfully recuperated industrial archaeology centre.
Visitors are literally spoilt for choice here: history and art or nature? Truly difficult to decide what to see first.
