Cycling along the Riviera

We met Valentina Re in front of her bike shop ‘Riviera del Brenta Bike’, in Oriago di Mira, where she was busy giving directions to a group of French tourists. A few minutes later, the group got on their bikes and headed towards their destination after politely waving goodbye.
When looking at the workplace that Valentina created, it is not hard to understand how passionate she is about her work. Cycling is a type of ‘slow’, low carbon mobility that perfectly mirrors her lifestyle. “Five years ago I turned my life upside down for the better: working on cruise ships and travelling around the world no longer attracted me, hence why my decision to return to my hometown and do what I love the most. I founded Riviera del Brenta Bike to give the opportunity to tourists to experience the Riviera on wheels and discover different places whilst experiencing greater connection with nature. Pedaling a bike is good for emotional well-being as it evokes strong positive feelings of freedom and helps relieve stress.

There are several cycling routes that I would suggest to a tourist, but the most sought-after is the road that runs from Fusina to Stra for 25 km. Most experienced cyclists can choose to continue the route alongside the Naviglio river and the villas that overlook its course up until Padua.

The most scenic route that goes from Oriago to the lagoon is more suitable for children, while the path that runs alongside the Serraglio, a trickle of water, leads from Mira to Villa Pisani. If you choose to go to the lagoon, instead, you can choose whether to proceed to the WWF oasis of Valle Averto, or to Fusina, alongside the same river that for 300 years has been used by the Venetians as an aqueduct, the Seriola. I like to think that at the beginning of the 19th century Lord Byron moved from his home in Mira to the various Villas on the Riviera on horseback, and today I take the same route with my bicycle.“