Venice & the Ducal Cities

Fly from London Gatwick to Venice, and transfer to the mooring to board the MS Michelangelo for your six-night cruise. Enjoy a welcome cocktail and introduction to the crew.
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Morning cruise in the Venice lagoon. From the sun deck, you will contemplate the silhouettes of churches and palaces silhouetted against the horizon. At the heart of this labyrinth made of canals and islands, you will enjoy a unique experience admiring the landscapes and the ballet of the numerous boats using the channels. You will reach the island of Mazzorbo connected by a pedestrian bridge to the charming island of Burano. Time to explore Burano, known for its lacemaking and picture-perfect homes, at your leisure or join an optional excursion to Murano, its seven islets stapled together by bridges, boasting its own basilica and Grand Canal, and famous for its fabulous hand-crafted glass (£53, pre-bookable). Cruise back to Venice.
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An optional tour this morning includes a visit to the stunning interior of the Doges’ Palace. The seat of government, the dukes’ residence, and now a museum, its iconic exterior is more than matched by the spectacular feast of art and gilding within (£70, pre-bookable). The rest of the day is yours to explore the ‘marble city’, its magnificent buildings and omnipresent art. Perhaps take a gondola ride; visit the Renaissance Rialto Bridge; and savour the splendour of St. Mark’s Square, from its centrepiece basilica to the spires and statues of its ‘Paper Gate’, and the Bridge of Sighs, linking the ducal palace with the prison.
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Cruise across the Venice Lagoon, passing little islets enroute to Chioggia, and disembark there for a tour by road to Padua, renowned for its art, architecture, and religious heritage. Visits include the well-placed Piazzas delle Erbi and dei Frutti; and the vast 13th-century St. Anthony’s Basilica, crowned with Byzantine domes, its Baroque interiors adorned with priceless artworks, and focused on the tomb of the saint; and view the Palazzo della Ragione and the 14th-century Torre dell’Orologio astronomical clock. Return to the ship at Porto Viro, at the mouth of the Canal Bianco, and cruise to an overnight mooring in Canda.
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After sailing to Ostiglia this morning, an afternoon excursion takes you by road to Verona, where 2,000 years of historic landmarks include the Piazza dei Signori’s grand monuments; Piazza delle Erbe, formerly the Roman Forum; the ancient Arena amphitheatre, the centrepiece of Piazza Bra, seating an audience of 25,000 and still an opera venue; the elaborate tombs of the Scaligeri dukes; and Juliet’s House, a triumph of romantic fantasy over historic fact. Re-join the cruiser in Mantua, its mooring for three nights.
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Renowned for its Renaissance architecture and created by the Gonzaga family to become a cultural, musical and artistic centre-point, Mantua formed the beautiful backdrop for Rigoletto, framed with three lakes and topped with a skyline of towers and cupolas. A guided tour of the town today takes in the opulent Palazzo Ducale di Mantova, built by the House of Gonzaga between the 14th and 17th centuries; the Camera degli Sposi, known for its frescoes by Andrea Mantegna; the Rotunda di San Lorenzo and Basilica of Sant’Andrea. Afternoon at leisure in Mantua.
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Disembark and drive to Lake Garda for free time before transfer to Venice airport for the return flight.
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