Bike and barge in Italy

The only itinerary in Italy that combines easy cycling with overnight stays aboard a riverboat.

Our Ave Maria Italia and Vita Pugna boats navigate along the waterways of the north: from the Mantova Lakes and Mincio River they glide slowly on the Fissero-Tartaro-Canalbianco-Po di Levante waterway to the Venetian Lagoon.

From April to October, these boats offer an itinerary with bike stages from Mantua to Venice (and vice versa). In the winter months, they are available to private groups for tailor-made programs.

In 2007 we bought an old boat in Amsterdam, the Vita Pugna, and after an adventurous journey around Europe by river and sea, we brought it to the shipyard in Mantua. A series of “sold-out” trips began in 2008, with guests from all over the world. Also navigating with the Vita Pugna since 2011 is the Ave Maria Italia, a 31-passenger eco-sustainable riverboat custom-built using the salvaged hull of a Po River dredge.

Mantua, Ferrara and Venice are the best known: the boat-hotel is a perfect starting point for discovering their masterpieces of art and architecture. The itinerary also takes you to smaller towns, such as Adria, an ancient Roman port on the Adriatic (its archaeological museum is not to be missed), and Chioggia, a fishing town that is a fascinating web of alleys and canals.

The Mincio River embraces Mantua, forming three lakes that make it look like a floating city, and gives rise to a natural area that connects the city to the southern shore of Lake Garda – you can bike through it on the famous Peschiera-Mantova bike path.

The blooming of lotus flowers is spectacular in midsummer, when Lake Superior is tinged with pink!

The Po River, from the provinces of Ferrara and Rovigo, widens into a fan of waterways reaching the Adriatic Sea. Be prepared for sightings of flamingos, herons and other bird species. Arriving at the Sea, it opens to the horizon of the Venice Lagoon, interrupted only by fishing nets, briccole, salt marshes and, on clear days, the distant outline of the Dolomites.

Ave Maria Italia’s river route traverses the Po Valley, with its wealth of production, culture and history. You’ll visit a cheese factory that produces the famous Grana Padano cheese, the unusual Bergantino Carousel Museum with carousels and amusement rides from the 1800s, and the tiny village of Zelo, which always gives a warm welcome to cyclists.