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La
Dolce Vita
Season 2010
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La
Dolce Vita, originally a Dutch vessel which has gradually made
her way through the canals of France and around Italy and up the
Adriatic to the calm waters of the Venetian lagoon. Our unique
cruise not only visits Venice's well known and lesser known attractions
but also encompasses the outer islands of Torcello, Burano and
Murano, as well as cruising the unknown and beautiful, canalised
Brenta river.
La Dolce Vita
is a charming 6 passenger vessel with a crew of three, and she
is the only hotel barge cruising our unique route. The lagoon
surrounding Venice, the Venice Lido beach, Hemingway's influence,
the faboulous Villas on the River Brenta all compliment the attractions
of Venice itself where one could spend at least 6 months enjoying
the amazing Renaissance architecture before venturing inside some
of the buildings to discover the works of Canaletto, Tintoretto,
and many other Italian masters. Weeks of research into our itinerary
promise a fantastic cruise aboard Italy's first hotel barge. La
Dolce Vita has three comfortable cabins, two with doubles and
one a twin. All are en-suite, the vessel is airconditioned and
there is a good sized sundeck for outside dining or just watching
all that fantastic italian architecture floating past.
Venice
of course is a jewel in the crown of the Venetian lagoon and our
route is a mixture of canal and river following the ancient trade
routes used by the Romans and the early Mediterranean settlers
before them. As well as the incredible delights of Venice itself,
where the history goes back over 2000 years with some architecural
features dating back even to the Byzantenial era, the additional
opportunity afforded by hotel barge travel becomes obvious as
we create our own schedule oblivious to the hustle and bustle
of other visitors to Venice.
La
Dolce Vita and Venice represent probably the most exciting new
addition to our fleet. The crew are led by Massimiliano who is
our skipper and your host, this tall charming Venetian comes from
a family of mariners and will really look after you. He is assisted
by a chef and housekeeper and guided tours are taken along the
way.
Read
the wonderful article, written
by writer Les Furnanz
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Itinerary |
| Sunday,
Day 1 Sunday Padua and the Piovego Canal |
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Guests
are met at 5 PM at Hotel Villa Goetzen in Dolo, just 20 minutes
by taxi from Venice and Marco Polo Airport. We transfer you to Padua
by car, where the crew will welcome you with a Prosecco drink. We
have dinner in Padua at Portello gate, one of the best preserved
gates of the ancient city walls. |
Monday, Day 2 Padua - Noventa
In the morning we take a tour of the Botanical Garden, the oldest
in the world. In the afternoon we visit Giotto's Chapel and we walk
into the centre, which is as full of history as Venice herself.
Our afternoon cruise brings us to Noventa along river Brenta, where
we moor for dinner on board.
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| Tuesday,
Day 3 Noventa - Stra - Dolo |
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Further descent of River Brenta to Stra, where we visit Villa Pisani,
an 18th century masterpiece of Venetian architecture with frescos
from Tiepolo. In the afternoon we move on for 2 more hours to Dolo,
where we moor for the night. For those who enjoy cycling, it is
possible to follow the barge on a bicycle. Before our superb fish
dinner at Villa Goetzen restaurant, we take you for a glass of wine
at the old water mill of Dolo. |
Wednesday, Day 4 Dolo - Malcontenta - Venice - Murano
This morning we cruise down River Brenta into the lagoon, passing
by Villa Foscari in Malcontenta, a masterpiece of the Renaissance
architect Palladio. In the afternoon we have a guided tour of the
Doge's Palace and Saint Mark in Venice. A water taxi will then take
you through the Grand Canal to Murano, where La Dolce Vita is moored
for the night. Dinner on board
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Thursday,
Day 5 San Giorgio - Brenta River to Dolo
We visit a glass-blowing workshop in Murano. Our cruise then takes
us to Torcello, the first island of the lagoon to be colonised
2000 years ago. We see the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, a
beautiful example of Veneto-Byzantine style. We have lunch while
cruising on Siloncello Canal and in the afternoon we visit Burano,
a picturesque fishermen's island in the northern lagoon. We walk
through the colourful streets of Burano and visit the Lace Museum.
We moor for the night on the calm waters of Burano and enjoy dinner
on board.
Friday,
Day 6 Burano - San Francesco - Venezia - San Giorgio
We start our cruise today by passing by San Francesco del
Deserto Island, where we can moor and visit the monastery. We
then proceed to San Lazzaro degli Armeni
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where
we visit one of the most interesting libraries of Venice with 150,000
volumes and more than 4,000 Armenian manuscripts, some nearly 1,300
years old. The monks of the San Lazzaro monastery have welcomed
visitors for more than two centuries. In 1816, Lord Byron visited
the island twice a week for six months, studying Armenian and envying
the monks' comfortable academic lifestyle. A plaque quotes Byron
as saying, "The visitor will be convinced that there are other
and better things even in this life."
In the late afternoon we moor in San Giorgio, just in front of Saint
Mark, from where you can reach Venice in 5 minutes by boat and spend
some more free time in the city until the Captain's Farewell Dinner
on board. |
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Saturday, Day 7 San Giorgio - Fusina
After breakfast we cruise to Fusina, where we arrive at 11 am.
You are then transferred to Hotel Villa Goetzen in Dolo or Marco
Polo airport. If you have an early flight or if you are staying
at a hotel in Venice, we can make custom arrangement at your expense.
This itinerary is in reverse direction on alternative weeks
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3 night Charter Cruise available on
request
DOLCE
VITA CRUISE HIGHLIGHT
* Experiencing the Magic of Venice and the Lagoon
* La Dolce Vita is an exclusive way to explore Venice, the islands
of Torcello, Burano and Murano, as well as the wildlife resorts
of the Southern Venetian Lagoon. Besides the rich itinerary described
below, the cruise's highlights are the menu's served aboard by our
experienced chef, as well as the choice of locally selected wines
served at each meal.
A crew of 3 -captain, chef and hostess -look after just 6 guests
during the entire cruise, ensuring "La Dolce Vita" a different
and deeper experience of Venetian lifestyle. |
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Dolce
Vita Slide Show
Download
brochure
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Venice
Italy
- La Dolce Vita
- 6
Passengers
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Value
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Regular
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Stateroom
Suite
Single sup
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on
request
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on
request
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Departure
Value season: 4 to 25 Apr / 3 to 24 Oct
Departure Regular season 2May to 26 September
3-night
Charter Cruises available throughout the season on request..
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Charter
2 passengers whole boat
Charter 4 passengers whole boat
Charter 5 passengers whole boat
Charter 6 passengers whole boat
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On
request
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To
Charter Dolce Vita : Contact
us |
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