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Italy River Cruise From Venice to Mantua: La Bella Vita Luxury Barge

If you’re looking for a relaxing, captivating, and stress-free way to explore Venice and northern Italy, an Italian river cruise is exactly what you need. Our Italy river cruise aboard the luxury barge, La Bella Vita, was an incredible journey from Venice to Mantua.

We sailed from Venice through the Venetian Lagoon (Laguna Veneta) and down along the Po River (Taglio di Po) and Canal Bianco. Along the way, we stopped at fascinating seaside villages and riveting medieval towns each with their own character and history. We had a great balance of informative guided tours and free time to explore on our own.

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La Bella Vita - Italy River Cruise

Italy River Cruise Aboard La Bella Vita

Are you new to the idea of luxury barge cruising? My first sailing aboard a barge was a few years ago on the Athos du Midi in the south of France. While I embarked on that sailing as a solo traveller, I was so excited for Justin to have the barge experience this time around!

La Bella Vita Barge - Italy River Cruise

Think of the barge, La Bella Vita, as a luxurious, first class hotel that floats down the river. La Bella Vita hosts anywhere from 10 to 20 guests. There are numerous shared spaces both indoors and outdoors, including a dining room, a living room with a bar, and the top deck with tables, chairs and loungers. You’ll also have your own private cabin with its own bathroom.

There’s a fine dining chef on board who prepares delicious meals, three times a day, and there’s an open bar for drinks around the clock. For lunch and dinner, there are specially selected Italian red and white wines paired with your meals. You can also have an espresso or cappuccino whenever you like.

La Bella Vita docked in Venice - Italy River Cruise

In this case, you’ll start your trip in either Venice or Mantua. Essentially, the barge sails between Venice and Mantua. Depending on where it starts that week is where you’ll board. You’ll spend your mornings or afternoons at a new town or destination and a portion of the day sailing between each place. In some cases, you’ll be able to explore right from the barge and in others, the cruise director will transport you to the destination by van.

It’s really nice to wake up every day in a new place, ready for a new adventure. You don’t need to plan anything. Unpack your luggage once and enjoy a variety of destinations. Simply wake up and enjoy! You can go on guided tours, bike rides, wine tours, and explore cities and towns by foot at your own pace. It’s a comfortable way of exploring Italy and having new experiences that you’ll rarely find in any guidebook.

What’s Included

Bikes on La Bella Vita barge - Italy River Cruise

Barge holidays in Italy means all-inclusive luxury. From the start of our journey, everything was included! You don’t have to worry about anything on this six night barge cruise. Here’s what’s included:

  • Transfers to and from the barge in an air conditioned van
  • All meals prepared on board by a master chef (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
  • All wine throughout the cruise, served with each meal
  • An open bar of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including liquor and beer
  • All excursions and admittance fees to the places noted on the itinerary
  • Barge facilities and use of the bicycles

There are only a few things not included in the price of your barge cruise: any travel insurance, air transportation to Venice, and gratuities.

About La Bella Vita

La Bella Vita Barge - Italy River Cruise

La Bella Vita is an upscale 20 passenger vessel with a rustic, yet modern, Italian flair. The cozy couches in the living area invite you to kick up your feet and relax. The friendly and kind maître d’hotel, Francesca, will always ensure that you are comfortable and have a drink in your hand, if you wish. Trust me, she makes the best cocktails and the best soy cappuccinos, too!

La Bella Vita - Living room
La Bella Vita - Living room
La Bella Vita - Dining room

At mealtime, the dining room is tastefully decorated with the menu posted on a chalkboard. You’ll savor local Italian specialties and thoughtfully paired wines. Outdoors, there is a massive sun deck with sunny and shaded spaces. You can admire the scenery as you sail or read a good book. There’s a small library of books on board if you didn’t remember to bring one (I brought my Kindle).

Top deck of La Bella Vita

We sailed in April so it was a little bit chilly, but there are blankets that keep you warm. There are enough tables and chairs to gather with your group for a chat or you can lay down in one of the comfy loungers.

Our Cabin

La Bella Vita - Our Cabin

There are two upper deck junior suites and eight lower deck staterooms. You can control the climate of every room individually (they have air conditioning) and every room has a private, en-suite bathroom. Justin and I stayed in the Tintoretto room, on the lower deck in the middle of the barge.

La Bella Vita - Our Cabin - Bathroom

The rooms aren’t big by any means, but there’s enough room for all of your belongings. There’s a large bed (can be separated into twin beds if you wish), room beneath the bed for your luggage (or it can be stored elsewhere on the barge), side tables with drawers, a large wardrobe with drawers for your clothes, and additional shelves.

There’s a large window in each cabin where you can catch glimpses of your surroundings. You won’t be in your cabin very often, so the best views are obviously not from your room. There is a small bathroom with a shower that’s pretty tiny. After all, it is a boat, so it’s not going to be super spacious. But, you have everything you need, including complimentary toiletries and shelves for your belongings.

Italy River Cruise: Venetian Lagoon, Po River and Canal Bianco

Venice, Italy - Italy River Cruise

The Italian barge sailing on La Bella Vita starts on a Sunday and ends on a Saturday (six nights in total). You’ll board the barge on early Sunday afternoon and leave on Saturday morning. The barge is a fantastic way to slowly experience the colourful lagoon islands and historic places between Venice and Mantua.

This trip encourages you to slow down and fully absorb your surroundings. The total drive distance between Venice and Mantua is about an hour and 40 minutes. You’ll spend six full days stopping in lots of little towns and attractions on the way.

After spending a couple of days in Venice, we sailed south through the Venetian Lagoon to the island of Pellestrina. Then, you’ll experience Chioggia before sailing on the Taglio di Po towards Canal Bianco, making numerous stops on the way. I’ll go into those in more detail a little later in the article.

A Typical Day Aboard La Bella Vita

Murano, Italy - Italy River Cruise

On La Bella Vita, you’ll start your day with a breakfast buffet in the dining room. Then, you’ll embark on your first adventure of the day. This might be a guided tour, exploring a town on your own, or a morning sailing to the next destination.

Apertivo on La Bella Vita
Apertivo

You’ll return to the ship (or stay on board) for lunch before your afternoon activities. This could include another guided tour, wandering around a new city, or an afternoon cruise. There’s usually a cocktail or apertivo before dinner. Then, you’ll enjoy dinner on La Bella Vita before retiring to your room for the night.

Daily Excursions on our Italy River Cruise

Rialto Bridge - Italy River Cruise

Every day, we participated in exciting day trips that provided insights into local culture and history, whether it was Renaissance, Roman, Etruscan or Byzantine. On some occasions, our knowledgeable cruise director, Ilaria took us on a tour and sometimes we were joined by a local guide.

In addition to these daily excursions and outings, there were also a few surprises on the way. The crew added some really fun surprises to the trip that really elevated the experience. I won’t write about them as I don’t want to spoil the surprise. You’ll have to travel on La Bella Vita to see for yourself.

Venice (Doge’s Palace, Murano and Castello)

Doge's Palace - Italy River Cruise

Once we boarded La Bella Vita on Sunday afternoon, the crew warmly welcomed us on board with a glass of Prosecco and some small bites to eat. We were docked in Castello in the southeast region of Venice. From the barge, we walked to Piazza San Marco for a guided tour of the Doge’s Palace. We had plenty of time to marvel at the dazzling rooms of the palace before returning to the barge for dinner.

Glass making Murano - Italy River Cruise

The next day, we took a private water taxi to Murano for a glass making demonstration by one of the masters. We had the opportunity to purchase some glass pieces if we wished before going on a short wander around Murano. After lunch, we had some free time in Venice. Justin and I went for a walk to the nearby gardens and around the Castello district. Our fellow passengers decided to visit the nearby Naval Museum.

Pellestrina, a Venetian Island

Pellestrina - Italy River Cruise

Later that same day, La Bella Vita set out on a late afternoon cruise towards Pellestrina. The island of Pellestrina separates the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. La Bella Vita drifted down the Canal of the Orphans. We sat on the top deck of the barge and admired the numerous little islands dotted with ancient structures.

Pellestrina

We docked in Pellestrina alongside a collection of bright and colourful homes. At this point, you can either walk or go bike riding on the island. Justin and I hopped on the bikes as we love cycling when we travel. Whether you’re bike riding or walking, we all met at a small gelato shop in Pellestrina for a treat (they had two vegan gelato choices, including a dark chocolate one).

Pellestrina

Our small group continued the bike ride along one edge of the island that had a lengthy paved path on the waterfront. We looped back around and arrived back at the barge just in time for dinner (and an incredible sunset!).

Chioggia (Little Venice)

Chioggia - Italy River Cruise

From Pellestrina, we ventured off La Bella Vita and onto a little red boat (traditionally and locally built) to sail to Chioggia. Chioggia is known as “Little Venice” and looks very similar to Venice, except for the fact that it’s smaller and far less touristy.

Chioggia

It has lots of pretty canals and bridges, as well as rows of colourful buildings on the water. We had some free time to discover Chioggia before rejoining La Bella Vita for lunch. The barge was now docked on the Taglio di Po (Po River), and ventured off the ship for dinner.

Tenuta Ca’Zen

Villa Ca'Zen - Italy River Cruise

Villa Ca’Zen is a 17th century estate, not too far from where La Bella Vita was docked. As a special treat, the owners of Tenuta Ca’Zen invite the passengers of La Bella Vita for a tour of the property, as well as dinner. We met with the owners for apertivo and wine at the estate, and received a small tour of the property and its chapel.

Villa Ca'Zen

The home itself plays a prominent role in history. Lord Byron courted the Countess Giuccioli there and he also wrote some of his best poetry at the estate. Nowadays, a lovely family owns this romantic Venetian villa, including a mother-daughter duo, Elaine Westropp Bennet and Maria Adelaide Avanzo. We dined with the delightful Elaine, and she told us so many amazing stories (and was quite the character, you’ll love her!).

Villa Ca'Zen

We ventured indoors for a three course meal. While we adored Chef Andrea’s cooking on the barge, this was also quite the treat. I enjoyed a three course meal of the most delicious risotto with wild asparagus, a tofu burger with grilled vegetables, and soy ice cream with pineapple. After dinner, we returned back to our Italy river cruise barge for a restful night’s sleep.

Adria and Bagnoli Estate

Adria, Italy

From the Po River, this Italian river cruise joins the Canal Bianco for a cruise to Adria, an ancient Etruscan town. You can visit the town’s Archaeological Museum or go for a self-guided exploration. We spent a couple of hours in Adria. It’s a pretty small place, so you don’t need much longer than that.

Bagnoli Estate
Dominio Bagnoli Estate Wine

After lunch back on La Bella Vita, Ilaria drove us to Dominio di Bagnoli (Bagnoli Estate). Justin and I toured the Renaissance gardens and wine cellars of the 17th century Villa Widmann-Borletti. After our tour of the property (that was once a monastery), we sampled a wide array of their renowned estate-grown vintages. This wine has supplied Venetian society for centuries!

Ferrara

Ferrara  - Italy River Cruise

In the morning, we went for a guided tour of Ferrara, a fascinating Renaissance Italian city with so much history. Our informative guide showed us a variety of old architecture, intriguing neighbourhoods, and we even stopped for an espresso at a local cafe at the end of our tour.

Ferrara -  Italy River Cruise

After lunch, we spent a relaxing and restful afternoon aboard the barge. I actually spent the afternoon practicing the piano. There’s a piano on the boat and I hadn’t played in a long while. It was great fun – hopefully the rest of the crew and passengers didn’t mind the few wrong notes I hit! Later, we ate a delicious dinner on board, as always.

Mantua

Mantua - Italy River Cruise

The final stop of our Italy river cruise was Mantua. We had the morning to ourselves in Mantua. Justin and I wandered around town, even though it was raining. There are magnificent examples of neo-classical and baroque architecture in Mantua. After lunch, we were treated to a guided tour of the 14th century Ducal Palace in Mantua. We also visited some other important churches and learned about the local specialties.

Captain's Dinner photo - Italy River Cruise

On our final evening, Captain Diego and Ilaria joined us for the Captain’s Farewell dinner on board. It started with some cocktails and appetizers before we moved over to the dining room for a feast. It was a lovely way to end a memorable week aboard La Bella Vita.

The Food on La Bella Vita

Meals on La Bella Vita - Italy River Cruise

The food on La Bella Vita is AMAZING. Chef Andrea masterfully creates Italian dishes using local ingredients, even local specialties of the places where we’re docked that day. It’s really no problem if you follow a special diet or have allergies. He created delicious vegan dishes for me, and another passenger had a few food allergies.

Breakfast

Breakfast on La Bella Vita barge

For breakfast, there’s a buffet of dishes where I enjoyed lots of vegan options. There’s bread, jams, cereals with soy milk, soy yogurts, and fresh fruit. You can have fresh fruit juices, coffee, tea, or request an espresso beverage like a cappuccino. You can also request eggs to be prepared as you like them, if you eat eggs.

Lunch

Salad with vegan cheese

Lunch and dinners were three course meals, and there was always a chalkboard with a preview of the dishes. There’s always an appetizer or salad, an entree, and a dessert. Between the entree and dessert, there’s always a cheese course. Most of the time, Chef Andrea found vegan cheese similar to what was being served or even made his own vegan cheese from scratch!

Pesto pasta

I also love how Chef Andrea created the vegan / allergy-friendly dishes to closely resemble what was being served to everyone else. You didn’t feel like you weren’t getting the full experience. Here’s a sample vegan lunch menu:

  • Insalata Chioggiotta (this was the day we visited Chioggia)
  • Pennette with zucchini and almonds pesto
  • Green apple tart
Green apple tart

Dinner

Similar to lunch, there’s a starter, an entree, a cheese course, and a dessert. Here is a sample vegan dinner menu.

Dinner aboard La Bella Vita barge
Dinner aboard La Bella Vita barge
Dinner aboard La Bella Vita barge
Dinner aboard La Bella Vita barge
  • Orzotto with roasted nuts and beetroot
  • Green asparagus, purple potatoes, soy mayonnaise
  • Rice stracchino (cheese course)
  • Strawberries marinated with basil and mint

Wine Pairings on our Italian Barge Cruise

At lunch and dinnertime, Francesca introduced us to the white and red wines that we’d be served. She often showed us where the wines were produced on a map of Italy. On many occasions, the grapes weren’t grown too far from where we were docked. As the cruise is all-inclusive with an open bar, you’re welcome to drink as much wine as you like.

If you aren’t a wine drinker, no worries! There’s a fridge full of beer, soft drinks, and water. There is a wall of various kinds of alcohol and liqueur behind the bar, and Francesca can make you anything you like. She can also brew any kind of coffee beverages with the espresso machine or steep some tea for you, too.

The Crew and the Passengers

Passengers on La Bella Vita

The crew on our Italy river cruise was sensational! I can’t say enough good things about them. They offer incredible hospitality and service, and really made us feel right at home. On our barge cruise, the crew consisted of: Captain Diego, 2nd Captain Roger, Deckhands Babu and Andrea, Chef Andrea, Maitre Francesca, Hostesses Leoniya and Orietta, and our cruise director, Ilaria.

That’s a whopping nine members of staff for five passengers! Usually, there are up to 20 passengers on La Bella Vita with a crew of 6-10. That’s one member of staff for every two passengers (or in our case, the crew outnumbered the passengers). You receive personal and a highly attentive level of care. While we didn’t necessarily make too many demands, the staff of La Bella Vita were eager to make our trip an amazing one.

Passengers with Chef Andrea

As for the passengers, we sailed with two travel buddies, Nancy and Cynthia from the USA, and Emma from the UK. You dine with your fellow passengers and take tours together, so you quickly become friends. At the same time, you’ll have enough free time on your own as well, so Justin and I had some time to ourselves, too. It was a great balance.

It’s such a wonderful way to make new friends as you usually have a common interest in travel and food. Our fellow passengers were fantastic travel mates as they were really interesting, laidback, and fun! At the end of the trip, we exchanged email addresses and vowed to stay in touch.

Booking Your Italy River Cruise with European Waterways

La Bella Vita docked in Mantua

It’s really easy to book your Italy river cruise with European Waterways. Head over to the booking page for La Bella Vita. From there, you can browse the dates and itineraries, checking out their special offer discounts for certain dates.

There are even special themed cruise itineraries for specific dates. There are opera cruises, golf cruises, garden cruises, wine appreciation cruises, and family cruises (ideal for those travelling with children). It’s also possible to book the entire La Bella Vita barge as a private charter if you’re sailing with a large group.

There’s also a solo cruise itinerary for those who typically travel by themselves. An Italian barge cruise is a fantastic way to meet new people and make new friends (even not on a solo cruise, we made friends with our fellow passengers!).

Getting to Italy for an Italian River Cruise

We travelled from Toronto to Venice on a direct flight (here are available flights to Venice from your home airport). As it’s generally always an overnight flight from Canada to European destinations, we arrived a day early to get over some of the jet lag.

View from our room at Hotel Abbazia, Venice

Justin and I spent one night at Hotel Abbazia in Venice. We chose a hotel that wasn’t far from the main train station and Piazzale Roma as this was to be our pickup point to travel to the barge the following day. I suggest extending your stay in Venice, especially if you’ve never been before. 3 days in Venice is a good amount of time.

Hotel Abbazia has wonderful service (the man who works the front desk is nice and helpful!) and clean rooms. While the rooms don’t have many frills, they are comfortable and offer lovely views of Venetian homes.

Hotel Abbazia courtyard, Venice

We also really loved the inner courtyard garden that’s available for all guests to enjoy. It’s such a peaceful place right in the middle of Venice. It’s amazing! When you walk out to the main streets, it’s abuzz with hoards of tourists. But, once you walk down the narrow street to the hotel, you’d never know that you were around anyone at all. It’s so quiet!

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Getting to the Barge for our Italy River Cruise

From the hotel, you typically meet the staff of La Bella Vita at a designated spot in Piazzale Roma. Then, you will stay in Venice or drive to Mantua (depending on where the barge is located) in an air-conditioned van.

Our case was a unique one. There were only five of us sailing on board La Bella Vita and the barge was docked in Venice. So, the staff of the barge ordered a private water taxi to pick us up at our hotel. We sailed over to the other hotel where our fellow passengers stayed, and then we continued to the barge. While this is not a typical experience, it was a lot of fun to ride down the Grand Canal in a private water taxi!

During your trip, the staff will pick you up from Piazzale Roma and cruise to the docking point at Castello (or drive to Mantua, if the cruise starts in Mantua). You’ll also get to ride around in a private water taxi from La Bella Vita to Murano. As we had only ever used public transportation on our previous trip to Venice, the private water taxi was a treat.

Our Italy River Cruise: In Conclusion

La Bella Vita Barge at Sunset in Venice

If you’re intrigued by the idea of slow travel and want to experience Venice and Italy in a new way, a luxury barge cruise aboard La Bella Vita is exactly what you need. It’s an interesting way to explore new destinations you might not have heard of before. There are lots of fascinating stops on this Italy river cruise of the Venetian lagoon and the Po River.

Italian barge holidays are wonderful for people of all ages (you can request a private charter for your friends and family), there are themed barge cruises, and everything is included. You don’t need to plan anything. Just show up! European barge cruises are the trip of a lifetime, and I’m certain that you’ll love it, too.

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