Art and architecture

Made in Italy implies a flair for the elegant—pride-infused craftsmanship and traditional methods that withstand the test of time. It’s a cultural phenomenon you have to feel in order to believe.

Within cycling distance one can contemplate masterpieces of painting, sculpture and architecture. Finding these hidden gems nestled within the Venetian countryside is not an easily achievable feat. CYCLING Made in Italy is here to help.

Unpredictable visiting times, obscure locations and inaccessibility are common obstacles for tourists passing through the area. Many of the most fascinating places are unpublicized in guide books. We take you there, explain and uncover their historic background from an ethnographic and human archeological approach—revealing layers of history.

Architectural tours with an emphasis on art history will make your visit come alive.

Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) designed palatial country houses for wealthy Venetian merchants, during the late Renaissance. The countryside is still sprinkled with dozens of his villas that strive for harmonic perfection and a return to the greatness of Roman era architecture. In so doing he created a new style of classical architecture altogether that was emulated throughout the western world. His projects are recorded in I Quattro Libri, The Four Books [of Architecture], based on writings of Vitruvius.