Piombino Dese is a village, with a population of a few thousand, in the Veneto countryside. It is a seemingly provincial village, just like many others.
Nevertheless, other villages cannot boast a Palladian Villa in the centre among its houses, the Treviso-Ostiglia cycle path that takes you through the countryside to relive the Second World War as seen from the train, the Sorgenti del Sile (River Sile springs), where you can see water coming out of the ground, and the railway station for trips to Bassano del Grappa and Venice.
Perhaps they are small things but they make us very, very special.
THINGS TO DO
- Go on a bike ride along the Treviso-Ostiglia cycle path and breathe in fresh air.
- Visit the Saturday morning market.
THINGS TO SEE
- Villa Cornaro, Andrea Palladio’s masterpiece. It is rather hidden, among us but beyond us, and breathtakingly beautiful.
- Villa Ca' Marcello, the Villa that is also a home. It has a wonderful park with strange grotesque statues, flaking shutters and a fountain. It is so rich and genuine, wise and fascinating, yet never pretentious.
- The majestic 1920s church and the small cemetery next to it.
- The old cast iron bridges of the Ostiglia railway and its now crumbling stations. They unveil time, history and journeys.
THINGS TO BUY
- Piombinelli bread and breadsticks at Forno Bottaro.
- Radicchio (chicory) and asparagus from the local Consortium’s producers.
- Fresh eggs from the hens at Ca' de Memi.
- Chandeliers and lighting elements: with Venetian glass in our blood, we are in the most illuminated district there is.
- Clothes, linen and accessories: the land of the economic miracle, in this area we are experts with a needle and thread.
A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT PIOMBINO DESE
See it for yourself!
Here is a documentary film promoted by the Municipality of Piombino Dese, sponsored by the Provincial Government of Padua, and produced by Venice Film.
It is about Andrea Palladio and Villa Cornaro, a local area steeped in nature, art and culture, and the Treviso-Ostiglia cycle path.
The companies Stevanato Group, Trasporti Chiggiato, Everest and Rotocart were involved in making the documentary film.
