Stra attractions

If Downton Abbey was set in 18th-century Veneto, Villa Pisani would be everybody's favorite stately home. Located in the charming, rural town of Stra, this breathtaking, late-Baroque palace looks out onto the Brenta Canal, which links Venice to Padua. The villa and its gardens are now a national museum. It makes for a spectacular cultural fix away from the busier tourist attractions of Venice.