Via Castellana is a historic road of the Venetian era which connects Venice with Castelfranco Veneto. In recent years the various towns alongside this road have created several bike paths that vary in length, are more or less separated from the road, often, but not always, colored brick red, and with a surface that is almost always paved and in good shape. Today, a major part of the Castellana from Mestre to Castelfranco has bike paths alongside so that it is possible to go by bike all the way to Castelfranco feeling relatively safe. Only the final segment between Resana and Castelfranco is still lacking a bike lane.

The first section between Venice and Mestre is rather problematic and is described separately on the Venice-Mestre page.

Once you have arrived at the Hotel Laguna Palace at the intersection of Via Torino and Via Ancona, take the latter (bike lane to the right) crossing over a canal and ending up on Viale Vespucci, where we turn left and which we follow according to the GPS trace by going along Via Bissuola, Via Spalti and Via Torre Belfredo which after crossing the Terraglio assumes the definitive name Via Castellana.

One immediately finds a bike path on the right which crosses below the railroad tracks of the Trieste line, then crosses under an expressway and then crosses below the railroad tracks of the Treviso-Udine line. The bike path is consistently on the right side until we reach the Polo commercial center, where the bike path switches to the left side. Shortly after one crosses below another set of railroad tracks by passing through a very narrow tunnel (pay attention and use your bell). Continue on the left to the point where the bike path ends within the city of Venice and shortly after you will cross into the town of Martellago.

There isn’t a true bike lane to get one through Martellago; one arrives at the streetlight in front of the gate of Villa La Nave (or Grimani Morosini) barely visible from the street; on its grounds there is now a golf course. Shortly after you get back on a bike path on the right; by following it we come to Scorzè, known foremost for the bottling plant of San Benedetto mineral water, one of the largest in Italy. There is also an interesting Venetian villa, Villa Soranzo Conestabile which has been converted into a hotel.

A few km/miles past Scorzè we come to the village of Trebaseleghe, a name which in Venetian means “three basilicas” or “three churches”; in reality, when we come to the main piazza, we see only one.

After Trebaseleghe we leave the province of Venice and enter into the province of Padua, arriving at Piombino Dese; upon entering the village one crosses the Treviso-Ostiglia bike route; in the center of town Villa Cornaro jumps out, a Palladio masterpiece.

After Piombino Dese one crosses into the province of Treviso; as far as Resana the route is still acceptably bike friendly; but the final few km/miles are rather brutal for the cyclist with heavy traffic and not even a bike lane. Finally one arrives directly at the rear entrance to the Castelfranco Veneto train station. It is worth taking the time to visit the well-preserved historic center and the imposing city walls.