The town's name derives from the Latin word which means "paved road". It is a municipality in the province of Venice, located along the Riviera del Brenta, where the river forks and is famous for its elegant villas that the Venetians built, over the centuries, along the banks of the waterway.
The Romans colonized the area, imposing their division of the farmlands into centuries of land and starting the construction of important roads, such as via Emilia-Altinate which connected Altino to Padua. After the Fall of the Empire, the town was subject to frequent Barbarian raids in which the main centre submitted serious damage. Subsequently Stra and its inhabitants were directly involved in the wars for domination of the territory between the cities of Padua and Venice. Subjected to the Ezzelini, it then submitted the domain of Padua and then passed to Milan. Finally, in the XVI century, Stra experienced a period of prosperity and tranquility under the control of the Serenissima. The rich Venetian families choose the Riviera del Brenta to be a preferred resort and built some beautiful villas that can be admired still today. With the advent of Napoleon, Venice lost its domain: the land then passed to Austria until it was finally incorporated in the Kingdom of Italy.

Attractions:
- the Church of St. Peter, which features a simple façade with a pediment and is flanked by a tall Bell Tower with extraordinarily attractive color effects. The tall tower is surmounted by a tympanum and completed by a spire;
- the Church of St. Mary of the Nativity;
- the Church of Paluello;
- the XVIII century Villa Pisani, an imposing neo-Classical building, designed by Frigimelica. Inside are preserved important frescoes by Tiepolo and Mengozzi Colonna. It also features a large park with plants of all kinds, a maze, an Exedra and stables built in Rococo style;
- Villa Foscarini Rossi, built in the first half of the XVII century, is decorated with a portico with Ionic columns, which support a pediment embellished by three statues of the XVII century. The roof is completed by a series of pinnacles;
- Villa Lazara-Pisani with its XVIII century clock tower;
- Villa Soranzo with its series of valuable frescoes;
- the XVII century Villa Benzi;
- the XVI century Villa Gritti;
- Villa Zanetti