ahotelinitaly.com blog

Too many tourists see Venice and ignore the rest of the fascinating Veneto region. So lets look a little deeper.

Venice needs little introduction, though a visit does require good planning if you are to make the most of this quite unique city. With dozens of islands, canals and bridges, sights such as the Accademia, the Basilica di San Marco, the Doge’s Palace and the Museo Correr, not to mention the sheer magic of walking around the little ‘calle’ of Venice, this is a city that could take weeks and months to explore fully. Inland of Venice we come to the ancient city of Padua. A Roman settlement, which suffered badly from bomb damage during World War II, the big claims to fame are the Giotto frescoes, in the Cappella degli Scrovegni and the relics of St Antony, patron saint of the city. The area between Padua and Venice, the Brenta, is most famous for its hundreds of Venetian Villas, many by (and many others in the style of) the great master Palladio.

North-west of Padua is Vicenza, an affluent town with a delightful medieval centre (still partly walled) and with some fine Gothic and neo-Classical buildings - much of the city is a monument to the work of Palladio. West of Vicenza we come to Verona, an absolute delight with its rose-hued medieval houses, Roman sites, world-famous (open-air) opera house and excellent shops and restaurants, with the River Adige curling its way through the heart of the city - a delight.

Official Veneto tourism site.