day trips from Venice?

I spent a day in Verona this last May. It's such a lovely town, and much to see there! There is an old castle, a roman arena, lovely little medieval piazzas, and much more than "Juliet's" balcony.

I highly recommend Verona. Here are some photos I took last year when we were there, in case you're interested: Verona in May 2011 We enjoyed it so much we're going back next year.

Thanks for the recommendation. I just associated Verona with fake Romeo/Juliet stuff, so I never looked into it. I'll do some investigating.

Well, there's definitely an abundance of fake R&J stuff in Verona. You just have to ignore it. It reminds me of Assisi with the little bobble-head St. Francis figurines everywhere. The locals gotta make a living, after all. :-) Happy travels.

I just booked a 6 week stay in Verona- it is nice to hear so many wonderful things about the town! Any suggestions for things you enjoyed that aren't found in the guide books?

Michael - Thanks for sharing the wonderful photos of Verona. I will be making a short stop there in early Sept.
It looks like a lovely place.

If you like places near water, you might enjoy a day in Bassano del Grappa. One of the more picturesque towns in Italy.

I was in Treviso over 10 years ago. It was a pleasant day. Not worth going out of the way for, but since you'll be close, it may be worth a visit (and it has canals, so it meets your "near the water" request). You'll certainly see more and larger Benetton stores there than anywhere else, as it's their headquarters. I really liked Ferrara, but a) while certainly doable, it's a bit far from Venice for a day trip, and b) they just had a major earthquake nearby, so before going, investigate local conditions. If not for the earthquake, I'd say it's a "must see" (I know, I know) while in the region for this long a time (particularly since you've already spent time in Padua, which I also really liked). Verona certainly has more than R&J kitsch. That's actually a very small part of town (just the section near "Juliet's Balcony"). It's like saying that Venice has only St. Mark's Square. The large Roman arena proves it was a major place long before Shakespeare ever heard of it.

Here's a Verona suggestion that you won't find anywhere in the guidebooks but it was a highlight for us. There's a tennis club in the hills above Verona, called Tennis Club Torricelle (pronounced toh-ree-CHEL-leh). It's a public tennis club (no membership required) that serves outstanding food at an incredibly low price at their little cafe. We sat outside under a giant tree and had one of our best meals in Italy, looking out over Verona as the sunset and the lights in the town came on. You'll have to take a cab to get there, but cabs in Verona are cheap. (If you really want to impress the cab driver, pronounce "club" as "cleb". That's how the Italians pronounce it.) Here are some photos and a video clip of that meal: Torricelle Tennis Club Ask the waiter or bartender to call you a cab when you're done.

Thanks, all, for the wonderful recommendations!

Thanks for the tip, Michael! I noticed the tennis club on your first round of pictures. Just the advice I was hoping for:)