First time in Italy for one week- staying the entire time in Verona as base?

We had very good food in Venice. We stayed in the Dorsoduro area and it was fantastic . Several of Rick Steves recommended restaurants are in that area. It feels more like a neighborhood and so much less like a tourist hotspot. If you want I’ll give you my rental information where we stayed. If you get up early and stay out late Venice is amazing

We stayed in Verona for a week last summer. Verona is well known for its horse meat dishes.

Thanks Richard- I was also just thinking that even if I did find some of the food disappointing in Venice, I could plan to have my main meal during the day when I'm seeing another town in the Veneto, and enjoy Venice in the morning and evening with just light simple meals.

Emily- I've heard that Verona is known for horse... I've never tried it but it may be good?

I'd be more inclined to stay in Padua. Great food and architecture plus close to Venice, Vicenza, Verona, Ferrara.

Sam beat me to it. If your goal is to see the Veneto, and not stay in Venice but still be in striking distance of it, Padova is a better choice than Verona. It also gets fewer tourists. While Verona is not "touristy" compared to Venice, it's still touristy compared to Padova.

I would definitely spend at least 3 nights in Venice. I have been to both cities and like them both, but Venice is magical in the mornings and in the evenings when the crowds leave. There is no city in the world like Venice.

We go to Venice ALL. THE. TIME. and have eaten very well indeed. Maybe the people you talked to went to tourist places with "barkers" outside, or maybe they prefer the Olive Garden (see Frank II's post), but don't avoid Venice because you think the food might be poor quality. If you search in the box above you will find many recommendations for restaurants from Forum contributors.

I would stay in Venice and day trip to Verona and Padova.

First of all, there is good, dare I say very good, nay excellent food in Venice. One of the best pizzas I ate was in the Dorsoduro - better than the ones I had in Naples and even Salerno made by an award-winning pizza master. Just don't eat at the places that cater to tourists. There are great restaurants in Canareggio too. Verona is one of my faves and pretty good for day trips (better than Venice), but it would be a shame not to spend 3 nights in Venezia. Watch the sunrise over the lagoon, ride the vaporetto on the Grand Canal in the quiet late evening hours and the misty early morning - magical. These walking tours will give you insight into some of the architecture.

On our first family trip to Italy, we spent 10 days in Portogruaro, a beautiful town in eastern Veneto. From there we took very easy day trips to Venice (2), Padova, Verona (2), Treviso. We also spent a few days just in "our own" little town. The train station was an easy walk from our apartment and the regional trains ran very frequently. Ok, we stayed overnight in Verona so we could see an opera in the arena, but it could have been a day trip if we hadn't wanted to stay out so late. We also had lousy food and were doused in spilled coca-cola in Venice...I will work harder at finding good places in advance next time. I'm sure they exist.

This was in July, and Venice was unbearably hot and crowded, so we were very glad we weren't staying there. In November, you could definitely stay there if you prefer. I applaud your idea of a single region/single base for your trip. We've done that several times (Veneto; Piedmont; Umbria) and have been very pleased not to be on the go every night.

As to the "right" choice of base location - there isn't a wrong one as long as it has a well-connected train station and you find an appealing place to stay. If you're in one place for a week, a kitchen and washing machine is a great advantage. Padova is lovely, as is Treviso, and we had great meals in both towns.