First Trip to Italy and I Need Your Help

I loved the Giardino Giusti in Verona. Lake Garda would certainly be a reasonable day trip from Verona. For seeing Padova, and possibly also Vicenza, it might be better to travel from Venice (much closer). The must-see in Padova is the Scrovegni Chapel, which requires advance reservations. The Orto Botanico, Prato della Valle, and Basilica of St. Anthony are also fine sights.

Hello Adam

Just a quick rec for one of your questions.
In Venice consider doing a cicchetti tour with Alessandro.
Highly recommended and enjoyed by many posters here and also mentioned in RS books
https://www.schezzini.it

We did this 5 years ago- had a blast and still smile/laugh at the memories.

My favorite place in Venice is all of it! Do plan a trip out to Burano, Murano, Torcello etc. Burano is our hands down favorite

There is not much to see in Verona for four days so those day trips will work.
Go to the top of the Campanile in Venice great views

Adam,

Welcome to the forum! A few thoughts....

If this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip. That provides a lot of good information about how to travel well in Europe. I'd also recommend picking up a copy of the Rick Steves Italy guidebook and use that both for detailed planning of your sightseeing and also for reference during the trip. There are some potentially expensive caveats to be aware of when using trains and other public transit in Italy, so be sure to make a note of that.

My "favourite places" may differ from other people. That's where a good guidebook is helpful. The RS books have sights designated with one, two or three triangles to designate how "worthwhile" they are, and I've found those to be fairly accurate.

Hopefully your Air BnB's are reasonably close to the centre of the cities, and not on the outskirts.

Lake Garda is a large lake and transportation options are somewhat limited. You'll have to decide which town(s) you most want to explore. One option you might consider is to travel by train from Verona to Peschiera del Garda and then take the Ferry to Malcesine for the day. It's about a 15 minute walk from the train station to the Ferry dock, or you could take a Taxi (there are usually some waiting at the station). You could also do a bit of exploring in Peschiera.

Padova is an easy day trip from Venice. Use the Regionale trains for that trip as it's about as fast as the Freccia trains and somewhat cheaper. If you want to visit the Scrovegni Chapel, reservations will be required - http://www.cappelladegliscrovegni.it/index.php/en/ .

I don't know of any options for dining with the locals, and don't recall any mention of that in the guidebooks. As you may know, meals in Italy are presented in several "courses" (Primi, Secondi, etc.) so have a look in the guidebook to familiarize yourself with that. I normally just get a Secondi item and either a salad or grilled vegetables.

Buon Viaggio!

I would take a day trip from Verona to Vicenza and, as recommended above, to Padova from Venezia. Vicenza is noted for its Palladian architecture. I would definitely visit the Villa Rotonda and the Villa Valmarana ai Nani. The two villas have unconventional opening/visiting days and hours. Be sure to familiarize yourself with them. They’re on the outskirts of the city, within walking distance of each other and easy to reach by taxi.

Don’t miss the Teatro Olimpico, Sanctuario di Santa Corona and the Basilica Palladiana. There are many other Palladian buildings to visit in the city if you choose to. For a unique dining experience, the locals fill up at Righetti on Piazza Del Duomo. When in Padova enjoy Bigoli, the local #1 pasta dish.

Opera in Venice - that depends on you. Are you a fan of opera? Then probably yes (depends on your budget, the price and how much of a fan you are). If you aren't an opera buff, you could watch/listen to the operas on youtube and then choose one if you think you'd like to see it.

Are there tickets available for your dates that are in your price range? That's the first thing to check.

I haven't been to a performance at La Fenice, but have toured the building. I think attending the opera there would be really special.

We also did the Ciccetti tour with Alessandro and it it was fantastic. Another option for a meal with locals in any town is Eat With. You just type in the city and dates and it displays options. https://www.eatwith.com/

Verona and Venice have there own special experiences. Verona - stay in the historic area if at all possible. This is a great city to walk around both day and night. That area is really quite small, you can walk from end to end in maybe a half hour or less. BUT if you meander (go into local shops, stop for a drink or gelato) you can fill a good half day and take home plenty of memories. Bolzano is a good day trip from Verona to see Italy when it was pretty much Austrian.

Venice is probably, no definitely, my favorite place on the planet. Of course, do the tourist must-sees but give yourself a day or two to just explore. I make it a habit of going in a different direction each day (I'm there for a full week each year) and for no reason at all I turn left, or right, and try to get lost. You can't - you're on an island (rather a whole bunch of islands). As you've already read, Padova is an easy day trip - and well worthwhile. A vaporetto pass can be a huge money saver. I like taking a vaporetto early in the morning to watch the city awaken; midday when my feet are tired; dusk to see the lights along the Grand Canal come on; and about midnight for an experience of beauty, peace, and history you won't find in any other city. Venice isn't a late night city. If you head for dinner (crowded, loud, no tourist menu) around 8 or so, plan on just staying at your table as long as you want. Great people watching and planning dinner for tomorrow night. Don't be afraid to ask 'what did you order?'. You are in for marvelous time. Take it slow, be a sponge and soak it all in. On the plane home you can plan your return visit!

Padova is on a different train line than Verona from Venice. I’m pretty sure you have to train into Venice to get to Padua. So, maybe swing another night towards Venice to better accommodate that.

On the opera front, I can’t speak to La Fenice. I would like to recommend you look into “Palazzo en Musica.” They perform chamber versions of opera classics in an old Grand Canal palace (each act in a different room.) It’s a wonderfully intimate experience, offering that bit of Venetian magic you won’t forget. This is listed in RS guidebook.

The Venetian pub crawl would be a fun thing as a solo traveler. It’s low stress socializing, with a bit of food and extra cheap wine. A good value? Not really, but good fun.

Venice is a pleasure to wander and that’s its best attraction. Work your way away from the city center during the peak day hours, and back along the Grand Canal and St. Marks as the day dies down. It’s CRAZY how much the city empties out as the sun sets. I recommend taking the ferry over to Guiddecca at some point and go up to the church tower (I forget the name.) It’s the best view of Venice, with no line.

In Venice, The church of San Giorgio Maggiore, on the small island of the same name, has a bell tower with an elevator. You can reach the island on a specially designated #2 vaporetto from the San Marco/Zaccharia 'B' stop. From up in the tower, you get great views across the city. If it's really clear, you can even get a glimpse of the mountains. The church itself is well worth seeing - it was designed by Palladio, and hosts some impressive contemporary art.

Hi Adam,

I can answer some of your questions. Also, "Padova is on a different train line than Verona from Venice. I’m pretty sure you have to train into Venice to get to Padua. " isn't correct. You can take the train from Verona or Padova without going to Venice. The search below on www.trenitalia.com shows that it takes 42 minutes.

https://www.lefrecce.it/B2CWeb/search.do?parameter=searchOutputViewer&cFID=2g32GlvwEqw7

I've attended an opera at La Fenice. Definitely go if there's an opera while you're there. Buy tickets on-line soon. The room has box seats in an arch arrangement, so make sure you're not in a partial view seat. If I remember correctly, the two chairs in the back of the box seats were higher than our front row chairs.

Speaking of opera, the Roman arena in Verona is a fantastic location to attend an opera! They won't be on during the time you're there, but there might be a concert or similar playing at the arena.

I've traveled with my husband and also alone in Italy. I don't know of any option for eating with locals, but another option is taking a cooking class. Last time I was in Verona, I took a cooking class with Veronality. Your chef will share info about the town, culture, local food, etc. I also took their city bike tour. I had been to Verona a couple of times previously, but it was fun to learn new info about Verona in this fun method.

I've been to all of the cities you're mentioning. Personally, I wouldn't try to go to all of them or at least keep your plans flexible. You waste time in sitting on trains instead of walking around seeing the sites. For Verona, you can buy a Verona Card which has a list of sites to see. I would recommend it. You're going to have a jet lag day in Verona, so walking around seeing sites with the card is a good option for your first full day.

Venice is so unique, I definitely would not plan any day trips from it, except seeing Burano or Murano if you wish.

What I wish I knew before we went the first time: hmmm, maybe knowing that dinner starts later in the evening than we expected, and the later you can go, the more you will be eating with a room of local people instead of tourists. Try to adjust your time to their later dinners.

Now it's quirky & just Italian, but the first time there I was surprised that there's no lines in Italy. Everyone just kind of crowds into a spot and it works! So if you want to be on the boat, don't pause too long. ; )

Have a great time!