Itinerary feedback, please - N Italy 3 weeks Spring

I think that your itinerary is well planned and I would not change anything. Some travelers might argue that you’re spending too much time in Venice. With the length of time of your trip, that gives you a day to take as a vacation from your vacation day. Relax and recharge! I think a day each in Vicenza and Verona are fine. If you are interested in seeing the Palladian villas outside the city center - La Rotonda and Villa Valmarana - hop a cab as soon as you get to Vicenza. Check opening hours as La Rotonda is only open for limited times on Saturday and Wednesday. If it’s closed, Villa Valmarana is still definitely worth a visit.

We did the Brenta boat tour of the Palladian villas from Venice. We enjoyed it so much that we returned and explored the Veneto region for a week based in Vicenza.

Thanks for the feedback.
Glad I am on the right track.

Only other visit to Venice was during a spell of travel burnout and we didn't much like it. I want to go back and give it another try....thus the extra time. If I get tired of the place, there are day trips I can do, I am sure....or just spend a day in my jammies reading and eating bonbons.
I have had this trip on my mind for some years, but always for November when it would be cheaper, but changing it to April gives me gardens and the Brenta villas. I think it will still also allow for spring mountain flowers and snow during the Alps train ride.

Thanks again.

April also gives you longer days, the better to enjoy early evening sightseeing. Kudos to you for planning to cope with jet lag and allocating time for laundry and groceries. Looks like a wonderful trip -- enjoy!

This looks like my kind of trip and I don't think that's anywhere close to too much time in Venice. My one thought as I read through the itinerary was that you might end up wishing for a bit more time for Vicenza/Padua. Vicenza isn't terribly big, so a day there may be totally sufficient, even for a Palladio lover, but there's quite a lot to see in Padua (don't forget to pre-book the Scrovegni Chapel), and I thoroughly enjoyed multiple wandering walks through the historic center. I haven't been to Verona, so I cannot comment on how it compares to Padua.

Try to confirm water levels in the Brenta Canal before plunking down your money for that boat trip (which I believe is rather pricey). I remember reading a strongly-worded complaint about that trip 2 or 3 decades ago. The traveler had bad luck with his timing, and the boat wasn't able to make all of the planned stops. Unlike the river cruises that turn into bus tours but still (I think) get you to all the planned stops, the canal trip skipped more than one of the villas completely.

This sounds like a great trip! I lived in Vicenza and Verona and both can easily be seen in a day. If you like architecture, you will love Vicenza- having been all over Italy, it’s still one of my favorite places. If you happened to end up with some extra time, Treviso is easily reachable by train from Venice and the surrounding areas and is also very charming!

Acraven,was the water level that caused the villa misses too high, or too low?
Verona has a Roman amphitheatre where they perform summer opera series among other buildings of note. I can pass on the (fake) Juliet'sbalcony.
I am willing to pass on Milan if I can get to Tiranoftom Verona or nearby...thus adding a day to that central area.
Kristen, thanks for the confirmation a day each might do. I suspect after all the villas in Venice and the ones along the canal, I won't feel short changed for missing a few in Vicenza. And thanks for the Treviso suggestion. Home of prosseco and tiramisu. Yum.

There is a museum of Palladio in Vicenza that opened after I moved. I visited last year and it is small but interesting, with models of many of his villas. The Olympic Theater is amazing and the city center small but really charming. To reach the city center from the train station is very easy and direct, simply come out of the station, walk straight ahead for about five minutes, take a right and you are at the city walls of the historic center on the Main Street, Corso Palladio, full of lovely shops - Both the Palladio museum and the Olympic Theater are off of this street. To me, Vicenza is like the inside of a little jewel box, small, but full of little treasures. 😊

Verona is a bit more of a walk from the main train station to the historic center, probably about 15-20 minutes walking but you can also take a bus from the station to the center. When I lived in Italy and when I travel there each year I take trains and public transportation everywhere and find it very convenient and easy to coordinate. For Milan, I’m sure you know about getting tickets for the Last Supper well in advance as they sell out quickly. I saw it years ago and wanted to go again last year but the tickets were sold out. By going on Viator.com I was able to book a tour. It cost me a little bit more but I was able to get the date that I needed. Something to keep in mind if you have trouble getting a ticket on the day you would like to go. It’s breathtaking! Also, Sforza Castle in Milan has Michelangelo’s Rondanini Pieta- also breathtaking!!

Thanks for the additional info Kristen. I know some things I have to book ahead for. I don't tend to book everything, just the important entries.
Rome2rio says only public transport to Tirano is via Milan, so I guess that has to stay put.
I bus at home, and we used the train my last visit to Italy. But as that was 2002, so train travel now has the high speed options. That area has interesting countryside, I thought.

Maria, I'm not positive (it was way too many years ago, and it didn't happen to me personally), but I think the problem was that the water level in the canal was too low.

Walks of Italy does a guided walk through the historic area of Milan and the ticket includes entry to The Last Supper. It ends at the rooftop of the magnificent Duomo, the 4th largest cathedral in Europe and with a commanding view. On a clear day you can see the Alps! I avoid Viator and go to the source like Walks of Italy. They offer so many activities like cooking classes other than simply walks. Guides are personable and knowledgeable.

Instead of staying so many nights in Bologna, I'd stay overnight in Ravenna and give it the best part of 2 full days, or take an evening train for 2 nights and leave late on the 3rd day. It's a lovely town and you can't even see all the mosaic sights in one day. It's a pretty town, nearly everything is walking distance, but you can also take a bike. Many locals get around that way.

Verona is one of my favorites. When I was there the Verona Card was a good buy. Juliet's balcony is really kittsch but you can tour the house and get a look at how the merchants lived in the Middle Ages.

Check if there's a convenient laundromat in Venice. I've never tried. I'd guess that Bologna is a better place, especially with all the college students.

What a wonderful and well-planned itinerary! I wouldn't change a thing, unless there are special things you want to do in Vicenza/Verona. Time in Venice, in my experience, is always well-spent, no matter how often you visit.

I'm especially excited to see you'll be visiting Bologna. It is one of my favourite places in Italy and so underrated by tourists (which is a good thing). I'd been in Italy for six weeks by the time I arrived there and it was such a relief to be overwhelmed by students rather than tourists! I also did a day trip to Ravenna and it was extraordinary.

Chiani, my only visit to Venice was marred by having to find a laundromat (we could only find 2 in the entire city and needed one open on a Sunday), find an internet cafe (pre wifi days), find a grocery store, avoid having my eyes poked out by short and inconsiderate umbrella users. As well as being travel weary, everything was complicated. One blessing was our apartment had a wide range of rubber boots so when everything was flooding, we didn't have wet feet.
My intension is to find several apartments along the way with a washer and good wifi 😁 I am determined to give Venice the best chance to win me over.
As I read up on places, I may well tweak a day here or there, but I am trying to avoid a lot of one nighters. Of course, Revenna is also close to the Po Delta which would be fabulous bird watching that time of year.....but I am trying not to think about that hobby (too much).