Northern Italy

I think Padova would be perfect for you. We did a day-long layover there between Venice and Verona a few years ago and found it delightful. It's a very young feeling place due to the large number of university students, and we didn't see many English-speaking tourists.

Here are some photos I took of Padova from May 2011, in case you're interested.

Padua or Vicenza are fine. A bigger challenge will be getting there from Bled, if you rely on trains.

I don't know what quintessential Italian town mean. I thought all towns in Italy are quintessentially Italian.

We will have a car so we won't have to rely on trains. I guess by quintessential Italy I mean more medieval or very old, the way one would think of when they Italy. When you haven't been to a city you don't have a picture of what it will look like. So, I'd rather choose a place with a walled city than stay in one with newer construction.

Thank you Michael! Love the photos! It looks really nice.

Whichever town you choose, consider that inside the ancient city walls it's likely to be forbidden to cars, therefore if you select accommodations in the historical center (inside the city wall), you need to inquire with the hotel about the car access and the parking arrangements for your car.

Most Italian towns (nearly all actually), even the smallest, will have an ancient core and a more modern area outside of the historical center. The rule about traffic restrictions in the ancient city/town core applies to most towns.

An alternative is to stay in the countryside outside town where you won't have issues parking your car. In that case you would drive into the city/town you want to visit and park outside the city walls for the day while you visit (this is true for Verona, Vicenza and Padua. Near Padua there are the beautiful Euganei Hills (20 min. drive from Padua). Near Vicenza there are hills to the south (Berici hills) and to the north. Verona has the Valpolicella wine country to the north. All the above mentioned countryside locations are no more than 20-30 min. drive from the respective cities. There are several small villages in those localities. In the Euganei hills I like Arqua', where the poet Petrarch was born. It's less than 30 min. drive from Padua historical center.

Thanks Roberto.

Question: How easy is it to get into out of these cities with a car? Is there parking at a train station so we can stay in the countryside and than take trains into the cities?

I have found a small B&B in a neighborhood where we can keep our car and take a tram into Padua to the train station. Or we can find a countryside location and drive. Any advice?

We have had experience staying outside of both Padova and Vicenza and driving in. I remember, clearly, that, in Vicenza, there is a parking garage very close to the wall; and it wasn't horribly expensive (6 years ago). I think I'm remembering accurately that there is also parking at the train station, which is also close to the city wall. My recollection of Padova is foggier, but I know that we drove in from our B&B outside town and that we were able to park without breaking our budget. I believe there is a large parking structure near the bus station and even some (paid) street parking. There is a large green space, Prato della Valle, near which we parked one day. It is an easy walk from there into the historic center. We loved staying near these towns and exploring the Veneto. Need I remind you to bring a GPS?

Padua is quite nice, inside the old city walls is indeed "quintessentially Italian", outside "modern industrial Italian". Here is a map of the ZTL's.

http://www.padovanet.it/allegati/C_1_Allegati_3207_Allegato.pdf

The red lines at the top of the map are the rail lines and you will see in the center "Piazza Stazione", the train station. There are several modern business type hotels in the top right hand area with parking, similar to an American Holiday Inn. The new tram line runs from the station straight down through the center of town and the old part of the university. The University of Padua is located in various areas all over the city including the old center, but much of it is located in modern facilities outside the historic center.
Pick up an inexpensive Padova Card at the train station tourist office and it includes free transit on the tram as well as numerous museum admissions. Make a reservation to see the Scrovegni Chapel with it's Giotto frescos.

Thank you! I did make reservations for just outside of Padua and then we will train in and to other areas. We will do some trips by car to Bassano and that area too. Still wondering about a place to stay to get more Italy before heading to Mittenwald I posted on the General question list. Any ideas?

A thought about Venice. Venice like Rothenburg and many other old towns has the problem of being over run with day trippers during the day. While you can see many of the sights during the day, to really appreciate the city you need to spend some time there after five o'clock. Since Padua is only about 30 miles from Venice and you have a car, why not drive to Venice and park in the Tronchetto. Then you can spend as long as you want and head back when you are ready with utter disregard for the train schedules? The nice thing about a car is it is always there waiting you and if you are a minute late, you don't have to wait foe the next one.