Travel Books on the Veneto Region

Lonely Planet and Rough Guide also have Veneto specific guide books. Lonely Planet, at the least, offer the guides in ebook and by chapters. Oerhaps that offers the practical addition to the Blue Book.
Unfortunately, post Covid, I am not sure how relevant a published book will ge for food and lodgings...or even some of the activities. A library cooy of the guide book could short list some things, then ensure their viability online. The blue Book sounds like a treat that would be less out of date.

I used Padua as a base during my 2015 trip. I found enough to do in the city that I ended up taking only one day-trip, to Vicenza. I don't think it's a good choice for traveling to the Val Gardena in the Dolomites, though. I'd want to be up in the mountains in a place like Ortisei.

As guide book in Italy probably the Green Guides by Touring Club Italiano are one of the best available. Unfortunately only few ones have even the English version. Usually are dedicated to a specific Region (Lombardy, Veneto...), but there are even ones dedicated to geographical areas (like Dolomites) or topics (for example lagoons) or cities.
As base depends by the mean of transport. Being in the middle of Veneto, Padua could be a very good solution, even because is an important train hub so you can move easily by public transport. Treviso is another very interesting base for your daily trips, closer to Belluno and Cortina if you want to explore the mountains and Dolomiti.

Another publication to consider is "Back Roads Northern Italy" from DK publishing. Although geared for independent driving trips we've found them to be a treasure trove of off the beaten track attractions and towns not usually mentioned in the other guides, most of which cover the same things although in slightly different formats. We just used this particular guide last year and I recall that there was a lot of information about the Veneto.
The Back Roads pubs are the only ones we bring with us on our own trips aside from the RS guides. You might be able to find a copy at your local library to see if the coverage and format are of interest to you. You can typically find used copies for sale on Amazon for just a few dollars.

In spring 2019 I stayed in Padua and found much to see and do. Of four days, three were spent exploring Padua. The one day trip was by train to Cittadella and Bassano del Grappa. I found Padua to have good rail connections for exploring this area. I used the Lonely Planet and DK Eyewitness: Venice & The Veneto guides to plan the day trip; I also found info online. I would love to return to the Veneto region! I think you will find sights and activities that appeal to a wide range of interests and ages.

Most commenters have focused on where to stay... Then there is what you want to see, and how you want to see it, by train, car, bus or foot.

Gillian Price has 21 walking/trekking guidebooks in press many of which go around the Veneto and the South Tirol. We loved her Dolomites guide.

http://www.gillianprice.eu

Thank you all so much! This trip may be for a month; our young adult kids would come for 10 days of it. We will select one town and rent a 2-bedroom apartment for the entire time. We will see some of the important sights, but we also want to stay put and experience the culture of northern Italian life.

When we travel, we will travel by train. Part of the reason I am looking for books is that I want to learn more about what to see. I understand Rick Steves likes Padua, and doesn't seem to like Verona. Perhaps, if we choose Verona, we should stay across the Adige and not in the touristy city center???

We like:
cafe life
gardens like the Royal Botanical Garden in Edinburgh ;)
walking paths along rivers/streams - like the Water of Leith in Edinburgh ;)
palaces/castles
architecture
art
charm
cobblestone streets
pedestrian areas/towns
markets
Valpolicella wine :)

We are not interested in a trip that involves a lot of "touring". I ran my kids ragged in London last summer and they want a slower-paced trip this time. A Roman ruin or two will be enough for us. The Romeo and Juliet stuff in Verona sounds like it almost ruins the city making it tacky; I'm hoping it is just a small section that I can stay away from. That said, I have a huge Shakespeare fan in my family, and it's cool that three of Shakespeare's plays are set there.

We'd like to see:
Venice
Palladian architecture
Lake Garda/Sirmione and Castello Scaligeri
An event at the coliseum in Verona
Scrovegni Chapel
My husband and son are golfers and I noticed a golf course in Bassano del Grappa

Thanks again for any input you all have!

I also suggest you a day trip to the charming city of Treviso and to the hill town of Asolo.
Then, If you are interested in sparkling wine, consider also the hilly area near Valdobbiadene and Conegliano where Prosecco is produced.

You mention enjoyment of gardens, so be sure to look into Orto Botanico in Padua. Both the outdoor gardens and greenhouses are quite lovely. For Scrovegni Chapel, check to see if they will have "double visits" available in the evening while you are there. During part of the year (summer, I believe) tickets are available that give you forty minutes in the Chapel rather than the standard twenty. There are so many details to study that the twenty minutes fly by!

hey hey CaliMom
these aren't travel books but sites i've used for different regions of italy.
tripsavvy.com/veneto region of northern italy tourist maps with cities
grandigiardini.it list of gardens in the veneto region (choose a region)
tripsavvy.com/get to know lake garda (we stayed 2 days in bardolino for annual wine festival "festa dell uva" late sept/early oct) gorgeous area, small villages, shops, restaurants, ferries to other towns, transportation hub at peschiera del garda, wineries, golf courses, basillica madonna della corona rove.me/santuario-basilica-madonna-della-corona, church built into the hillsides
italyitalia.eu click treviso (treviso veneto region what to see best hidden gems)
thecrazytourist.com/best day trips from venice
so much to see and do in this area. we did a private prosecco tour (5 hours), taking train to susegana from venice, wonderful driver/guide met us at station and off wee went. it's beautiful countryside, small villages, stopping at wineries for tasting and lunch at small restaurant over looking hiils/vineyards, then back to venice. don't know the ages of your young adult kids and their interests. will gather other info i have and send to you.
hope this gives you some other info options. enjoy research, have your kids look at things and places, what they like or want to do.
aloha

@Tobia, do you suggest Treviso as a town to base in or do you recommend one of the larger towns?

My kids are 21-28, :)

From your description I can suggest you a daily trip on bicycle. Starting from Peschiera del Garda you can go south along the bikeway to Mantua. You can decide to do it completely (are about 80Km) or only one part. Is an easy way, always plan, through an area rich of castles and fortress. Near Borghetto (a medieval hamlet on the Mincio river) there is the Sigurtà park, considered the most beautiful of Italy.
As park I can suggest you even "Il Vittoriale" on the Garda's lake.
For Sheakespear lovers Mantua is a must.
Treviso in Italy is considered a little city, more than a town. It has around 90 thousand inhabitants (usually we consider a "city" in Italy anyone capital of a province). So is plenty of services, even if train connection from there are more difficult than from Padua, that is a train hub.

Vicenza's the place for Palladian architecture, and it's between Padua and Verona.

I thought Padua was a particularly good base because it has many points of interest itself. The historic center is great for wandering around, too. As of 2015 the city had a sightseeing pass that paid off for me (a rare event); it included the Scrovegni Chapel. As of the time of my visit the tourist office was located right outside the train station, and the staffer there was able to book my Scrovgni Chapel entry time when I bought the pass.

The Scrovegni Chapel has to be booked a least one day ahead; it doesn't sell same-day tickets even if not all the slots have been taken. It's risky to wait till the day before, though, unless you will have multiple days in town. I suspect the entry groups may be even smaller than before because of the (presumed) need for social distancing in the waiting area.

For me Treviso could be a convenient solution for a base: the town is quiet and untouristy, you can find lot of restaurants, pubs, enotecas where you can experience the traditional ritual of the aperitivo; the prices are much more "honest" than Venice and that's why lots of young people (locals like me) choose Treviso instead of Venice to meet together.
The downtown, closed inside medieval walls, is charming, as I said, and it is well connected with the others cities of Veneto ( Venice: 25 min by train, Padua about 50 min. with a change in Venezia-Mestre, Conegliano (Prosecco hills) 25 min). In terms of museums and artistic monuments, Padua is more attractive but in my opinion is probably more crowded.

In early September last year we spent five nights in Verona. The castle & bridge were great. My husband went to an opera in the Arena & loved that. We really, really enjoyed the sculptures around the entry door of the Basilica of San Zeno & even more the cast metal (bronze, I think?) doors inside. Also the church of San Fermo, especially the wooden ceiling.

As for walking around in Verona, we love walking around anywhere in Italy, but we discovered that we preferred other smaller and more medieval towns in the Veneto for wandering around in. The whole area around Juliet's completely fake balcony was a zoo & we avoided it. However, it is hilarious to watch people visiting the balcony & fondling the statue on: https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/italia/veneto/verona/balcone-giulietta-romeo.html

Enjoyed eating at:
La Taverna di Via Stella
Osteria il Ciottolo
Trattoria al Pompiere
Osteria Il Bertoldo

Then nine nights in Padua and we felt like if we had to choose a town in Italy to LIVE in, Padua could be it.

Scrovegni Chapel --- I had been there almost exactly 50 years before when you could just walk in. Now you book for your 15 minutes in a dehumidifying room with about a dozen other people, & then 15 minutes in the chapel. We did that once and then booked again for an evening double visit, so we could spend a total of 45 minutes in the chapel. Well worth the time & trouble.

Three large & wonderful piazze. Lots of fun all evening, very lively. Plenty of bus stops for bus trips to other parts of the city or to & from the train station.

For places to eat, we really liked Osteria dal Capo & Osteria A Banda Del Buso.

It is fun to eat at a very busy hole-in-the-wall street food place called Bigoi Padova for the thick, extruded pasta called bigoli --- that's all they sell, with whatever sauce you want on it, and you eat it just standing up or else sitting on steps or on a curb outside.

We had excellent hamburgers at Soul Kitchen & watched Italians eat hamburgers on buns with a fork & knife, cutting off slices. Or they leave in the giant central toothpick that holds the burger & its toppings together, & eat around the toothpick until there is just one bite left. We ate ours American style. In our hands.

Our favorite gelato was at Gelateria Gnam Gnam in the Piazza dei Signori --- there are about five gelato places on this piazza. The caffe was especially good, with tiny bits of coffee beans in it.

Many things to do in Padova:
https://mycornerofitaly.com/category/where-to-go/veneto/padua/
http://www.padovamedievale.it/
https://rossiwrites.com/italy/veneto/padua-italy-reasons-visit/

Day trips from Padova:
http://rossiwrites.com/italy/day-trips-italy/day-trips-from-padua-italy/

Then we stayed in the historical center of Treviso for six nights. It feels like a small town unless you walk into the newer sections. Many streets in the lovely old part of Treviso are either pedestrian-only (often narrow and porticoed) or have so little traffic they are usually full of people walking. This makes Treviso a wonderfully relaxing town to be in. Many buildings have frescoed walls & look quite Venetian. There are small canals and bridges & there were flowers everywhere. Several museums & churches containing the late medieval/early Renaissance art we like best. You can take a walk on top of the encircling walls, too.

Cittadella --- you can walk all the way around on top of the town walls.

Chioggia --- we’d previously spent two weeks in Venice and so didn’t visit it on this trip, but we did enjoy taking the train from Padua to Venice, then a vaporetto down the Grand Canal and then all the way to the Lido, then a variety of transportation to Chioggia. And back again. It took all day and we had a great meal in Chioggia but otherwise were not fond of the town.

Soave & Valdobbiadene --- it’s just fun to drink wine surrounded by the vineyards it comes from.