My husband are doing a RS trip and have a few days before a Viking cruise. The tour ends in Florence and we were thinking of visiting Bologna and another town before getting to Venice. We’ve narrowed it down to Verona or Padua. I’m looking for thoughts on which would be better as far as charm goes and things to so. TIA for any insights.
Posted by
Menlo Park, CA, us
76 posts
PADUA, Loving small university city close to Venice.
Posted by
Washington DC
28247 posts
I haven't been to Verona yet (maybe this summer), but I like Padua a lot. Rick covers both in his guide to Italy, and there are considerably more pages devoted to Padua than Verona as I recall. That doesn't necessarily mean Padua is the better choice for you, of course.
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1145 posts
Hello harmsjd,
For background I have spent a total of about two weeks in Verona over a couple of visits and I've only been on a day trip to Padua. I obviously have much more experience in Verona but a day trip to Padua kind of satisfied my curiosity about that town. To be fair I had been in Italy a while including Bologna, Verona and Brescia so many of the "cool" elements of Padua - the colonnades, the series of piazzas strung together - I had already seen in other places. Coming to Padua 'fresh' I might have had a different and more positive reaction.
So all that being said I'd vote for Verona.
Verona is a very pretty, genteel city with pedestrian friendly city core wrapped by the bridges across the big bend in the river. I has shopping, outdoor cafe culture, a Roman arena and theater (which still host shows and opera), and beautiful buildings in state elegant decay that they do so well in the Veneto.
I think that Verona is overlooked because it doesn't have a ton of blockbuster sites but it feels much more intimate than the population of the city would suggest since all the areas a tourist is interested in are centered within the loop of the river and immediately adjacent.
Hope that helps, have a great trip!
=Tod
Posted by
1045 posts
Afraid I can’t compare the two, but really enjoyed Padua. The Basillica of St. Anthony and the Scrovengi chapel are terrific sights. Even if you just plan on chilling, you’ll need something to see/do. The town has an upscale elegance, and I think it may boast the highest percentage of vintage Vespas in Italy. Honestly, between the two I’m not sure you can go wrong.
Posted by
Wilmington, DE, USA
1065 posts
I really enjoy both cities. But that said, when are you travelling? If during the summer season, maybe you might enjoy a very unique Italian experience: opera at the Arena in Verona.
Posted by
OP
11 posts
Thank you for all your responses! We’ll be there the end of October. We decided to drop Bologna and do both Verona and Padua!