There are lots of places in the region of the Veneto that are an easy day trip from Venice by train. We decided to go to Padua. Joe has always had a strong connection to St. Anthony of Padua and I really wanted to see The Scrovegni Chapel and it's Giotto frescos.
Having heard that seeing the Giotto frescoes can be a long wait, we headed there first and got very lucky. It being a weekday and the first week in December, not only wasn't there a wait, but our timing worked out such that during our 15 minutes in the chapel it was just the docent and us. This incredible piece of Italian Renaissance art is lovingly restored and cared for and to be in the room, just the two of us was one of those special moments you will remem
ber for the rest of your life. The ticket to the chapel also includes entry to the city museums including the Museums of Archeology and Painting. The collections are extensive and worth the time.From there we walked our way to the center of town. It's a totally walkab
le town with roots going back to the Romans and medieval times. We enjoyed the tenor the streets which were setting up for a Christmas market that would open later that day and visited a couple of churches before heading to the Basilica di San Antonio. The other "big site" we took in, was to wander down to the Prato della Valle, which is considered the largest public square in Italy. It was originally the site of a Roman theater.
