1 night stay between Venice and Lake Maggiore?
 

Hi everyone - we will be driving from Venice to Stresa (Lake Maggiore) at the beginning of October and are looking to spend 1 day touring along the way. Thinking of driving past the Villas around Mira and Stra and then finding a charming town to spend the night before driving the rest of the way to Stresa. At first, thought of Asolo/Villa Barbaro, but the villa will be closed that day, so seems pointless. Any thoughts on Padua, Vicenza, or something in between, please?

Thanks in advance for the help!!!

I would keep on truckin and spend the extra day at Lago Orta from Stresa. Try to miss Milan at rush hour.
If you must stop then Verona is my choice.

Have you checked whether the Villa Rotonda near Vicenza will be open? (Not that it matters much; the interior is totally forgettable, but the guest house of the Villa Valmarana ai Nani a few steps away has some lovely Giandomenico Tiepolo frescoes.)

Vicenza is not exactly a charming town, in my opinion, but then neither is Padua. Padua has the Giotto frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel, but a visit (15 minutes) has to be booked in advance.

If you time it right, you could probably stop in both Padua and Vicenza and still make it to Verona for your overnight stop. Not that I find Verona particularly charming either. The church of San Zeno Maggiore is well worth seeing, for the 12th-c. bronze doors and the Mantegna altarpiece.

hi bobthenavigator - what's at lago orta, please?

Perhaps this is not exactly on your route, but Sirmione at the southern tip of Lake Garda is a charming, fortified town.

The smallest and most charming of the many venues in the lakes region. See more at www.orta.net --it is a magical place and an easy drive from Maggiore via the back roads.

E,

Friends just returned from their 3rd Italy trip (just had a nice dinner discussing the details). They started at the lakes and loved the area so much, they cancelled all the rest of their reservations and just stayed in the lakes area.

They especially raved about the small town of Limone on Lago di Garda, and also loved Lago di Orta.

ditto Lake Garda, just west of Verona, where you could stop as well

Limone is just one of several sweet resorts on the lake - lake boats go all over.

Sirmione is great though it's a Portofinesque tourist mob in season - but it also has some amazing Roman ruins set in a lovely setting overlooking the lake.

In the past I've stayed at both Vicenza and Parma for one night and had a pleasant stay at each.