ok, i've talked myself into running the venice marathon at the end of october. i will probably be in italy for one week and need help with my itinerary.

first, i'd like to stay in venice for four days and would be grateful for hotel recommendations. my budget is about $250 per night. i prefer small, charming hotels. i've been to venice several times before, but i either rented apartments for a week or stayed at a luxe hotel, which i can't afford for this trip. i am open to all neighborhoods.

second, i'd like to start my trip by staying a few days outside of venice. any suggestions? is emilia romagna close enough or am i pushing it?

thanks!!

Have you been to Lake Garda yet? I'm not sure what the weather will be like in October, but taking a tour around the lake with it's varied landscape was spectacular in May. If/when we go back, we'll stay overnight in Riva del Garda.

For our trip in May we spent 10 days in Verona and surrounds. Check out my trip report if you like:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34500984


The glaring omission from our itinerary was the Dolomites, which would be very close to Venice.

Hotel FLora 3* is small, very charming and peaceful (near San Marco but away form the crowds). It has it's on little garden area. www.hotelflora.it

Hotel Ala, a 3* 10 minutes walk from San Marco on a small square. It is on a small canal and about 1 minute from a vaporetto stop. Great breakfast.

I second the Flora, but also suggest the Colombina, about 5 minutes in another direction from the Piazza.
Do a search for those, or the Ala, right here, using the little box above.

Thanks. Has anyone stayed in Dolo or any other town along the Brenta River? I'm looking at the Villa Ducale, which seems nice and convenient to Venice.

You don't mean a day trip to Emilia-Romagna, right? If you mean that you want to base yourself in E-R for a few days, and then move and base in Venice, I think that's perfect. In fact I did exactly that this past fall. Emilia-Romagna and Veneto are adjacent regions, so it makes sense to group these two areas in a single vacation.

yes, i thought about staying in emilia for a few days and then moving over to venice (perhaps at the villa ducale outside of venice). where did you stay in emilia? any recommendations on can't-miss food, sights, etc?