We are traveling to Italy for 10 nights next April. Flying into Venice and out of Florence. Have 3 nights booked in Venice and 5 nights booked in Florence. We want to stay somewhere in the middle for 2 nights. We REALLY wanted to stay in the CT, but have regrettably given it up due to long train travel. Suggestions? Lucca is a front runner at this point....

or should we just try to add 2 nights to Florence and day trip?

Loads of choices, Padua is fascinating, Verona has some charm, Bologna is worth three or four days. Lucca is pretty but relatively small

Do not pass up Ravenna - the mosaics from more than a thousand years ago will enchant you, looking as fresh as if they had been put in yesterday. It's a nice town to stay in, low-key typical, and in a day and a half you can see the mosaics in the various locations. You won't be sorry. See a few samples at www.ravennamosaici.it or simply google "Ravenna Mosaics" and switch to "Images".

From Venice you take the train in the direction of Bologna that stops in Ferrara where you switch to the regional train that takes you to Ravenna. Or you take the fast train to Bologna and switch to a regional for Ravenna.

If you like leisurely travel, you can take the vaporetto from Venice to Chioggia (itself a charming mini-Venice), then the regional train to Rovigo and with one more switch, either in Ferrara or in Bologna, get to Ravenna.

And here's a ride you might like, from Ravenna through the mountains to Florence for views you don't get on the fast line via Bologna:

At 07:33 the regional train (11568) leaves for Faenza where you switch to the train 6808 that takes you past Borgo San Lorenzo in the mountains to Florence. Look it up on a map and you'll see what a different route that is. Plenty of views, of local commuters hopping on and off, no tourists in sight, and no rush (it stops everywhere...).

At 10:50 you can catch a bus for Faenza and catch the 12:20 train that takes that same route.

Bologna to me is a vastly underrated city that would make a sweet few-day stay - said to have more historic medieval buildings than any other Italian town.

Smack on main rail lines between Venice and Florence.

It would take about as much time to Lucca from Venice as to the Cinque Terre - that would be possible, depending on what you call a long train trip of course.

thank you all for the replies. i will look into these options.