Nicola Burazzi enjoys weekend breaks with his daughter Bianca which provide the right mix of culture and entertainment. His last trip took him to Venice where he stayed just outside of Mira - on the Riviera del Brenta - midway between Padua and Venice. This is a slightly more economic option to staying in the centre of Venice and definitely a way to avoid the crowds.
A long weekend in and around Venice
On the outward journey we stopped at the Val Corba zoo-safari park (lions, puma, zebra, cheetah...animals from Africa) which is a great experience for children.
We slept near Mira, where the Mira-Mirano railway station is, just 25 minutes from the Santa Luca station in Venice, with connections every 20 minutes and a ticket that costs 2.5 euros.
The villages of Mira, Mirano and Dolo are characteristic, with good restaurants and much cheaper than in Venice.
The area also runs along the banks of the Brenta river, where one can see the villas of the ancient noble families and the landing stage from where the Burchiello - a type of boat - historically connected Padua to Venice.
In Venice, with 6-year-old Bianca, we walked!!
We saw the Banksy mural...
visited the Peggy Guggenheim Museum...
the Fenice theatre...
and the bell tower of San Marco...
We also took a trip to the island of Murano, using the ‘gondola ferry’ which shuttles back and forth between the banks of the Grand Canal at 2 euros per head.
On our return journey, we stopped at the castle of San Pelagio, where there is an aviation museum and experiments for young children to do.
From there, home, is only a 3/3.30 hour drive!