My girlfriend and I have booked flights and a hotel in Venice for a week this spring. Perhaps we got carried away, as it now seems like a very long time. Is it easy to do day trips from Venice, and where would you recommend we go? We like art and soaking up the atmosphere of Italy, and a day away from the tourist hordes would be nice. Jack Kearns, Faversham

Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green responds: Thanks to the surprisingly cheap, reliable, and efficient Italian Railways, it's a doddle to head off inland to explore the rich hinterland of the Venetian Empire, now called the Veneto.

For a blast of student-fuelled vitality, and not a stripy t-shirt in sight, I'd say head to Padua. It has a jumbled medieval centre, lively markets, great street life, and it's the cradle for Giotto's spellbinding frescos.

It's probably here, in 1306 when the chapel interior was completed and Giotto cleaned his brushes, that the art of perspective was borne. Sounds dull, but believe me, it isn't. You have to book at least 24 hours in advance to see the frescos, via www.cappelladegliscrovegni.it, and entry costs £9 - about the most revelatory tenner you'll ever spend.

Padua is less than 30 minutes by fast Eurostar style train from Venice; £18 return (£5 on a standard train that takes 40 minutes).

Then there are Verona and Vicenza, the two big hitters of the Veneto, and each is in comfortable day trip territory from Venice ­ although you should avoid weekends when they are at their most touristy. Verona has its pink-hued Roman amphitheatre, Romeo and Juliet's balcony, and a romantic riverside atmosphere to match, while Vicenza is Palladio central.

The famous architect left his magnificently well-proportioned marks all over the town, with the best views from the exquisitely symmetrical Rotunda on a hill to the west. Verona is from 1 horu and 20 minutes by train, and £7 return; Vicenza is 45 minutes, £10 return.

Vicenza's tourist office has good information on Palladio and his buildings, and to really get a feel for his villas and their balance with the landscape, you need to head out of town. There is a bus service that runs every 30 minutes or so, but with so many villas to cover, it soon gets frustrating. It's better to hire a car for the day.

Or maybe hire one for a couple of days. Then you can really wander the back lanes of the Veneto, and drive to some of the smaller towns. Cittadella for example, which as you might expect, is surrounded by spectacular fortress walls and a moat; or along the Po valley, is Bassano del Grappa, home base of the famous firewater, the Diesel clothing company, and an extremely photogenic bridge. And save time for the climb up to the enchanting hillside town of Asolo, once gifted to the Venetian queen of Cyprus and favorite retreat of Robert Browning.

Book train tickets though www.trenitali.com, or its UK agent www.italiaril.co.uk

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