I've been to Venice, Italy once - What should I do my second time around while I'm in Venice for a weekend?

The Biennale and the Film Festival can occupy quite a bit of your time. I live near Verona and spend three or four days in Venice just doing the Biennale in the years when it's running. If the weekend you'll be in Venice is the 1st weekend in September (possible since both the Biennale and Film Festival end on the 12th), then the Historical Regatta will be running. That's definitely worth seeing if you're there late enough on the Sunday. http://www.istc.org/sisp/index.htm?fx=event&event_...

A cruise on the Brenta canal is nice: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%2B%22ferrara...

Padova is an excellent choice for a day trip. Another good option that's nearby is Treviso. http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/veneto/treviso.html Verona is only 1 hr 10 min from Venice on the faster trains and has a lot to see and do. The Tocati Festival (street games) is in Verona during September, but I don't know the specific date yet. Unfortunately, you'll just miss the opera season at the old Roman colosseum there - the last performance is the 30th of August. http://www.arena.it/

You can visit Verona, It's only a 2 hour train ride from Venice.

Verona is a two hours from Venice

The home of Romeo and Juliet.

http://www.intesys.it/Tour/Ita/VeronaGiuliettaRome...

http://www.arena.it/it-IT/homeit.html

Some photos of Padova

http://www.globopix.net/fotografie/veneto/padova/p...

In Arquà Petrarca to a little town in the province of Padova is the house where he lived the writer Francesco Petrarca

http://www.arquapetrarca.com/casapetrarca.asp

Even his grave.

http://www.virtualveneto.it/turismo-veneto/provinc...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrarch