Italy part 1 - Abano Therme Wellness break

We flew to Verona at the start of our holiday and after a wander around the Arena (Roman Amphitheatre) and the obligatory view of the Romeo and Giulietta balcony and the imposing Lamberti tower and some lunch we took the 35 minute train journey to Padua. I would recommend spending some time in Padua with it’s wonderful cathedral and Piazzas where you can spend some aperitivo time enjoying a pre dinner drink. A must is the Scrovegni chapel where the artist Giotto decorated the chapel with his stunning frescoes painted between 1301 and 1304. Our final destination was Abano Terme which is on the outskirts of Padua and there are regular buses or taxis. Abano Terme is an Italian spa resort where guests come to one of the many hotels offering rejuvenating spa treatments. We were guests of the Grand hotel Victoria and Trieste one of 4 hotels from GB Thermae hotels located in Abano. I had one of the mud treatment for which they are justly proud with its restorative properties from the mud brought in from the nearby Euganean hills while my wife said the face treatment at the spa was excellent. The hotel has 4 swimming pools fed by the thermal waters and lots of water based treatment programs as well as Hamman steam sauna, dry sauna and ice sauna. It is a wonderful way to relax and recharge for a few days of looking after yourself and I would thoroughly recommend a visit. After 3 nights our visit came to an all to soon conclusion and we returned to Padua train station for the second half of our trip.