Mestre is Venice’s dormitory town, where most of its workers live and return across the water each night. Although it has no Venetian atmosphere, it’s only 10 km from Marco Polo airport and is a relatively cheap base for exploring Venice and the Veneto. The Brenta Canal, famous for its elegant Palladian villas, empties in to the lagoon next to Mestre and stretches west to the historic university city of Padua.
