I ran this race as my first marathon ('03) and it was an exceptional experience. Running in Italian countryside through small towns with screaming fans was my favorite part. It's important to read the info online before you go if you don't have it mailed to you. It's well organized and some runners initated conversation during the race, even though I'm clearly a blond, non-Italian. Great memories and a true Italian experience! (And you're only a short (15 min?) train ride from Venice.)

Adding 4300+ participants to the 2005 edition is a big increase over prior year. Nevertheless organization handled it reasonably well. This is a marathon that takes you from the village of Vedelago, to the beautiful center of Padua. The road is closed to the traffic. You cross a few villages, where they turned the marathon into a community party, with bands playing music and people cheering.
The rain on the last 10k made running on the stone pavement of Padua City city somehow painful. But once you are there, you know you've made it.

If you are looking for a marathon on a smaller scale with a flat course and great organization, this is the one for you. Approximately 2500 runners participated in this event. Rest stops were set up every 5km with sponge stations in between. The cost was right at Euro 35 (approximately $40)and you get Euro 5 back after you turn in your computer chip. Traffic was blocked for the duration of the race along the entire course for 8 hours. The course winds through 9 cities, some with beautiful sites and several with large screaming crowds. The marathon finishes in the largest square (piazza) in Europe, and is lined with incredible statues and buildings. I would recommend this run and gladly run it again.