3 days in Italy

I always think Padua - Padova is a wonderful spot for a few days .

Yes, with possible side trips to Vicenza and Verona.

I'll "second" both of the places mentioned above. Padua and Verona

When? Verona is one of my favorites but in opera season I'm told it's very crowded, and I'm not so sure it has enough to warrant 3 days. Padua's sights can be seen in a day, maybe a day and a half. Florence certainly has enough sights and variety for much more than 3 days and is a good base for day trips to Pisa, Lucca, Siena. There are frequent trains to Bologna, the ride is just over 1/2 hour. There's also a shuttle service from Florence to the Bologna airport.

Thank you for the great suggestions! I am traveling from Bologna this week. Is it past high season now? I have been to Florence twice, and also Lucca, Cortona and Siena. I enjoyed Tuscany, but am open to see some new places.

Hmm. How about actually staying in Ravenna? There's enough to fill 2 days of somewhat leisurely sightseeing and it's a charming town. On a day trip, you will be rushing around. You can visit Padua as a day trip from Bologna, even Verona is a shorter train ride from Bologna than Ravenna.

You could readily spend 6 days in Bologna and easily fill the time with convenient day trips. It really is an especially practical base for a large number of wonderful nearby cities.

I loved Ravenna, but it's not particularly well-located for taking multiple day-trips, though Ferrara's about 75 minutes away. You can also get to Faenza, which has a pretty historic area and very nice ceramic museum with good coverage of contemporary pieces, in about an hour by train (less by bus). But I believe there are a lot of destinations in Bologna's orbit that are more interesting than Faenza except for travelers especially interested in ceramics.

There is not so much to see in Bologna, but it is a good base for day trips. I'm going to Ravenna tomorrow, and I've enjoyed Ferrara, Modena and Parma. They are easy day trips.
Rick is right, in the Italy 2016 guide he mentions avoid Bologna. But it's convenient to stay here with all the trains at Centrale.
I'm leaning towards Padua for the end of the trip, since I've been to Florence twice.

I enjoyed Ravenna so much, I am going for a 2nd day trip from Bologna.
For the other 3 days, I decided to try Venice.
Thanks for your suggestions.

I believe there is more than you think there is to see in Bologna, depending on your interests. Some marvelous churches, several really interesting museums (my favorite was the terrific music instruments museum), walking around under the porticos, and of course the FOOD! But as another person said, unless you have already spent a lot of time in Florence that should certainly be at the top of your list. You could spend 2 or more weeks there and still have much more to see and experience. Getting there by train is extremely fast and easy.

Susan,
Yes, it is a great location for train connections.
What restaurants did you go to in Bologna? I thought the Piazza Maggiore area was underwhelming, I was closer to the University today, which I liked better.

Find the restaurant La Colombina, near Piazza Maggiore.