A base city for one month in Italy in October 2025

Hello,

From what you have described in your post I would suggest Bologna, Parma or Reggio-Emilia. One month in one location is a long time unless you are doing a lot of day trips in the area. You may want to consider 2 bases, two weeks in each and you could see a lot more of Italy more easily. Enjoy.

Ario,

My husband and I are in our early 60s and travel the same way. We find a town to settle into and live.

We are going to stay in Parma for a couple weeks. It seems close to lots of other interesting places but is vibrant enough on its own… markets, museums, cafes, shops.

People also love Modena.

We were in Bologna this October. Because there was frequent rain, we really appreciated the many porticos. The historical section does not feel too large. It definitely has great food and culrural optiins. We have stayed in Airbnbs in Bologna three times.

Bologna for its train connections.
Or, perhaps Bologna and Milano.

Before others respond, they might want to read through your other thread to see what has already been suggested:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/italy-for-a-one-month-long-stay-october-2025

And you, arlo_1, could help by sharing which of those suggestions (besides Lucca) you have already eliminated.

Thanks Lola, for the good comment for more details...
We have eliminated the long stay for Ravenna, Verona, Lucca, and coastal areas ( due to time of year in particular).
It seems like Parma or Modena are the leaders for a month stay, knowing that the train availability to the other cities for day trips and the city size seem to offer what would make it enjoyable for us.
I am just wondering if there are any major differences in either Parma or Modena that people might give us insight into.
We would lean towards quieter, walkable neighborhoods and have targeted a few of those in both towns. (We have stayed in several Old Town areas and university areas, which we are moving away from for this trip.)
Have any of you had extended stays in these towns?

Both Parma and Modena are quiet. I visited both in August along with Ferrara, Ravenna, Bologna, Verona, Padua, Vicenza and Bassana del Grappa, Venice again (the least delightful part due to over tourism), Murano, Burano.

I stayed in Padua for a week and Bologna for 10 days as bases for tons of day trips.

I recommend a base in Verona or Parma. While you appreciate the quiet I think Modena is more like a one and done. I ate the best pasta of my life in Parma and there’s no shortage of amazing restaurants, plus the beautiful Parma yellow buildings make it a delight to stroll. They have great museums, too. Modena was a very quick walk and then I enjoyed a food hall

I enjoyed Verona and look forward to returning (esp to enjoy an opera in their colosseum) - lots of tourists in some areas, but you can stay in areas more where locals live.

I enjoyed staying in Padua as well! But if you’re looking for locations closer to Parma, Modena, Bologna etc then Padua would be too far. I stayed in Padua for day trips in that area and ventured further south for the Emilio-Romagna day trips. Hope this helps! That whole region is easily accessible by train.

Thanks Sunny!

Did you stay at an Airbnb in Parma?
Or this is to the group if it is allowed.... any suggestions based on convenient, more on the quiet side, and walkable? Or neighborhoods you would recommend for this criteria?

In Parma, you might look at Piumaviola; they have both studio and one-bedroom apartments, and the owners get high marks in reviews. It is close, but not too close, to the train station. I had booked this for a 2-night stay for a visit we had to cancel, so we have not actually stayed there.

https://piumaviola.it/en/

I chose Parma over Modena for that visit based on comments and advice here. You might also look at Ferrara, which we like a lot.

A month? I think the main question that has to be asked & answered is...do you like variety of things to do--different museums, different towns on daytrips, different ristorantes in the evening? Or...are you going to be happy ingraining & assimilating in one small town, getting a routine, getting to know the shopkeepers and trattoria owners?

If you like some of both scenarios, I think the answer is...Rome. Most other responses have been for relatively small towns, which are fine, but I think after two weeks of the same thing you might have a hankering to get out of Dodge. Don't just assume that by assimilating, you're going to immediately be the locals' best friend and be invited to their houses for dinner. It might happen, but probably will not.

In Rome, because there are so many cool neighborhoods, you can develop a routine of sorts, scratching that itch for a small-town feel. In February 2017, stayed there for a week in prep for a longer winter trip of a month or more sometime in the next few years. (I'm visiting next April, but only for 4 days, part of a longer trip.) My routine in the morning was to take an early-morning brisk walk along the Tiber while the Campo de' Fiori vendors were setting up, double around for a quick espresso/cornetto, maybe to the Forno bakery then shop at the market. Then we'd start our day, maybe taking a trip to Orvieto, or just get on the bus or Metro to some other unknown attraction not even in the guidebooks--those are all over the place. Come back to the 'hood at night for a nice dinner, then gelato. After 3 days, the local workers knew me and would strike up conversations. I liked that, and could easily envision how that could be developed over a month or more time.

I don't think there is anyplace in Italy with Rome's variety, from museums to cuisine to attractions. And from Termini station, you can go anywhere and back in a day. We found a 2nd floor walkup, not quite a studio apartment but with a galley kitchen, perfectly serviceable, for $85 /night for a week. Prices are up since 2017, but for a month I guarantee you could still find a pretty good deal off-season. You'll pay more in October (not off-season anymore!), but not as much as in the summer.

Enjoy your planning!

I agree with Jay. I'd feel stifled spending a month without a car anywhere smaller than a major city, assuming I didn't have a project to keep me busy--taking language classes, writing a novel, etc. But we are all different. It might be just the right thing for you.

I recommend you fiddle around with the Trenitalia website or app, checking travel times to places you'd want to go. Be sure they seem reasonable, especially by the time you add the time required to get from your lodgings to the train station and back at the end of the day. Also consider how you'll feel making multiple trips along the same route, making repeated trips to cities for which a single day-trip is inadequate.

Thank you Jay and a Craven for your comments. I’m not sure if you read the entire post that I listed above, but we have traveled extensively and usually do pick a place for a month that has access to other areas with a quick train ride or an occasional car rental.
We will be hiking in the Dolomites for four weeks first and then moving to this next month stop. I’m looking for the fall harvest food areas to spend the last month because we haven’t done that type of trip in particular before.
We have found that a city somewhere between 75 to 200,000 people is our comfort zone for the base location for us. Depending on the heartbeat of the area it can offer everything that we need and allow us to take day or couple day trips elsewhere. We have found that by staying for a month our costs usually come down considerably and allows us to take those other day or multi day trips throughout the month.
You have good insights and I appreciate it.
After input and ideas from people, we are going to use Parma as the base and explore from there. Thank you all!!

Hi @arlo_1 -- I didn't stay in an Airbnb in Parma. I did two day trips from my Airbnb in Bologna. I can't wait to return to Parma! Best pasta in my life and I've been all over Italy, so that's a huge accolade. Would love to stroll at night, etc. The museums and shopping were great, too.