I had a post/question before and am narrowing down my thoughts. I would enjoy a few more comments and suggestions from the group.
(Thank you for all the great suggestions so far! )
We want to focus on the fall season, harvest season and along with the historical sites, take advantage of the culinary and food aspects of an area. I’m feeling that Bologna might just be too large even though it’s convenient for travel access to the other areas. I’d like to stay outside of the major city. (Up to 1hr?) I can still be convinced otherwise but here are some other thoughts…
Pros and cons….Has anyone had experience with an extended stay in Modena? Would you recommend a month stay in Parma? Tell me more about Verona, Again the critical feature would be having access by train to be able to take day trips to several of the other locations. We just want to have a base from which we would explore out from there. We’re not opposed to the occasional renting of a car for a few days if necessary. I should add that walk- ability within the community is important as well!
I’ll give you a little more information about us which might be helpful in adding to any of your comments or new comments.
We have been to Siena, Florence and Orvietto as well that I didn’t to mention previously. Also Rome, Venice, Lake Como, Cinque Terra. We love Italy!
We like monuments, history and occasional museums, but also enjoy hiking, culinary exploration and photography. We are in our early 70s but active and fairly seasoned travelers. We really enjoy getting to know the locals. And you’re right -speaking the language can be really helpful. We speak a wee bit of Italian and Spanish which has gotten us by. And thank goodness for Google Translate.
Regarding the Airbnb’s Tod /Hiredman, (we are from Oregon, so hello neighbor) Thank you for the reminders about checking into the long-term rentals and changes. I know that there are areas that are not as open or are clamping down to rentals like Airbnb because of the difficulty the locals are having in finding living arrangements. Or just too many tourists.
I’ve heard lots of good things about Lucca but is it pretty far removed from what I’m thinking about for the autumn food/festivals and culinary experiences? Again we’d really like to have a town that is pretty walkable but has train access for those quick getaways.
October can be beautiful. I am so sad about the flooding that has taken place in the Bologna area and throughout Europe. We can’t predict the future but hopefully that is not the trend for these areas.
Please keep the comments or updates coming, you’re helping me determine which spot to call home for a month. Thank you so much!