My wife and I are headed to Europe for a year starting the first of May (student visa in France), and we'd like to spend three months in three separate locations before heading to France. The first month will be in Graz, Austria, and then the second month in Italy. We've traveled quite a bit in Europe (mostly north of Italy) but have been to Italy previously. I'm looking for some suggestions regarding cities/towns to stay for an entire month. Milan, Rome, and Florence are definitely not in our plans but maybe access to Florence for a few days (Siena?) would be a good choice. I know this is a fairly open-ended question because everyone has different preferences. If you are familiar with Graz then you know why we would choose that over Salzburg or Vienna. Gives you an idea of our preferences.
Posted by
New England
724 posts
Many options, indeed, but consider Bologna. So much to explore in both the city itself and the immediate area. Plus, you are only a quick train from Florence (37 minutes). With Bologna as a base you can explore Modena, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Piacenza, Mantova, Ferrara, Padova, Ravenna, Venice, and more. And the food in Emilia-Romagna is divine!
Posted by
Washington DC
28501 posts
Bologna seems an excellent option from the standpoint of daytrip availability. There's probably not a place with a wider choice of sidetrips. Bologna is a bit larger than Graz; if that would be an issue for you, you might consider Padua, which is smaller but interesting, and has quite a few good nearby cities and towns to visit.
By June Italy can be getting quite hot. If you want to consider a place likely to be somewhat cooler than Bologna and Padua, take a look at Turin. It's a lot larger, but it seems to not be very touristy, and everyone I know who has been there has really liked it. A look at the June 2024 weather in the three cities I've mentioned shows Bologna was a lot milder than the other two this year.
It's important to look at data for multiple years, since weather is so variable. You can use the pull-down box at the right, just above the graph, to change the month and year displayed. The Search box at the upper right will allow you to change the location.
You might like Verona from the aesthetic standpoint, but I felt Verona had a lot more international tourist traffic than Graz, though Graz is larger. (I spent multiple nights in both those cities last summer.) Verona has good day-trip options, but it can get quite hot in June:
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1226 posts
Unless you have an unlimited budget the cost of various places will play into where you want to stay for a month. Bologna is very much a university town so the college schedule probably affects the quantity of lower cost housing on the market. Also watch for big festival or event days in the place you are thinking of staying - having a week or weekend where rentals are tight in the middle of your stay could also affect the availability and/or price of rentals. It sounds like you are talking about June in Italy which is getting into season - although maybe a bit less in the northern parts - so keep that in mind.
There used to be a longer rental market but AirBnB and Booking.com has completely taken over that space so you are realistically probably going to have to deal with them when looking for rentals unless you have an inside source or get veery lucky.
If you are thinking about access to Florence and want to stay off the tourist path someplace like Pistoia might be an alternative. Lucca is another interesting option (I spent a month there last year) but it is becoming more touristy and expensive as a result and is also smaller than the other towns you are discussing.
- Pisa is also very much a university town if that interests you and has good access to Florence and the beach.
- Verona sort of fits your criteria but will likely also be expensive since it is a more "upscale" location.
- Brescia is off the tourist radar map - so probably cheaper - but I found it to be a really interesting town. It may also be a little too far from Florence (2:30) for you if that's a deal breaker.
All these places are also close to Venice which I highly recommend you try if you have never been.
This sounds like an amazing opportunity so enjoy it and good luck. Having been there I can tell you a month passes much more quickly than you think once you fall into the rhythm of local life.
Have a great trip, hope that helps,
=Tod