Bologna

I'm interested, as well. We're planning to spend about 5 days in Bologna in June. We're booked into the Albergo Centrale Bologna, at least I think we are. I just checked my records so I could tell you where we're planning to stay, and noticed that our reservation is for the wrong dates! Yikes!

I just sent them an email requesting a change in dates; we'll see what happens.

We had quite possibly the best meal of our lives at Trattoria in Via Serra. When we were there 3 years ago dinner reservations were a must and generally needed to be made at least 3 weeks out. We were fortunate to get one of the two open lunch slots by showing up about an hour early. It's hard to say if this would still be the case but if you are interested you might ask your host to make a reservation for you in advance.

https://www.hotelmetropolitan.com/

Jane, thanks for the hotel recommendation. I had been looking at it on a booking site that showed "sold out" but just went on their website and was able to reserve directly! (I should have known better to begin with!) Good luck on getting your dates straightened out - at least you spotted it now and not at check-in!!

For sightseeing, Insight Guides has a great book--Bologna Pocket Guide. And, Northern Italy Emilia-Romagna by Bradt has a large chapter on Bologna.

The TI, right on Piazza Maggiore, offers a wealth of information. Their website is bolognawelcome.com. They offer a walking tour that is both informative and entertaining. Be sure to visit the Basilica di San Luca. We rode the city bus out there, through the beautiful green countryside. The walk back to the city is enjoyable, all downhill :) and completely covered from the weather. So many great places to eat! For casual meals we enjoyed the Mercato di Mezzo.

Annie W., got it taken care of! And yes, I'm horrified at the thought of turning up 5 days late! Not only would we not have a place to stay, but our credit card would have been charged for the first night of the wrong stay!

And it was totally my fault. Well, almost. I asked for the earlier (wrong) dates; when they sent me back a price quote, I booked the later (right) dates, then didn't notice that the verification came back for the wrong dates. Until this morning. Jeepers, what a mess that could have been.

So thank you! And yes, now it's time to go through all the reservations I've made for the 6 week or so trip, and see what else I've screwed up.

We were in Bologna in September for our first visit. Loved it! We stayed at Bologna Nel Cuore. She has two regular rooms and two apartments. Great location. We stayed in one of the apartments. Super clean and it had a washer, which was great. We would definitely stay there again.

Enjoy Bologna

We've been there twice over the years, great city! The TI used to offer walking tours in English, if still available I'd recommend doing one. The sightseeing bus tour of the city gives a nice overview. Modena and Parma are easily reached by train; we liked Parma more.